Transcript of Downing Street webchat on Government support in cold weatherwith Work and Pensions Minister, Helen Goodman – 10am, 8 January, 2010
Moderator says: Good morning. Helen has just arrived and we will be starting very shortly.
cindy styles: Hi why are cold weather payments only £25 which is a help but not enough? and why does it take days to get the payment when everyone knew this weather was coming?
Helen replies: Hello Cindy,
The payment used to be £8.50, but in Sept, we decided to put it up to £25 a week this year because fuel prices remained quite high and we know people need the money.
The payments are triggered when it is freezing or below for 7 days in a row, on average. The payments will be in bank accounts within 2 weeks. So far in many parts of the country there have already been 2 or 3 triggers and the payments are arriving. This means that most people will have the money before their fuel bills arrive.
gina bass: Why can't those who are entitled to free prescriptions due to health problems or because of working tax credit entitlement have cold weather payments? People on low incomes struggle with fuel payments too, especially those in reciept of carers allowance but who don't get income support.
Helen replies: Gina,
I am sorry to hear of your situation but you do need to put your health first and try to keep warm.
We have to concentrate resources where we believe they are most needed and at the moment we take account of illness and disability in the following ways: Cold Weather Payments go to people in income related ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) that includes a work related activity or support component or those in the assessment phase. It also goes to people on Income Support who have a disability premium or a child who is disabled. I know this does not cover every health condition but for those who get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) care component or who are terminally ill, and getting the highest rate of care component DLA, that benefit is supposed to cover the extra costs they face.
Karen James: what help is on offer to families with disabled kids ??
Helen replies: Morning Karen,
If you are on income support and you have a disabled child of any age or you have a disabled child and receive support for that child via child tax credit you are entitled to the payments. You don't need to claim, you will be paid automatically in your account.
AMANDA REGAZZOLI: how long does it take to recieve cold weather payments am due 2 but not recieved any
Helen replies: Amanda,
Payments are automatic and processed every weekend. You will get a letter telling you when the payment is going out and into your account. Normally this happens within 7 to 13 days after the trigger. The trigger can be at the beginning of the cold snap, if it is forecast to last 7 days.
melita: hi this Cold Weather Payment is it for everyone as on the directgov web page its as if u have kids under 5 in witch i have 2 kids under 5 so would that mean i get the Cold Weather Payment x
Helen replies: Melita,
If you are on Income Support and you have a child under 5 years old, you will get a Cold Weather Payment. The same applies if you are on income based Jobseekers Allowance, with a child under 5.
sam: being as the price of gas and electric has gone up why hasnt the cold weather payments gone up
Helen replies: Sam,
You have a good point. Fuel prices went up a lot 2 years ago and that's why we raised the weekly payment from £8.50 to £25 for last winter and repeated it this year. We did the same with Winter Fuel Payments, increasing them to between £250 and £400 - which most pensioners should now have received.
sandra wells: i am shocked that no cold weather payment will be paid as the met office have said that our postcode area hasnt been 0 celcius.how bad is that with a disabled husband.
Helen replies: Sandra,
I don't know where you live. We reviewed the number of cold weather stations with the Met Office in the autumn, and added an extra 9, bringing the total to 85.
Within the last month, 96% of eliigible customers (that's 4.1 million recipients) have had payments triggered and most of them have had 2 payments already. So far the government has spent 200 million pounds. This budget is not cash limited and we pay according to need. If the cold weather continues, we will keep paying. It's real help now.
b.griffiths: I am entitled to this payment as a pensioner on pension credit, how do I receive it? Thank You
Helen replies: Yes, you are entitled. You will receive it automatically into your account if its cold enough in your area. That's one of the advantages of being on Pension Credit and we want more to apply for that - as you also get help with Council Tax and Housing benefit. You can call 0800 99 1234 - it's free and there is no need to fill in any long forms!
Lynne Davey: During this extreme weather many more pensioners will struggle to with heating bills than just those that fall within the qualifying criteria for the cold weather payments - is the government considering extending the qualification criteria to include those on other low income benefits such as Housing and Council Tax benefit? If not, why not?
Helen replies: Lynne,
Don't forget that all pensioners also get Winter Fuel Payments. This is £250 per household, or £400 if one of you is over 80. You should have received this before Christmas and this should give you the reassurance you need to pay your fuel bills.
We also want to help people keep their fuel bills down and that's why we introduced the warm front scheme. You can get a grant to help with insulation or a new boiler. At the start of this week, Ed Miliband also announced the new Boiler Scrappage scheme which gives people a £400 voucher to help people in their own home or privately rent to upgrade their boilers. To find out about this ring 0800 512 012.
andrew reynard: what if my bills alot higher than the coldweather payments .do think the power and gas people are going to help people in paying a lot higher bills
Helen replies: Andrew,
The Cold Weather Payments should go some way to meeting costs. But some energy companies also have social tariffs which helped a million customers last year. Check with your supplier to see if you are eligible.
We are pushing legislation through Parliament now to make these obligatory for all companies.
Lynn Bodsworth: I am in the same position as sandra wells over postcode lottery. Our temperature here has been freezing or below since the snowfall before christmas but i am just to receice 1 weeks cold weather payment because of my postcode!!
Helen replies: Lynn,
As I said before, already 96% of the country has had payments. Don't forget the payments are triggered by cold weather rather than snowfall.
Paul Williams: why do cold weather payments stop when your child turns 5?
Helen replies: Paul,
We know that most children under 5 are at home and so their homes need to be warm. Older children are generally at school. I know that a lot of schools have been closed this week. We have set up the system to work in a normal winter and the current situation is quite exceptional.
theresa gargaro: i have a disabled husband, who really feels the cold due to his medication. on the gov.website, it says my postcode in kent has not been cold enough to receive the cold weather payment even tho it has been 0 or minus for at least 10 days.why is this???
Helen replies: Theresa,
Thanks for your message. I really understand your problems. It's difficult without knowing all the details to give you the best advice. So write to me, Helen Goodman, at DWP, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London SW1. Include your NI number and I will make sure you are getting all the help you are entitled to.
cheryl: Why don't disabled people get a winter fuel allowance
Helen replies: Cheryl,
I understand why you asked this question. The reason is that there are other benefits designed specifically to meet the year round costs, including heating. Disability Living Allowance is paid weekly and over the year it is in fact much higher than a winter fuel payment.
James: Hi Helen, roughly how much does the government expect to pay out in cold weather payments this winter?
Helen replies: James,
This year we have spent £200 million so far on Cold Weather Payments. We have also spent £2.7 billion on Winter Fuel Payments. We will keep paying Cold Weather Payments, as long as the weather is cold, until the end of March. Fifteen years ago the annual spend was just £60 million on keeping people warm.
Gemma: It has been freezing lately so i have had to put extra money on the gaz as im a single mother of one and have a baby on the way. i have not recieved one cold weather payment this year or last??
Helen replies: Gemma,
Yes, it's really important for you to keep well. That's why for pregnant mum's we introduced the Sure Start Maternity Grant and the Health in Pregnancy Grant. You are entitled to both of these even if you are not on other benefits. Child Benefit has also gone up in real terms over the last 10 years.
stuart sleigh: will carers get the cold weather payment, i`m 37 so don`t get pension credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance. on the radio a press officer said income support is covered but local centre said it`s not
Helen replies: Stuart,
Some recipients of Income Support do get the Cold Weather Payments. For example, if you have a disability premium, a disabled child or a child under 5 you will get help. We don't have enough of your details to give you a precise answer but if you ring the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 88 2200, you can check you are getting all you are entitled to.
Ruth: Are there any government schemes to help those on a low or means tested income to insulate their homes, and can landlords be encouraged to help?
Helen replies: Ruth,
Yes! Warm Front gives help to people with insulation and new boilers. In the last 2 years 2 million households have been helped and each of those will have saved an average of £300 a year. To get Warm Front help you can contact the freephone number 0800 316 1653. You are right, people who rent from private landlords also need to live in energy-efficient homes and I made proposals just before Christmas to encourage them to take action.
James Lawton: Is it true that we only have 15 days of gas supply left in the country.
Helen replies: James,
Thanks for your question. There has been a lot of scaremongering. The truth is that we have enough gas in storage for about 9 weeks and our gas storage is over 70% full. Half our gas comes from the North Sea but we don't rely just on one source, we've also got Norwegian and continental European gas flowing into Britain.
Many thanks to you and everyone who has joined in the web chat this morning. We have had a record number of questions, nearly 500 so far. People have raised a lot of important issues and obviously in an hour I haven't been able to answer everyone. Some themes clearly matter to a lot of people so we will be putting more information onto the DWP website in response to the questions.
Helen Goodman.
Moderator says: This morning's webchat is now over. Thank you to everyone for all your questions. Look out for more webchats on Number 10.gov.uk in the coming weeks.