Cost of Living Payments: Children

(asked on 13th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide additional cost of living support to families with seriously ill children.


Answered by
John Glen Portrait
John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This question was answered on 19th December 2022

The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and especially to the most vulnerable members of society, such as children with serious health conditions and their families. That is why the Government is taking decisive action to support households while ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way.

If a child or young person has extra-costs arising from their disability, then they may qualify for disability benefits such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children or Child Disability Payment in Scotland. At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government announced that it will provide a further Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 in 2023/24 to people in receipt of extra-costs disability benefits such as Child Disability Payment or DLA for children. This is additional to the £150 payment for recipients of disability benefits in 2022 already announced as part of the Cost of Living package in May. The families and/or carers of disabled children will benefit from this payment if they live in the same household as a disabled child. These payments can also be received in addition to the other Cost of Living Payments for households on means-tested benefits (such as Universal Credit), namely the £650 payment announced in May and the additional £900 payment announced at Autumn Statement.

Disabled children and their families will also benefit from other forms of non-means-tested support which the Government is providing to assist with household energy bills. We have taken decisive action to support millions of households with rising energy costs through the Energy Price Guarantee, ​which limits the price suppliers can charge customers for units of gas and electricity. In addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, millions of the most vulnerable households will receive further support this year through the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme.

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