Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of how many people (a) living on houseboats, (b) in the travelling community and (c) for other reasons, are excluded from the current energy support schemes; and what steps he is taking to tackle such exclusions.

Due to the dispersed and/or isolated nature of many of the households living on boats and in caravans not on registered sites, it is difficult to estimate the exact number of individuals who are unable to receive the Energy Bill Support Scheme. Officials are also working to establish whether there is a robust method for these households to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the EBSS payment.