Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure that funding through Industry Initiatives to provide a safeguard for disabled people with high energy costs as a result of their impairments does not place a higher administrative burden on disabled people than the Warm Home Discount.
Answered by Greg Hands
Industry Initiatives provide valuable support to households in, or at risk of, fuel poverty through a range of measures, including energy advice, financial assistance, and energy efficiency improvements.
To date, energy suppliers have only been required to report on the overall spending on Industry Initiatives measures to Ofgem. From the 2022/23 scheme year, suppliers will be required to report on the estimated value and proportion of Industry Initiatives spending on fuel poor households where someone has a disability or significant health problems.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take steps to help mitigate the impact on disabled people of the forthcoming changes to the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount, which will remove eligibility for people who receive Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance.
Answered by Greg Hands
Around 62% of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) recipients also receive one of the qualifying means-tested benefits and so would be considered low-income under the Core Group 2 criteria. Those with high energy costs would therefore be eligible for a rebate. The Government’s analysis shows that 160,000 more households, where there is a person with a disability or long-term illness, will receive a rebate each winter compared to the previous scheme. My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has also announced a one-off £150 payment for people on disability benefits this year, alongside other cost of living support measures: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-support/cost-of-living-support-factsheet-26-may-2022.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government Response to the Warm Home Discount: Better targeted support from 2022 consultation, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the value and proportion of energy suppliers' spending through Industry Initiatives to support fuel poor disabled people.
Answered by Greg Hands
Industry Initiatives provide valuable support to households in, or at risk of, fuel poverty through a range of measures, including energy advice, financial assistance, and energy efficiency improvements.
To date, energy suppliers have only been required to report on the overall spending on Industry Initiatives measures to Ofgem. From the 2022/23 scheme year, suppliers will be required to report on the estimated value and proportion of Industry Initiatives spending on fuel poor households where someone has a disability or significant health problems.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the scale of the loss of retention monies by construction small and medium sized enterprises since January 2018.
Answered by Lee Rowley
While difficult to measure fully and comprehensively, the Government is aware of this important issue and continues to work with both officials and the Construction Leadership Council to implement a solution.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to reform the practice of retentions payments in the construction industry.
Answered by Lee Rowley
While difficult to measure fully and comprehensively, the Government is aware of this important issue and continues to work with both officials and the Construction Leadership Council to implement a solution.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Extra Costs Taskforce will report as scheduled by summer 2022.
Answered by Lee Rowley
BEIS are working closely with the Cabinet Office Disability Unit to carry out the engagement with disabled people, regulators and businesses, to ensure we have a full understanding of the issue of extra costs before the Taskforce is formally convened. The commitment to set up the Taskforce is still on track to be delivered by Summer 2022.
Asked by: Debbie Abrahams (Labour - Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Extra Costs Taskforce established in the National Disability Strategy will recommend measures to tackle the disproportional impact of increased fuel and food prices on disabled consumers.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The taskforce is on track to set up by summer 2022 and we are keen to engage in that process before drawing conclusions.