Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Warms Home Discount to all recipients of the State Pension.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The primary objective of the Warm Home Discount is to tackle fuel poverty. The reforms implemented in England and Wales have improved fuel poverty targeting.
All state pension recipients automatically receive the Winter Fuel Payment and those in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit receive the Warm Home Discount.
Based on fuel poverty statistics for England, pensioner households are the least likely to be in fuel poverty.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of people who are unable to receive energy bill discount vouchers due to their energy meters being supplied by a wholesaler.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not have an estimate of how many people cannot receive Energy Bill Discount Vouchers specifically due to their meters being supplied by a wholesaler. The Government estimates that approximately 900,000 households will not receive the Energy Bills Support Scheme payment. Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding will provide a £400 discount off energy bills for these households. The Government will publish further detail about eligibility for Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding shortly.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
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 people whose energy meters are supplied by wholesalers receive Energy Bill Discount Vouchers.
Answered by Graham Stuart
EBSS Alternative Funding will provide a £400 discount off energy bills for the small percentage of households who are not reached through the main EBSS fund. This includes those who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an electricity supplier.
The Government is not yet in a position to communicate eligibility of individual groups for the Alternative Funding. The Government will be communicating the details over the coming weeks.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to require landlords to pass on the £400 energy bills discount to tenants who pay rent inclusive of bills.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government introduced legislation on the 11th of October to ensure landlords pass the EBSS discount on to tenants who pay all-inclusive bills.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether tenants who are charged by a landlord for the energy costs incurred through an electricity meter are entitled to the rebate.
Answered by Graham Stuart
If landlords have domestic contracts with their energy supplier, they are required to charge tenants no more than they paid suppliers for the energy, under Ofgem’s Maximum Resale Price rules. This means that the £400 discount should be passed onto tenants.
If landlords have a commercial contract with their supplier, further funding will be available to provide equivalent support for energy bills for the small percentage of domestic energy consumers not reached by the Energy Bills Support Scheme. The Government will announce further details in the Autumn.