Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of heating oil costs on older and vulnerable people living in rural, off-grid homes; and what steps he is taking to ensure that energy support schemes protect people with long-term health conditions who are unable to maintain warmth during winter.

The measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. In addition, on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.

The Department keeps heating oil prices and market conditions under review and produces official statistics on petroleum and crude oil prices, including prices of gas oil and standard grade burning oil on a monthly basis which can be found here.