Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) Public Health England, (c) health professional organisations and (d) other relevant stakeholders on the potential impact of the (i) forced installation and (ii) self-disconnection of prepayment meters on household health.

There have been no recent discussions. The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department of Health and Social Care work collaboratively on such areas of crosscutting policy. The Government recognises that rising energy prices can make it more difficult for people to heat their homes and that cold homes can have an adverse impact on the health of vulnerable population groups.

We are providing a £37 billion package of cost-of-living support to help households and businesses this winter, including the Energy Price Guarantee. Prepayment meter customers will automatically receive the same discount per unit of energy as other customers through the Energy Price Guarantee. Prepayment meter customers are also receiving the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount which is being provided in instalments from October to March.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets has strict rules in place that mean whenever suppliers install a prepayment meter, they must verify that it is safe and reasonably practicable to do so. This should include consideration of whether a customer’s vulnerability would make a prepayment meter inappropriate, for example where medical equipment is required.