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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their forecast of the impact of the increase in the energy price cap announced by Ofgem 3 February 2022 on levels of fuel poverty.

Fuel poverty statistics are updated annually. The next update will be published on 24 February 2022. The report will include data for 2020 on the number of households living in fuel poverty in England and analysis of the composition of fuel poor households, as well as projections of the number of households in fuel poverty in 2021 and 2022. It is Ofgem’s role, as the independent regulator, to set a fair rate for the energy price cap. The price cap will ensure that over 22 million households pay a fair price for their gas and electricity.

Support for energy bills is available to eligible households through the Warm home Discount, the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payments. On 3 February, the Government announced a package of support worth £9.1 billion to help domestic energy customers with the cost of rising energy bills. This includes a £150 non-repayable Council Tax rebate in April 2022 to all households in Council Tax Bands A-D, £144 million of discretionary funding for local authorities to support those not eligible for the Council Tax rebate and a £200 discount on energy bills this Autumn for domestic electricity customers’ bills, to be paid back automatically over the next five years.