The Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, announced this Wednesday that the Government will modify the criteria for access to the electric social bonus to prevent large families with high incomes from having access to this public aid.
The minister’s reaction comes after the Infolibre newspaper announced that the Family Department of the Community of Madrid granted Enrique Ossorio, vice president of the Community of Madrid, 195.82 euros in public aid corresponding to the call of the 2021 social bonus, for vulnerable consumers.
In a message on Twitter, Ribera has indicated that, although “supporting vulnerable consumers and large families is essential”, “the lack of sensitivity and solidarity of some is surprising”.
The social bonus is public aid that currently allows a 65% discount on electricity bills for vulnerable consumers and 80% for the very vulnerable. Before the outbreak of the Ukrainian war in 2021, when Ossorio requested it, the discounts were 25% and 40% respectively. Those who are entitled to this benefit also receive the social energy bonus with a single extra aid of 195.82 euros and the severely vulnerable have access to 313.30 euros.
In principle, the definition of vulnerable and non-vulnerable consumer is linked to economic criteria. Those families or cohabitation units whose income is equal to or less than 1.5 times the IPREM of 14 payments (about 12,500 euros per year) are considered vulnerable; pensioners whose income does not exceed 500 euros or those families or cohabitation units in which any of its members is a beneficiary of the Minimum Vital Income.
The problem is that there is a fourth requirement that is unrelated to income, which is “being in possession of the large family title.” This is the one that meets the vice president of the Community of Madrid and many other large families. This inconsistency had already been noticed by the Government, which for months had recognized the need for change, although it seems that it will be “the Ossorio case” that could precipitate the change.
