FOI/202600516655 · FOI · unclear
Emergency Heating Oil Scheme figures: FOI release
Information requested
Would you please answer these questions on behalf of Home Heating Advice Scotland, in respect of the Scottish Government’s Emergency Heating Oil Scheme?
1) As of the beginning of May (01/05/26) How many applications for emergency Heating oil help have been received?
2) How many awards have been made of today’s date and of what value was the average benefit?
3) How many awards were made within the FIVE day period following receipt of application?
4) How many awards are still pending?
5) How many applications were rejected? a) How many were rejected because the fuel invoices were dated before 1st April? b) How many rejected because the applicants were deemed by HHAS not to be in sufficient hardship?
6) What is the expected total level of payouts, compared with the total funding of £10m allocated?
Response
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.
This is because the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme is operated by Advice Direct Scotland ("ADS"), through their homeheatingadvice.scot website. As such, ADS hold the data that would be required to provide answers to the majority of your queries. Please note that as ADS are a charity they are exempt from FOI requests.
ADS, however, do provide the Scottish Government with regular updates and we do hold some information and have provided this below.
Please note that this is a live administrative system and the figures could be subject to future revision. We are also unable to confirm these figures as the data is held by ADS.
1) As of the beginning of May (01/05/26) How many applications for emergency Heating oil help have been received?
Our records suggest 7651 applications had been received up to 1 May 2026.
2) How many awards have been made of today’s date and of what value was the average benefit?
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
This is due to the Scottish Government not holding records for the date indicated in your email (13 May) but as of 1 June 2026, our records suggest 2827 awards were made.
All awards are for £300 towards the cost of heating oil or liquid petroleum gas.
3) How many awards were made within the FIVE day period following receipt of application?
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
This is due to the Scottish Government not holding records for the time taken to determine an application.
4) How many awards are still pending?
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
This is due to the Scottish Government not holding records for the date of your email (13 May) but as of 1 June 2026, our records suggest 1832 applications are still pending.
ADS have advised that when all information has been received from an applicant a decision can be made on an application quickly and that applications will be kept open whilst ADS await any information they have requested from applicants for a few weeks before closing the application. Should an applicant contact ADS after their application is closed then ADS will reopen the application.
5) How many applications were rejected?
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
This is due to the Scottish Government not holding records for the date of your email (13 May) but as of 1 June 2026, our records suggest 3915 applications have been rejected.
ADS have noted that if an applicant whose application has been rejected contacts ADS with information that they will reopen the application to reconsider the previous decision.
5 a) How many were rejected because the fuel invoices were dated before 1st April?
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
5 b) How many rejected because the applicants were deemed by HHAS not to be in sufficient hardship?
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
This is due to the Scottish Government not holding records for the date of your email (13 May) and we are also unable to provide a figure for as of 1 June 2026 for your specific request.
This is because the records we hold are about the results of applications made on the basis of a combination of financial hardship and a risk of self-rationing as a result of a vulnerability.
6) What is the expected total level of payouts, compared with the total funding of £10m allocated?
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
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