Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made on (a) the increase in energy prices for consumers and (b) the impact if that on people in the North West.

The published fuel poverty projections for 2022, show that while most households will need to pay more for their energy bills from April, the financial support offered combined with action on energy efficiency will keep the number of households in fuel poverty on a slight declining trend. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics. These projections are at a national level for England and no projections have been made at the regional level.

We are already taking action to support households with rising energy bills. The government is providing a package of support worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23 which includes a £150 Council Tax rebate for bands A-D, £144 million discretionary funding for local authorities and a £200 energy bill reduction which will help over 28 million households. This is in addition to the support Government will continue to provide through the Warm Home Discount Scheme, which this winter is providing over 2 million households a £140 rebate off their energy bill. We have announced that it would be increasing to £150 and help an extra 780,000 households next winter. Further, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments help ensure the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes over the colder months.