The Government recognises the pressure that rising energy prices place on households. We already use data from multiple sources including HMRC and DWP to identify households eligible for the Warm Home Discount, enabling most rebates to be paid automatically. However, many fuel poor households cannot currently be identified through existing data-matching arrangements.

The Government earlier this year launched a National Data Library 'kickstarter' project to explore whether securely connecting public sector data can make it easier to identify households in need, to ensure support reaches the people it’s designed for faster.

Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. Through the 2026 Fuel Poverty Strategy for England and the Warm Homes Plan, we are taking action to accelerate progress, with an ambition to lift up to 1 million households out of fuel poverty by 2030. This will be achieved through new regulations in the rental sector as well as £5 billion of support from the Warm Homes Plan for low-income households and the expanded Warm Home Discount.

The Fuel Poverty Strategy acknowledged that sustained action beyond 2030 will be required to tackle fuel poverty and committed to consulting on a new fuel poverty target to succeed the 2030 target.

The latest sub-regional fuel poverty data were published in May 2026, these estimated the level of fuel poverty in 2024, under the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric. The Birmingham Local Authority had an estimated fuel poverty rate of 13.8% (60,832 households) in 2024, which is higher than the overall fuel poverty rate in England of 9.9%.

The Digital Economy Act 2017 (‘DEA’) Part 5, Chapter 1 Public Service Delivery Powers enable information sharing between certain public authorities and gas and electricity suppliers. This information sharing power enables government departments (such as the DWP or DESNZ) to match household data against energy supplier records to deliver financial assistance and other targeted support.

Additionally, the Government’s forthcoming strategic data roadmap will set out the plan to transform how data is protected, shared and used across the public sector so it delivers more value for citizens, businesses, public services and the economy.

Tackling affordability is this government’s number one priority. The Government acted at last year’s Budget by taking on average £150 of costs off energy bills, with those decisions now factored into bills for the years to come

The recent rise in the price cap announced by Ofgem will be deeply concerning news for families. That is why we are doubling down on our mission for clean power to get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices and onto clean, homegrown power to bring down bills for good

In addition, around 6 million households in Britain will have benefitted from our expanded £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, which will remain in place for the rest of the decade. We understand that the developments in the Middle East are concerning: we will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the winter and plan for all contingencies.

My hon. Friend is right that more people need to claim the support that is on offer, and I encourage them to do that in his constituency and across Scotland. My understanding is that just over £1 million of the £10 million in the fund has been distributed.

On heating oil, the Scottish National party Government boasted that they would add £5.4 million to the £4.6 million the UK Government gave to domestic consumers. However, there is scant evidence that that is reaching my constituents in the Western Isles, which have the highest fuel poverty figures in the country. Will the Minister join me in encouraging constituents to apply for support? Will he ask the Scottish Government to broaden the criteria and Advice Direct Scotland to get that money out the door, so that people are not left high and dry?

The latest fuel poverty statistics estimate that 13.8% of rural households in England were in fuel poverty in 2025, compared with 7.2% in semi-rural areas and 9.2% in urban areas. These estimates predate impacts of the conflict in the Middle East.

In March, the Chancellor announced £53 million for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices, alongside a commitment to new regulation of this sector. The Government will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the winter and plan for all contingencies. Homeowners living in properties heated by oil and LPG are also eligible for £9,000 off the cost of a heat pump.

The latest statistics on fuel poverty at the national level, published in March 2026, estimate that between 2024 and 2025, improvements in the energy efficiency of households reduced fuel poverty by around 153,000 households, driven by a combination of energy efficiency schemes and an increased number of households receiving Warm Home Discount.

At the local level, DESNZ publishes sub-regional estimates of fuel poverty (Table 3) and of energy efficiency scheme installations (Table 1.7) both at the constituency level.

Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. That is why we published a new fuel poverty strategy for England alongside the Warm Homes Plan. The new Fuel Poverty Strategy sets out a new plan to reduce energy costs for low income households and lift up to 1 million households out of fuel poverty by 2030.

Through the Warm Homes Plan and the new Fuel Poverty Strategy, Government is taking decisive action to lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty by 2030. The Plan includes around £5 billion of support for low-income and fuel poor households, made up of £4.4 billion in direct capital grants and an initial £600 million from the Warm Homes Fund.

The Warm Homes Fund will support new low and zero‑interest finance to help households overcome upfront costs and enable greater participation in home upgrade schemes, complementing grant funding delivered through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.

Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. That is why we recently published a new fuel poverty strategy for England alongside the Warm Homes Plan.

With this new strategy, Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty.

We are also investing £15 billion through the Warm Homes Plan – the biggest home upgrade plan in British history – to help lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.

The Government acted in the Autumn Budget to reduce electricity costs by scrapping the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and moving 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation to the Exchequer.

In addition, the Warm Home Discount scheme will continue until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.

The rise in the price cap reconfirms the importance of the Government’s mission to get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices and onto clean, homegrown power we control.

The latest annual fuel poverty statistics, published in March 2026, project that an estimated 8.4% of households (2.13 million) in England are in fuel poverty in 2026, under the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric.

These values are based on projections of energy prices from early 2026 and predate any impacts of the conflict in the Middle East.

While the outlook for prices is uncertain, the Government will do everything it can to help protect households facing these current fuel price spikes, and the Chancellor says she stands ready to act as we look towards the autumn and winter.

Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. That is why the Government recently published a new fuel poverty strategy for England alongside the Warm Homes Plan, to ensure that many more fuel poor households are protected by 2030.

With this new strategy, Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty.

This strategy is accompanied by our £15 billion Warm Homes Plan – the biggest home upgrade plan in British history. The actions set out in this plan will reduce energy use, lower bills for millions of households, and help to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.

At the Autumn Budget, we committed to taking money off energy bills to tackle the cost of living. By scrapping the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme and moving 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation to the Exchequer, we have been able to provide immediate savings for households that are factored into energy bills for the years to come.

The Government recently published a new Fuel Poverty Strategy for England. With this new strategy, the Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty.

This strategy is accompanied by our £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, with a £5 billion allocation to low-income households. This will roll out upgrades to up to 5 million homes that could save them hundreds on energy bills and help to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.

Tackling the cost-of-living is the government’s top priority. Decisions at last year’s Budget have taken £150 of costs off bills and this is now factored into bills for the years to come. The increase in the price cap announced by Ofgem on 27^th May for the period from July to September is not what we wanted, and it is the effect of the war in Iran – just two days before the conflict the price cap fell by 7%. Without the action taken at Budget, the price cap from July to September, would be significantly higher. The government also expanded the Warm Home Discount last winter to support around 6 million of the most vulnerable households and is accelerating the Warm Homes Plan. Action has also been taken to help people who are reliant on heating oil. The outlook for prices remains uncertain but the government will do everything it can to help protect households in the face of this fossil fuel price spike and the Chancellor said she stands ready to act as we look towards the autumn and the winter