Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what actions his department are taking to ensure social housing residents who use (a) biomass, and (b) solid fuel, as their source of heating or hot water are able to access the £100 off-grid energy financial support payment.

The Government is aiming to make this process as simple as possible for customers. Households eligible for these payments in Great Britain will receive £100 as a credit on their electricity bill this winter. For Northern Ireland the Government is working with electricity suppliers to explore how the payment could be delivered via electricity bills under a similar delivery model to Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Households who are eligible for but who do not receive the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier for example, will receive the £100 via the AFP Alternative Fund which will be provided by a designated body.