Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2023 to Question 151378 on Hospices Energy, what his Department's current assessment is of the impact of the cost of energy on the hospice sector.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensure that all eligible charities, including hospices and care homes, are protected from high energy costs over the winter period. Although no specific assessment has been made in regard to hospices, following a Treasury-led review, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme which will run from April 2023 until March 2024, will continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including the health and care sector.