Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what further steps he plans to take to help support average to low-income households with fuel costs.

The government understands that many households are facing additional pressure on their finances due to higher fuel and energy costs. At Spring Statement, the Chancellor announced significant steps that will help low-income households with the cost of living. These measures ensure work pays and help people keep more of what they earn to provide support through the challenge ahead:

• reducing the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, and increasing Universal Credit work allowances by £500 a year
• increasing the National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 23 and over by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour from April 2022

• a temporary 12-month cut to fuel duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre, only the second time in 20 years that main rates of petrol and diesel have been cut

These measures follow the £9.1 billion package announced in February 2022 to help households with rising energy bills this year, the expansion of the Warm Homes Discount to 3 million households and £3bn confirmed supported for households to improve their energy efficiency since 2021.