Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Household Support Fund for families unable to pay energy bills after March 2023.

At Autumn Statement on 17 November 2022, the Government announced an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett consequentials, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year.

In England this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million, running from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities use to help households with the cost of essentials including energy.

Details of the new HSF 23/24 scheme will be announced in due course.

We will also continue to provide support to all households through the Energy Price Guarantee, which will save the average GB household £500 in 2023/24.