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 his Department has made of the impact of rising fuel costs on disabled people.

The Government is committed to protecting customers from price spikes, particularly vulnerable customers. This support includes:

• A £200 rebate for households delivered via their energy bill this autumn, paid back automatically over the next 5 years, spreading the increased costs of global prices over time in a way that is more manageable for households.
• A £150 non-repayable reduction in Council Tax bills for all households in Bands A-D in England.
• £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax reduction.

This is in addition to the range of support for low-income, fuel poor and vulnerable households including:

• Warm Home Discount, providing eligible households with a one-off £140 discount on their energy bill for winter 2021 to 2022.
• The Winter Fuel Payments, worth between £100 and £300 are paid automatically to those in receipt of State Pension or other social security benefit.
• The Cold Weather Payments, which is a £25 payment for vulnerable households on qualifying benefits when the weather is or expected to be unusually cold.

As announced in the Spring Statement, the Government has also provided an extra £500 million for local authorities through the new Household Support Fund to provide help to millions of the most in need.