Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when her Department plans to publish the eligibility requirements for the 2023-24 Warm Home Discount Scheme.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount scheme 2023-24 is set in the Eligibility Statement which was published on 12th September 2023 and can be found here:
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to publish the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount Scheme 2023-2024.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount scheme 2023-24 is set in the Eligibility Statement which was published on 12th September 2023 and can be found here:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps to encourage more people to take up the Warm Home Discount Scheme during winter 2023-24.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are currently writing to around 4.5 million households, informing people that either they will receive the discount automatically or, in some cases, advising them to call the helpline with further information to check eligibility.
We are also working with consumer agencies, energy suppliers and other organisations to ensure accurate scheme information and to help them to raise awareness and advise their clients appropriately where they might benefit.
Jun. 20 2024
Source Page: Warm Home Discount statistics, 2023 to 2024Found: Warm Home Discount statistics, 2023 to 2024
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria of the Warm Homes Discount Scheme to cover (a) people in receipt of non-means tested disability benefits and (b) parents of children with special educational needs.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Warm Home Discount prioritises people who are most at risk of being in fuel poverty. Fuel poverty is a combination of low incomes and high energy costs, so the scheme is targeted at those on means tested benefits whose homes are expensive to heat, and at the lowest income pensioners who are at the highest risk of winter fuel poverty.
People on non-means tested benefits and parents of children with special educational needs can speak to their energy supplier about being added to their Priority Services Register, which provides additional support for vulnerable households, such as priority support in an emergency.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households received funding from the Warm Home Discount Scheme in 2022-23; and how much funding was made available for the Warm Home Discount Scheme in that year.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The official statistics showed that 2.50 million households received a rebate under the Core Group in winter 2022/23, providing £374 million of support to low-income and vulnerable households. Warm Home Discount statistics - GOV.UK.
This does not include part of the scheme in Scotland delivered by participating energy suppliers which is known as the Broader Group. The statistics also do not include spending on Industry Initiatives, which are other financial and energy-related measures that suppliers deliver.
The final figures on the support provided in the 2022/23 scheme year will be confirmed in Ofgem’s annual report towards the end of the year.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to amend the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount Scheme to allow people without an Energy Performance Certificate for their home to be eligible for the scheme.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Households without an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) can be eligible under the scheme. The Government reformed the scheme in England and Wales in 2022 to focus the support for low-income households living in properties with the highest heating costs, based on characteristics of the property. This data primarily comes from the Valuation Office Agency, which has complete data for almost all domestic properties.
If a household believes the information held on their property is inaccurate, they can ask that alternative information, in the form of an EPC, be used instead. In the very small minority of cases where there is incomplete data for a property, an EPC can be used to confirm eligibility, based on whether the property meets the high-cost-to-heat criteria.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2023 to Question 143717 on Warm Home Discount Scheme, if she will provide an update on (a) the progress of the evaluation of the Warm Home Discount scheme and (b) when details of the evaluation will be published; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government will shortly undertake a three-year evaluation of the scheme, which we expect will conclude in autumn 2026. The Government intends to publish this final report.
Jan. 17 2024
Source Page: People on low incomes urged to check if they can get £150 energy bill discountFound: People on low incomes urged to check if they can get £150 energy bill discount
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to work with Ofgem to extend the Warm Homes Discount to households without a direct relationship with an electricity supplier.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Under the Warm Home Discount scheme, the majority of eligible households are identified through data matching and are provided the rebate on their energy bill automatically. Therefore, only the named bill payer can receive a rebate.
Energy suppliers can also provide additional support to households through the Industry Initiatives element of the scheme, through measures such as financial assistance, debt write-off, and energy efficiency. This support can be provided to households, irrespective of whether a person is named on the electricity bill.