Facua values ​​the changes in the social bonus, but asks to "go further" to benefit more users

MADRID, 13 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Facua-Consumidores en Acción has positively valued the Government's announcement about the changes that are intended to be introduced to the social bond, although it has insisted on the need to "go further", "streamline protocols and invest in an institutional information campaign to reach to a larger number of users.

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Thursday in the Congress of Deputies the modifications that the Government intends to introduce and approve in the next Council of Ministers to the social bonus. Among them, increase the amount of energy entitled to discount by 15% and increase said discount percentage from 65 to 80% for vulnerable and severely vulnerable consumers.

Likewise, a new category of electricity consumers entitled to a 40% discount will also be created temporarily, aimed at low-income households. In addition, the regulated gas rates, the Last Resort Rates (TUR), will be extended to households that are part of communities with centralized natural gas heating, and the amounts allocated to the thermal social bonus will be increased.

In a statement, Facua considered the Government's proposal "an advance", but estimated that it is still necessary to "go further" and recalled that the number of users who benefit from the social bonus "is still very far" from that promised by the Executive of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero when the measure was launched, which was five million beneficiaries.

Thus, the association insisted on the need to create an institutional communication campaign to make users aware of the social bonus and how to apply for it.

In addition, he considered that this information should come from the administration itself and the consumer associations, avoiding that it is only the electricity companies that supply it, to guarantee that it is done correctly.

On the other hand, Facua called for a "major" regulatory change in the application process for the social bonus, which speeds up the procedures and protocols that users must follow.

To do this, the association pointed out that the electricity companies, in many cases, "put excessive obstacles to consumers and unnecessarily delay the time to get the bonus."

In addition, he recalled that the data on the income of the requesting users can be easily compared by the electricity companies with the administration, since they have all of them, "so the paperwork that on many occasions the energy companies submit to consumers, delaying the whole process".