Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number of people claiming Employment Support Allowance who are no longer eligible for the Warm Homes Discount following the changes to eligibility in 2022; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changing the criteria on people who are no longer eligible.

As households previously applied through their suppliers, who set their own application processes and eligibility criteria and selected successful applicants each year, the Government has not been able to assess how many households in receipt of Employment Support Allowance are no longer eligible.

The Government has expanded the scheme this year, providing £150 rebates to low-income and vulnerable households. The Government published impact assessments alongside the consultation and the final policy, which compared the option for reforming the scheme in England and Wales to continuing the previous scheme. These can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/warm-home-discount-better-targeted-support-from-2022.