Sturgeon said the most vulnerable applicants without heating and water will be given additional priority, but that the capacity in this year’s programme will also be increased to avoid lengthening the waiting times for others. As part of this Scottish Gas, which manages the central heating programme, will aim to speed up their delivery in this financial year to achieve a further 1,600 installations, bringing the total number of central heating systems installed under the programme to 15,000 this financial year. 

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 under the fuel poverty programme and whose existing system has broken down beyond repair. 

"It is important that we give extra priority to vulnerable pensioners who face this winter in homes without heating and hot water. We will focus this extra spending on increasing capacity in this year's programme to avoid making waiting lists longer. 

"We also recognise that there are underlying issues with the design of the fuel poverty programmes and we are examining these."