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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to provide support to people with energy costs during the covid-19 lockdown.

The Department secured a voluntary agreement with energy companies on 19th March 2020 to support customers impacted by Covid-19. The voluntary agreement remains in place, requiring suppliers to support those struggling with energy bills, and take necessary action to keep them on supply.

The Government has launched the COVID Winter Grant Scheme, that makes £170m available to local authorities in England to provide support for vulnerable households with food, heating and energy costs, water bills and other associated essentials, this winter.

The Government continues to provide a significant package of financial support for households impacted by covid-19 including the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit that will continue through to March 2021 and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme that have been extended until the end of April 2021.