Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of additional energy costs incurred by households where a disabled person requires electricity for life-sustaining medical equipment and environmental temperature control; and whether she has considered introducing (a) targeted financial support and (b) a medical energy social tariff for households with those additional costs.

The government is very aware of the cost-of-living pressures faced by households. The government has removed VAT from electricity bills to give households immediate breathing space. This is in addition to having removed £150 of costs off energy bills since April, plus the extension of the Warm Home Discount which reached 5.7million households last winter. The government recognises some households face additional specific challenges, such as medical needs.

The Government is also investing £15 billion through the Warm Homes Plan, the largest home-upgrade programme in British history, to improve homes, reduce energy costs and help lift one million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. As part of this, the Government is exploring how to enable referrals from the health sector to prescribe a warmer home for those who need it.

One of the biggest practical barriers to providing more targeted help to households is the availability of the right data. DESNZ is working closely with other Government Departments on the National Data Library household income ‘kickstarter’ project to test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes. This will pave the way for better targeted help, ensuring those who are struggling to pay their bills get the support they need.