Warm Home Discount Scheme
Energy and Climate Change

Katy Clark (North Ayrshire and Arran, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people who were on social tariffs in 2010-11 did not receive support under the Warm Home Discount Scheme in 2011-12.

Gregory Barker (Minister of State (Climate Change), Energy and Climate Change; Bexhill and Battle, Conservative)

Energy suppliers are required to report on their spending under the Warm Home Discount scheme to Ofgem at the end each scheme year. Once this information has been verified and audited, Ofgem will produce a report which will detail the number of customers assisted with social and discounted tariffs under the legacy spending element of the Warm Home Discount scheme.

The structure of the Warm Home Discount scheme in 2011-12 allowed energy suppliers to continue to provide the same type of support to consumers at a similar level of spending to that in 2010-11, the final year of the previous voluntary scheme. Where energy suppliers have chosen to spend less in 2011-12 on legacy forms of support, including social and discounted tariffs, they are required to increase their spending on providing rebates to the Broader Group at a level set by Government. In 2011-12 this was £120.