Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking through its cross-government data strategy to develop a secure, unified data-sharing framework with the Department for (a) Energy Security and Net Zero and (b) Work and Pensions to map and mitigate fuel poverty.

The Digital Economy Act 2017 (‘DEA’) Part 5, Chapter 1 Public Service Delivery Powers enable information sharing between certain public authorities and gas and electricity suppliers. This information sharing power enables government departments (such as the DWP or DESNZ) to match household data against energy supplier records to deliver financial assistance and other targeted support.

Additionally, the Government’s forthcoming strategic data roadmap will set out the plan to transform how data is protected, shared and used across the public sector so it delivers more value for citizens, businesses, public services and the economy.