Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Department for Work and Pension and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government about data sharing to offer targeted support for vulnerable households with heating oil.

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a number of issues.

DESNZ officials worked closely with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and His Majesty’s Treasury ahead of the recent announcement of £50m for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland.

In England, funding will be distributed by local authorities via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which comes into effect from 1 April.

In addition, DESNZ is working closely with other Government Departments on the National Data Library (NDL) energy bill support ‘kickstarter’ project to test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes.

The Kickstarter project will pave the way for better targeted help, ensuring those who are struggling to pay their bills get the support they need