Liam McArthur, Liberal Democrat Energy spokesperson, has warned that the current cold snap could claim the lives of many vulnerable people due to confusion over provision of anti fuel poverty measures.

As Arctic temperatures hit Scotland the elderly have been warned to take extra precautions to stay warm. However, Mr McArthur has said the reality is that many elderly people simply can not afford to keep their homes warm this winter.

Liam McArthur MSPCommenting, Mr McArthur said:

“As temperatures plunge and the cost of heating our homes remains high, the brunt of this double whammy will be borne by the most vulnerable in society.

“Over 2000 winter deaths occurred last year in people over the age of 65, largely due to illnesses that are made worse by fuel poverty. As whole sale energy costs continue to tumble energy companies must act now to pass these savings on to customers in the form of lower energy prices.

“But there is also a great deal of confusion over who is eligible to receive assistance with central heating insulation following a recent Scottish government announcement.

“Ministers have a large advertising budget of £10.8million which is dwarfed by that of the energy companies themselves. More of these budgets should be used to make elderly and vulnerable groups aware of what support is available to them. This would allow more people to receive the assistance they need through the winter and reduce the number of preventable deaths.”