There is a range of assistance with energy costs available to low income and vulnerable consumers.<\/p>
<\/p>
Some policies offer automatic payments. For example, Cold Weather Payments provide £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather to eligible households. The cost of this scheme is not only dependent on who is eligible but also on the number of consecutive days of very cold weather in a given winter.<\/p>
<\/p>
Other types of assistance are set at a given level of annual support, irrespective of the number of eligible consumers. For example, Affordable Warmth is estimated to deliver energy efficiency and heating measures worth around £350 million. Whilst a consumer needs to be claiming certain types of benefits to be eligible for the scheme, support is capped at a certain target level and therefore extending the scheme's eligibility criteria would not necessarily affect the cost of the scheme.<\/p>
<\/p>
These examples highlight that the cost of assistance is dependent on a number of factors beyond simply whether a consumer is eligible for support. We estimate 8 million people will be receiving Universal Credit once it has been fully rolled out. However, the cost to the public purse of extending the eligibility of the assistance schemes will depend on which schemes are included (e.g. would Winter Fuel Payments be included?), the way eligibility is implemented (capped versus automatic) and external factors such as the weather.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1389", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Barker of Battle"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bexhill and Battle"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Gregory Barker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-03-26T12:00:00.00Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "63"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Energy and Climate Change"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Energy and Climate Change"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-03-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to assistance with utility costs to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/163", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Ham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Stephen Timms"} ], "uin" : "193247"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/44364", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Energy and Climate Change"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/44364/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
DECC takes the issue of turbine de-rating under the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) seriously.<\/p>
<\/p>
To the end of September 2013, 110 turbines had been installed under the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) in the 100-500kW band, representing just 2.2% of wind sites. Of these 110, eight, with a total installed capacity between 490 -500kW, had been de-rated.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/88", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sevenoaks"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Michael Fallon"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-03-26T12:00:00.00Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "63"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Energy and Climate Change"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Energy and Climate Change"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-03-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Answer of 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 590W, on wind power, what progress he has made on addressing the issue of manufacturers selling turbines which have been derated to allow them to benefit from higher tariffs; and if he will make a statement.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4112", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dan Byles"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Warwickshire"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dan Byles"} ], "uin" : "192994"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/44029", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Energy and Climate Change"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/44029/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government's approach to the Renewables Obligation through to its closure is set out in the Government response to the consultations on Renewables Obligation transition and grace periods published on 12 March and which can be found at:<\/p>
<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/289076/Transition_and_Grace_Periods_Government_Response_-_12_Mar_2014.pdf<\/a><\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/88", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon"}
}
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, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Michael Fallon"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "192760"}
, {"_value" : "192761"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-03-26T12:00:00.00Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "63"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Energy and Climate Change"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Energy and Climate Change"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-03-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the Renewables Obligation will remain open to all new renewable electricity generation projects until 2017.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4022", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Oliver Colvile"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Oliver Colvile"}
], "uin" : "192795"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/44030", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Energy and Climate Change"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/44030/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government's approach to the Renewables Obligation through to its closure is set out in the Government response to the consultations on Renewables Obligation transition and grace periods published on 12 March and which can be found at:<\/p> <\/p>