ACTION CALL OVER FUEL POVERTY GROUP REPORT.

ACTION CALL OVER FUEL POVERTY GROUP REPORT.

’STOP TINKERING AND START TACKLING’ FUEL POVERTY,

The UK Government has been urged to “stop tinkering and start tackling” fuel poverty after a report by the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG) today (Monday) said rising unemployment and higher energy prices are set to push hundreds of thousands more homes into fuel poverty.

SNP Westminster Energy spokesperson, Mike Weir MP, said the Government was at risk of failing to meet its own targets on eradicating fuel poverty by 2016.

Mr Weir said:

“This report must be a wake-up call for the UK Government who must stop tinkering and start tackling fuel poverty.

“Domestic fuel bills have gone through the roof and fuel poverty levels are now more than three times the rate of five years ago. Clearly a combination of increasing bills and the real difficulties people face because of the recession will make the situation much worse, and Ministers need to tackle this head on if they are to stand any chance of meeting targets on eradicating fuel poverty.

“Not only is the UK Government failing to deal with fuel poverty, but some policy, such as the 15 per cent levy on domestic heating oil or liquid petroleum gas users in rural areas will make matters worse - these energy customers do not have access to the social tariffs available to gas customers, for example.

“Efforts so far have been totally inadequate, and unless the government gets a grip then hundreds of thousands of vulnerable households are going to slip into fuel poverty.

“For an energy rich country it is nothing short of a national scandal that people are living in fuel poverty, and UK Ministers need to grasp the nettle and make eradicating fuel poverty a priority.”