Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has for additional support to assist vulnerable people with their energy bills in winter 2017-18; and if he will make a statement.

Four and half million households on pre-payment meters are already protected by a price cap that came into effect in April. Ofgem is consulting on extending this to a further one million vulnerable households this winter.

The Government also provides £140 a year for over 2 million low income households through the Warm Home Discount, between £100-£300 a year for pensioners through Winter Fuel Payments, and £25 a week for low income and vulnerable households during a cold snap through Cold Weather Payments.

In April 2017 the Government reformed the Energy Company Obligation so that it has a greater focus on low income and vulnerable households. The current scheme, which is worth £640m per year and runs to October 2018 is expected to deliver over 300,000 measures, helping to make homes warmer now and for years to come.