These Regulations amend the Home Energy Assistance Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2009 (“the principal Regulations”), which make provision for the making of grants to improve the thermal insulation and energy efficiency of dwellings and to provide advice to reduce or prevent the wastage of energy in a dwelling.

Regulation 3 amends regulation 6(4) of the principal Regulations to extend eligibility to applicants who are in receipt of a qualifying benefit and who have a child under the age of 16 living with them in an energy inefficient dwelling. Previously applicants with a child between the ages of 5 and 16 were eligible only if the child had been awarded a disability living allowance within the meaning of section 71 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

Regulation 4 amends regulation 6(5) of the principal Regulations. It removes the income threshold for the qualifying benefit of child tax credit and includes all applicants who are in receipt of more than the family element of child tax credit. This includes families on incomes which are higher than the current threshold amount.

In addition, regulation 4 amends regulation 6(5) of the principal Regulations so as to provide for the eligibility of certain applicants who are in receipt of working tax credit and who have a relevant income of no more than £18,165, an increase on the current threshold of £17,474.