U.K.: Heating Help For Elderly Is Fast Tracked

EDINBURGH (Scotsman Evening News), November 21, 2007: The drive to install central heating in the homes of the elderly is to be speeded up at a cost of £7 million, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said today. The cash was to have been spent on the programme at a later date, but is being brought forward to help those pensioners most in need - those without heating and hot water this winter. The move was announced after a chorus of complaints over the pace of the programme, set up in 2001 to provide free central heating for the over-60s. Age Concern complained last week after the waiting list reached 100,000. It emerged yesterday that Ruth Howie, 63, from Aberdeen, has been admitted to hospital after living without heat for five months. The Scottish Government said hundreds of pensioner households would benefit from the extra measures announced today. Ms Sturgeon said: "We are doing all we can this winter to help the most vulnerable pensioners who are eligible for a new central heating system." ©2007 Scotsman.com