THE SNP are “considering” whether to reverse a Westminster cut to pensioners’ winter support payments, a minister has claimed.
Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee has hinted that the Scottish Government could use a funding uplift from Westminster to mitigate cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment benefit.
Earlier this year, Labour announced they were axing the universal benefit, which will now only be paid to the poorest pensioners.
The Scottish Government said it had “no choice” but to follow suit.
Both governments are now facing an Alba Party-backed legal challenge against the cut.
But speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Show, McKee hinted the SNP may choose to mitigate the cut, as they have done with the bedroom tax.
Responsibility for the Winter Fuel Payment is due to be transferred to the Scottish Government and McKee (below) was asked whether the SNP still wanted the payment to be universal, rather than means-tested.
He replied: “That decision that was made by the UK Government earlier in the summer obviously took significant amount of money out of the pot we had available to provide that payment, with clarification coming through now on these numbers for this year and indeed for next year.”
Pressed again, the SNP minister said: “I’m not going to commit to that on this programme, the Budget will be along in a few weeks and you can find out where we are but it’s absolutely something we’re considering along with all the other things you’ve asked us to spend money on this morning.”
Elsewhere, McKee also suggested that the SNP may rule out further tax rises and said Westminster had as yet failed to provide clarity on whether there may be a hidden tax hit in its funding settlement.
Asked whether the Scottish Government had reached a stage where raising taxes higher would be “counter-productive”, McKee said: “I think that is a very strong consideration.”
And he said that it remained unclear whether the Scottish Government would need to find around £500 million in its £3.4 billion funding package for the next financial year to cover increased National Insurance contributions.
There have been competing suggestions from the Treasury, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves last week seeming to suggest the £500m would need to be found from the £3.4bn – while others have suggested it will come in addition.
