Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of support for energy bills for households that use coal as their main source of energy.

Households that use coal as a fuel source are eligible for the £200 Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP).

The AFP was originally announced in September 2022 as a £100 payment. This amount was based on capping the year-on-year price rises that heating oil users faced in 2022, compared to 2021 at 130%. Internal analysis indicates that the price of coal had risen by an amount lower than 130% so the benefit is fair to coal users.

In November 2022, the Government doubled the AFP to £200 in recognition of the cost-of-living pressures caused by these rising fuel costs.