Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to uprate social security payments for disabled people above the level of inflation to help cover additional expenditure they may incur with the cost of heating.

The Secretary of State is conducting his statutory annual review of State Pension and benefit rates including rates for disability benefits. The outcome of the review will be announced shortly.

The government understands the pressures people, including disabled people, are facing with the cost of living and has taken further, decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs, and the Chancellor made clear it will continue to do so from now until April next year. 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;
• a Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 to six million people who are receiving additional-needs disability benefits, in recognition of the extra costs they face, including with energy costs;
• up to £650 in cost-of-living payments (paid in two separate payments of £326 and £324) for the eight million households in receipt of a means-tested benefit, including those with a disability;
• a one-off payment of £300 through the Winter Fuel Payment from November to pensioner households, including those with disability or care needs.
• a £150 non-repayable rebate in Council Tax bills which was paid to all households in Bands A-D in England earlier this year.