On Monday March 2nd, the television program Radar dedicated an item to the Temporary Energy Emergency Fund. Criticism from de Nationale Ombudsman served as the occasion as it stated that people without a DigiD should also be allowed to apply to the fund. Moreover, those who are currently under special guardianship, due to for instance a disability, should also be granted acces to the Temporary Energy Emergency Fund. The ministry of SZW has issued a statement as a reply, which is displayed below. Energie-Nederland agrees with this.
We agree that the application procedure should be accessible, especially for those who are digitally less capable or in a precarious financial position. There is already a lot of support available to aid these groups. Firstly, the application procedure to the Temporary Energy Emergency Fund has been designed as simply as possible. Furthermore, the complaints procedure was written up in collaboration with the Ombudsman.
People, who are unable to figure out the application, can call the Emergency Fund’s helpline. Various volunteer organizations offer support to people with completing their application. People can walk into a local office to fill in an application together with a volunteer or receive help at home. You can find your local ‘walk-in point’ here: https://sameneropvooruit.nl/inlooppunten/ . This is done in collaboration with Schuldhulpmaatje, Humanitas, Leger des heils and other volunteer organizations.
People, who fall under special guardianship, are already allowed to apply to the Emergency Fund. They can do this themselves, together with their guardian, or with the help of their family, a volunteer or any other aid provider. We call upon guardians to direct their clients’ attention to the fund and support them. That is also a part of their tasks. If the guardian does not act accordingly to their responsibilities, you can file a complaint.
We expect that the Emergency Fund has sufficient means at the moment to remain open until medio March. The 31st of March is the final date, after which the fund will close. The closure will be communicated in advance, so people are aware of this development. Additionally, there are a lot of eligible people, who have been made aware of the Emergency Fund by their energy supplier or municipality.
