Written question asked by Rachael Maskell (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 January 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 January 2023. It was answered by Graham Stuart (Conservative) on Friday, 3 February 2023 on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Charities: Energy

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing ongoing support for energy costs to the charity sector; and whether his Department is taking steps to provide that support to charities after March 2023.

Answer: The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills to ensure that eligible charities are protected from excessively high energy costs over the winter period. Following an HMT-led review into the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme will run from April until March 2024 and will continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers including charities. The new scheme strikes a balance between supporting non-domestic customers over the next 12 months and limiting taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets, with a cap set at £5.5 billion.

Secondary information