Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department plans to introduce an automatic or preventative protection from energy prices rises for severely disabled and medically vulnerable households.

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 removing £150 of costs off energy bills since April, and the extension of the Warm Home Discount, which benefits around 6 million households each winter, through to 2030/2031. 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

The Government recognises some households face additional specific challenges, such as medical needs.

As part of the Warm Homes Plan, 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 support is the availability of the right data. The National Data Library Kickstarter is a valuable addition to this work.