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Minister 'unsure' who will get winter fuel help
Joe Murphy, Political Editor11.09.08
The Prime Minister's long-awaited fuel aid measures took a blow today when the minister in charge admitted he did not know how many people would get help in time for this winter.
Gordon Brown was announcing a £1 billion package, part-funded by the energy industry, to give lagging and wall insulation to 10 million homes.
But asked how many would get help this winter, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "That will depend on the number of people who come forward to take advantage of the scheme and the capacity that the energy companies have got."
Mr Brown had originally hoped to give poorer families vouchers worth up to £100 each towards this winter's bills - but the fuel industry refused to fund the scheme. Instead, he will announce that emergency assistance when temperatures drop below zero for seven consecutive days will be raised from £8.50 to £25.
The Prime Minister today urged families to turn off the lights and close curtains at dusk to save energy.
After meeting a couple who use the tips - and even plan to put a special balloon up their chimneys to prevent heat loss - he said: "I think throughout the country this kind of thing is going to become a lot bigger, because people are seeing that we can't go on using as much energy as we have been doing and wasting so much of it." He toured the home of Tom and Sue Sheehan, of Balham, south London, to promote his plans to promote better insulation rather than handouts.
The couple have knocked up to £400 off their £1,000-a-year energy bills by cutting down on waste and using appliances and lights less.
"We cut our heating costs a lot simply by making sure every window has curtains and they are closed at dusk," said Mrs Sheehan, a mother-of-two.
"We've put a curtain over the front door and gone round blocking every little gap - like where pipes come into the house - and it has made it a lot more cosy and comfortable and we've been able to turn the thermostat down to 18 degrees. The next thing will be to put special balloons in the chimneys to stop heat escaping that way." Today's measures may not be enough to stave off demands from MPs and unions for a windfall tax on the profits of energy firms. Trade union Unite said that since 2003, energy firms had raised their profits almost six-fold to £3 billion but spent just £50 million a year combating fuel poverty.
Chancellor Alistair Darling is against a windfall tax while Business Secretary John Hutton says it would hurt investment.
But Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, said: "This can't be addressed by lagging the loft as some crackpots around the Prime Minister have suggested. Without help with fuel bills now, we'll be lagging the coffins of the elderly if we have a cold winter."
