SCOTS pensioners have been updated regarding fuel payments this winter.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that letters have been sent to elderly people across the country.
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Over this month and December, payments of up to £300 will be granted to some who receive state pensions.
Minister for pensions, Emma Reynolds, said that letters to OAPs were sent on October 7 and November 4.
She urged elderly people to check if they are entitled to pension credit, which could mean they are also eligible for the winter fuel payment.
Ms Reynolds responded to Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, who queried: “To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date her Department sent letters to people eligible for Pension Credit to inform them that they must apply for Pension Credit to continue receiving winter fuel payments.”
The Labour politician replied: “The department sent letters between 7th October and 4th November 2024 to pensioners who, under previous rules, would have received a Winter Fuel Payment this year.
“The letters informed customers of the change in eligibility for receiving the payment and urged them to check their potential entitlement to Pension Credit which would provide them with a range of additional benefits, including the Winter Fuel Payment.”
In August, the Scottish ministers announced that they would be ending universal winter payment.
SNP chiefs said that the money, used to help elderly people heat their homes, would be means tested.
The move followed Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing similar changes for pensions in England and Wales.
Social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said winter fuel payments will only go to OAPs who receive eligible benefits.
The decision meant almost one million elderly people across Scotland would no longer be eligible to receive winter fuel payments.
Just 130,000 in Scotland will be eligible for the payments under the new rules, while 900,000 who had previously been entitled will miss out.
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