Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many children in poverty lived in a household that did not receive a Warm Home Discount in 2013-14.

Under the “broader group” schemes offered by suppliers participating within the Warm Home Discount, considerable assistance is offered to vulnerable groups such as low-income families and those with long-term illnesses and disabilities. In scheme year 3 (2013/14) all seven participating suppliers (British Gas, EDF, E.On, First Utility, N Power, Scottish Power and SSE) made broader group support open to low-income families with children aged under five years.

We expect around 600,000 broader group rebates worth £135 to have been provided in 2013/14. However, final figures for the number of such payments will be published in Ofgem's annual scheme report in the autumn.

Participating energy suppliers are not required to provide the Government with a breakdown of the payments made to different groups of customers. As a result, we cannot calculate how many low income families received the Warm Home Discount, nor how many did not.