Heating scheme cash boost pledged

Ministers want to avoid longer waiting lists

An extra £7m has been earmarked by Scottish ministers to help heat 1,600 more homes occupied by elderly people this winter.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the move followed concerns about waiting list times for the government's free central heating programme.

Ms Sturgeon said she was working with Scottish Gas to ensure those in greatest need were "prioritised".

Issues with the fuel poverty programme will also be looked into.

'Underlying issues'

The move will give additional priority to the most vulnerable applicants without heating and water and bring the total number of central heating systems installed under the programme to 15,000 in the current financial year.

"It is important that we give extra priority to vulnerable pensioners who face this winter in homes without heating and hot water," said Ms Sturgeon.

"We will focus this extra spending on increasing capacity in this year's programme to avoid making waiting lists longer.

"We also recognise that there are underlying issues with the design of the fuel poverty programmes and we are examining these."