Families forced to choose between eating and heating their homes, MSP says

People in Scotland are being forced to choose between buying food or heating their homes, according to an SNP MSP.

James Dornan, who is convener of the Local Government and Communities Committee at the Scottish Parliament, made the comments as he highlighted the need for fuel poverty to be eradicated.

The committee announced its support for the Fuel Poverty (Target, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Bill on Tuesday but called for additional measures to fully address the issue.

As part of an inquiry, the committee held focus groups in Dundee and Stornoway to hear first-hand from people who had experiences of fuel poverty.

In its report, the committee stated that there should be a separate target to focus on people living in "extreme fuel poverty'' - defined as those spending more than 20% of their income on fuel.

The committee also highlighted concerns that the Bill may not reflect the reality of living in islands and remote areas, including much higher living and travel costs.

Mr Dornan said: "We know that Scotland is an energy-rich country, yet during our evidence we talked to people who faced the impossible decision of either feeding their families or heating their homes.

"The stark reality is that over a quarter of households in Scotland still face extreme difficulties heating their homes and this can rise to well over double that in rural and island communities.

"The committee welcomes the Fuel Poverty Bill's core purpose, which could make a real difference to the life of thousands of Scottish families. However, the longer-term ambition should be the eradication of fuel poverty.

"We have outlined a number of ways to improve the Fuel Poverty Bill to ensure that Scotland can better tackle fuel poverty issues, so that no-one has to struggle in cold, draughty and sometimes unliveable homes in the future.''

Carolynn McQueen, 54, from Guardbridge, Fife, took part in the committee's focus group in Dundee.

Ms McQueen said: "I spoke to committee members about the realities of living in fuel poverty and the serious impact it had on my physical and mental health.

"I'm pleased they've taken action after listening to our experiences, particularly on extreme fuel poverty in rural areas as this is something I experienced when I lived in a rural farm cottage outside of Anstruther.

"I hope that no-one has to go through what I've been through and that this new legislation can change people's lives for the better."