Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional financial support for energy costs to people with a terminal illness.

The Government frequently assesses the merits of energy cost support policies and the impacts various policy ideas would have on the most vulnerable households.

The Government is continuing to provide targeted support for vulnerable households as prices come down. In 2023-24 the Government is already providing additional cost of living payments of up to £900 to households on means-tested benefits, £300 to pensioner households, and £150 to those on eligible disability benefits.

This is alongside existing and ongoing energy bills support for the most vulnerable that includes the:

• Warm Home Discount providing a £150 rebate on electricity bills for up to three million households in most need this winter;
• Winter Fuel Payment, worth between £250 - £600;
• Cold Weather Payment, a £25 payment for vulnerable households on qualifying benefits, is also available to help with the cost of bills when the weather is or expected to be unusually cold.