Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimates has she made of the additional energy costs that accumulate for disabled people in heating their accommodations.

Whilst the Department has not made any such estimates, the government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The new “Energy Price Guarantee” will mean a typical household in Great Britain will pay, on average, around £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next 2 years from 1 October. The consumer saving will be based on usage, but a typical household will save at least £1,000 a year (based on current prices from October). This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

The £37 billion Cost of Living package includes UK-wide support to help disabled people with the extra costs they are facing. The 6 million people who receive non-means-tested extra-costs disability benefits, including Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment, are due to receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 before the beginning of October. In addition, households where someone is in receipt of a means-tested benefit will be eligible for up to an additional £650 in Cost of Living Payments and pensioner households will receive a one-off payment of £300 through, and as an addition to, the Winter Fuel Payment from November.