Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will guarantee the maintenance of third party deductions in their current form until at least the end of this Parliament.

The Social Security Benefits (Claims and Payments) (Modification) Regulations 2022 are a temporary modification to legislation which means that only claimants will be able to make new requests to pay for their ongoing energy consumption directly from their benefit or request an increase or decrease to existing arrangements. Requests for fixed-rate deductions towards fuel arrears remain unchanged. These regulations will expire on 06/04/2023 and legislation will revert unless a further legislative change is made.

Record energy prices are just one of a range of cost-of-living pressures that DWP claimants are facing. Given the increased proportion of income that energy bills are likely to represent in coming months, the Department is not content to continue to prioritise this particular need to the potential detriment of other essential needs - unless this is the express wish of a claimant.