Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who are unable to adequately heat their homes as a result of poverty (a) nationally and (b) in York.

National Statistics on the number and percentage of people in poverty are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. This can be found at:

Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Data for Figures on material deprivation can be found in tables 4_8db_BHC and 48db_AHC in the children_hbai_detailed_breakdown file and population figures can be found in table 3_1ts in the population-hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2019-20-tables file. Data for York is unavailable due to insufficient sample size.

DWP administers the Cold Weather Payment scheme, which provides £25 extra a week to vulnerable people in receipt of certain income-related benefits, when the average temperature has been recorded, or is forecast to be, 0 degrees Celsius or below over 7 consecutive days at the weather station linked to an eligible person’s postcode.

Some customers in receipt of Universal Credit may be entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment if they or their partner reached state pension age on or before 26 September 2021.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy administers the Warm Home Discount Scheme for low income and vulnerable customers. It gives direct assistance with their energy costs. Energy suppliers provide rebates on energy bills currently worth £140 per household each winter. This year (2021/22), the scheme will be worth £354 million.

The Energy Price Cap will continue to protect consumers, ensuring they pay a fair price for their energy this winter.

Further detail on all 3 schemes can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment

https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment

https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme

We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter, which is why vulnerable households across the country are now able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund provides £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula applies in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million.