Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the rising cost of energy on trends in the level of families being unable to feed themselves.

No specific assessment has been made. However, in winter 2022/23 we have provided £55 billion to assist households and businesses with energy bills. A typical household will save approximately £900 through the Energy Price Guarantee, in addition to the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme.

We are also allocating £9.3 billion over the next five years on energy efficiency, making homes easier and cheaper to heat. We will provide £26 billion for cost-of-living support in 2023, including the £900 cost of living payment for eight million poorer households. We have also increased the National Living Wage for two million workers to £10.42, or over £1,600 a year for a full-time employee aged 23 years old and over.