Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential benefits of factoring in windchill in the calculation of temperature for the distribution of Cold Weather Payments.

Cold Weather Payments are intended to contribute towards the additional cost of heating a home during periods of severely cold weather, in England and Wales. The Scottish Government has introduced the Winter Heating Payment scheme to replace Cold Weather Payments for claimants living in Scotland.

Changing the eligibility criteria, or altering the temperature calculation, would significantly increase the cost, complexity and uncertainty of the scheme. We continually monitor the delivery of Cold Weather Payments to ensure it meets the policy intent.