❓ WA Parliamentary Question on Notice regarding the Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS) expenditure, recipient numbers, and spending breakdown by utility provider from 2013-14 to 2018-19. Data on multiple grants per recipient is unavailable.
AnsweredQoN 5681Legislative Assembly
Asked
16 October 2019
Member
Portfolio
Child Protection; Women's Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS), and ask: (a) How much was spent on HUGS for the following years 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19; (b) How many recipients received funding via: (i) Water Corporation; (ii) Synergy; (iii) Horizon Power; and (iv) Alinta Energy; (c) What was the total spent each year on: (i) Water Corporation bills; (ii) Synergy bills; (iii) Horizon Power bills; and (iv) Alinta Energy bills; and (d) For each year, how many recipients received more than one HUGS grant in the year?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
26 November 2019
Responded by
Minister for Child Protection; Women's Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services
Response time
11 days
a) State Government expenditure on the Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS) is as follows:
Year
Total expenditure ($)
2013-14
9,266,347
2014-15
8,846,140
2015-16
8,241,661
2016-17
15,783,142
2017-18
21,231,813
2018-19
7,483,730
b) The number of recipients who received HUGS funding, by utility provider, is as follows:
Utility
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
Water Corporation
1,057
1,468
1,262
1,401
3,179
1,554
Synergy
16,455
14,375
10,266
27,071
40,209
9,768
Horizon Power
1,910
1,572
1,602
1,334
1,209
486
Alinta Energy
5,415
5,540
6,444
8,570
9,008
1,617
c) The total spend for HUGS, by utility provider, is as follows:
Utility
2013-14
($)
2014-15
($)
2015-16
($)
2016-17
($)
2017-18
($)
2018-19
($)
Water Corporation
331,201
488,877
501,714
547,842
1,195,710
772,368
Synergy
6,254,015
5,643,433
4,356,897
11,382,087
16,020,506
5,276,454
Horizon Power
1,190,650
976,509
1,060,621
834,395
791,916
360,425
Alinta Energy
1,461,389
1,668,150
2,190,086
2,811,115
2,778,132
764,076
d) The Department of Communities’ HUGS Online System records applications, not individual recipients. It is not possible to provide data on the number of applicants who received more than one HUGS payment per year.
Year
Total expenditure ($)
2013-14
9,266,347
2014-15
8,846,140
2015-16
8,241,661
2016-17
15,783,142
2017-18
21,231,813
2018-19
7,483,730
b) The number of recipients who received HUGS funding, by utility provider, is as follows:
Utility
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
Water Corporation
1,057
1,468
1,262
1,401
3,179
1,554
Synergy
16,455
14,375
10,266
27,071
40,209
9,768
Horizon Power
1,910
1,572
1,602
1,334
1,209
486
Alinta Energy
5,415
5,540
6,444
8,570
9,008
1,617
c) The total spend for HUGS, by utility provider, is as follows:
Utility
2013-14
($)
2014-15
($)
2015-16
($)
2016-17
($)
2017-18
($)
2018-19
($)
Water Corporation
331,201
488,877
501,714
547,842
1,195,710
772,368
Synergy
6,254,015
5,643,433
4,356,897
11,382,087
16,020,506
5,276,454
Horizon Power
1,190,650
976,509
1,060,621
834,395
791,916
360,425
Alinta Energy
1,461,389
1,668,150
2,190,086
2,811,115
2,778,132
764,076
d) The Department of Communities’ HUGS Online System records applications, not individual recipients. It is not possible to provide data on the number of applicants who received more than one HUGS payment per year.
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