The Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Regulations 2024: SCoSS response to the Scottish Government

Scottish Commission on Social Security
c/o Secretariat
Area 1C South (Mail Point 6)
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ

info@socialsecuritycommission.scot

16 June 2025

Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
By email only

Dear Cabinet Secretary

The Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025

Thank you for your letter of 5 June 2025 further referring the Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 for scrutiny. This letter is the Commission’s report on the regulations.

The regulations include three updated provisions within the regulations, concerning the ‘opt-out’ and ‘opt-in’ mechanism, residency, and backdated payment awards, as well as the removal of a provision on applications.

We welcome the opportunity to consider the updated regulations and recognise that further work has been undertaken to address technical recommendations we made in our initial report. On this occasion we have no further comments to make.

A copy of this letter has been submitted to the Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee and will be published on our website.

Yours sincerely,

Ed Pybus
Chair
Scottish Commission on Social Security