Pension Age Winter Heating Payment: Equality Impact Assessment
The Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) carried out in relation to the Winter Heating Assistance (Pension Age) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025
Footnotes
1 Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts Update – June 2025
3 Social Security Experience Panels: publications
4 Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP): consultation analysis
5 Age UK calls on everyone to look out for their older family members and friends this wintertime
7 Parliamentary Briefing - Rising energy prices and supporting older people this winter (Age UK)
8 Pensioner Poverty: challenges and mitigations
9 A Fairer Scotland for Older People: framework for action - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
10 Fairer Scotland Action Plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
11 Social Security experience panels: cold spell and winter fuel payment – 2020 report
12 Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP): consultation analysis - gov.scot
13 Social Security Experience Panels: Pension Age Winter Heating Payment
14 Pensioner Poverty: challenges and mitigations
15 Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts (SEFF) - May 2025
16 Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts Update – June 2025
17 Tackling Fuel Poverty in Scotland: Periodic Report 2021 - 2024
18 Relevant Benefits:
(a) income support under Part 7 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992;
(b) an income-based jobseeker’s allowance under the Jobseekers Act 1995;
(c) state pension credit under the State Pension Credit Act 2002;
(d) an income-related employment and support allowance under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007;
(e) universal credit under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012
19 Winter Mortality in Scotland 2023/24: (National Records of Scotland)
20 Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings - gov.scot
22 Social Security Experience Panels: Pension Age Winter Heating Payment - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
23 "Not enough to live on": Pensioner poverty in Scotland (independentage.org)
24 Taking the temperature energy survey | Age Scotland (ageuk.org.uk)
25 Search | Scotland’s Census - 2022
26 Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2019-22 (data.gov.scot)
27 "Not enough to live on": Pensioner poverty in Scotland (independentage.org)
28 Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2020-23 (data.gov.scot)
29 Taking the temperature energy survey | Age Scotland (ageuk.org.uk)
30 “Not enough to live on”: Pensioner poverty in Scotland | Independent Age
31 Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings
33 Fuel Poverty (Target, Definition and Strategy) and Fuel Poverty Strategy: health impact assessment
35 Supporting documents - Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP): consultation analysis - gov.scot
36 This distributional analysis is conducted using UKMOD microsimulation model and explores the impact of the latest policy in 2025-26. While it is not possible to model all household circumstances, the estimates remain robust: the approach ensures that total spending and caseload broadly align with forecasts from the Scottish Fiscal Commission for different policy options. The latest policy is compared against two counterfactuals: (a) The policy announced at the 2025-26 Scottish Budget, which restricts eligibility of the £203.40 and £305.10 payments to households receiving a qualifying benefit and pays £100 to all other pensioner households; (b) the universal policy which was in effect before 2024.
37 Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings
38 Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2021-24 (data.gov.scot)
39 Tackling Fuel Poverty in Scotland: A Strategic Approach (www.gov.scot)
40 The Scottish Health Survey 2020 edition - telephone survey
41 Living longer - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
43 Scottish Government: Energy Tracker (consumer.scot)
44 Social Security Experience (www.gov.scot)
45 Note that this is only based on caseloads for reserved disability benefits and excludes Adult Disability Payment in Scotland, for which benefit combination data is unavailable.
46 Equality Act 2010: guidance - GOV.UK
47 Older people - Population groups - Public Health Scotland
48 Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2020-23
49 Healthy Ageing in Scotland - Pilot Survey Report (1).pdf
50 Scottish Health Survey 2022 Main Report Volume 1 (www.gov.scot)
51 National life tables: UK - Office for National Statistics
52 Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK
53 Scotland’s Census 2022 - Sexual orientation and trans status or history | Scotland's Census
56 Scottish Trans, Equality Network, “Trans and Non-Binary Experiences”, 2024: Trans and Non-Binary People's Experiences Summary Report
57 Scottish Government, Social Security Scotland, “Social Security Scotland Client Diversity and Equalities Analysis for April 2023 to March 2024”, 2024: Social Security Scotland - Social Security Scotland Client and Applicant Diversity and Equalities Analysis for April 2023 to March 2024
58 Equality Act 2010: guidance - GOV.UK
60 Languages | Scotland's Census (scotlandscensus.gov.uk)
61 Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2020-23
62 Housing needs of minority ethnic groups: evidence review - gov.scot
63 New Age UK analysis finds one in five UK women pensioners now living in poverty
64 The statistics provided are based on Scotland's Census 2022 data for households where the Household Reference Person is aged 65+. Due to small sample sizes, some ethnic groups have been aggregated.
66 Within the Scotland’s Census 2022 data, the White: Gypsy/Traveller sample is very small compared to all households. This may result in some volatility in the results.
67 Social Security Experience (www.gov.scot)
69 Equality Act 2010: guidance - GOV.UK
70 Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2019-22 (data.gov.scot)
71 New Age UK analysis finds one in five UK women pensioners now living in poverty