(a) Table 1 shows the number of estimated eligible qualifiers across 2024.

Table 1: Number of Estimated Eligible Recipients in England and Wales

Due to the nature of eligibility, we are unable to breakdown to the household level.

(b) Tables 2 and 3 show the breakdown of weekly payments made in 2024- these are from the 2023/24 season running from the 1^st November 2023-31^st March 2024 and the start of the 2024/25 season 1^st-22^nd November 2024.

Table 2: Payments made to estimated qualifiers in England and Wales, 2024- from the 2023/24 season.

Table 3: Payments made to Estimated Qualifiers in England and Wales so Far- from the 2024/25 season.

Please note-

1) Figures are estimated based on the number of individuals eligible at the start of the season. See the methodology document for further details,

and guidance on how to estimate the number of payments and expenditure, here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cold-weather-payment-estimates-2023-to-2024/background-and-methodology-cold-weather-payment-estimates-2023-to-2024

2) Figures are shown by the week or month the payment was triggered - that is, the day that the recorded/forecasted temperatures for the seven

day period caused payments to be authorised. The recipient should receive the payment within 14 days.

3) All volumes are rounded to the nearest 1,000

4) The figures include claimants meeting the legacy benefit and Universal Credit eligibility criteria for Cold Weather Payments.

Future publications for the 2024-25 Cold Weather Season can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cold-weather-payment-estimates-2024-to-2025

The Cold Weather Payment (CWP) scheme is administered at weather station level rather than at a constituency or regional level etc. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office, which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0° C or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November to March).

a) The area of South Holland covers all or part of the following postcode areas: PE11, PE12, PE10, PE6, PE13, PE14, PE34.

From the 2019/20 to 2023/24 Cold Weather Payment seasons, the above postcode areas are covered by various weather stations. These weather stations cover the following postcode areas, in Table 1, which include areas not in South Holland. Table 2 shows the number of cold weather payments to pensioners by weather station and cold weather season.

Table 1: Postcode districts mapped to Weather Stations

Table 2: Number of Cold Weather Payments to pensioners by weather station and Cold Weather Season

b) The area of South Kesteven covers all or part of the following postcode areas: PE6, PE9, PE10, NG23, NG31, NG32, NG33, NG34.

From the 2019/20 to 2023/24 Cold Weather Payment seasons, the above postcode areas are covered by various weather stations. These weather stations cover the following postcode areas, in Table 3, which include areas not in South Kesteven. Table 4 shows the number of cold weather payments to pensioners by weather station and cold weather season.

Table 3: Postcode districts mapped to Weather Stations

Table 4: Number of Cold Weather Payments to pensioners by weather station and Cold Weather Season

The Department continually monitors Cold Weather Payment policies and procedures to identify opportunities to improve the scheme's effectiveness. This includes working with the Met Office, who review the scheme each year to assess whether the linkages between postcode areas and weather stations remain the best available.

The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why it is providing total support of over £94bn in 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with their rising bills.

This winter over 8 million pensioner households will receive a £300 pensioner Cost of Living Payment in addition to their conventional Winter Fuel Payment. This means that a household with someone aged 66-79 will receive an increased payment of £500 and a household with someone aged 80 or over will receive an increased payment of £600. Most payments will be made automatically in November and December.

Cold Weather Payments are also available to help vulnerable people in receipt of certain income-related benefits in England and Wales to meet additional heating costs, during periods of unseasonably cold weather between 1 November and 31 March. This includes older people in receipt of Pension Credit. Those eligible will automatically receive £25 when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days.

We continue to maximise opportunities to raise awareness of Pension Credit. On 28 November, we launched the ‘Countdown to Deadline Day’ media push, highlighting that there is still time to apply for Pension Credit by the 10 December and be eligible for a £300 Cost of Living Payment (payable to those on income-related benefits including Pension Credit), thanks to the Pension Credit backdating rules. Our messaging also emphasises that the average Pension Credit award is now worth over £3,900 per year and that an award of Pension Credit can open the door to a range of other support, including help with housing costs, council tax and heating bills.

The Cold Weather Payment (CWP) scheme is administered at weather station level rather than at a constituency or regional level. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office, which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0° C or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November to March).

The constituency of Hornsey and Wood Green covers all or part of the following postcode areas: N2, N4, N6, N8, N10, N11, N13, N17, N22 and N81[1].

For the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Cold Weather Payment seasons, the above postcode areas are covered by the weather station Heathrow. Heathrow weather station covers the following postcode areas, in Table 1, which include constituencies other than Hornsey and Wood Green.

Qualifying individuals living in these postcode districts will have received a payment in respect of a seven-day period of Cold Weather.

For the 21/22 Cold Weather Payment season, running from 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022, there were 0 Cold Weather Payment triggers for Heathrow weather station.

For the 22/23 Cold Weather Payment season, running from 1 November 2022 to 31 March 2023, there was 1 Cold Weather Payment trigger for Heathrow weather station. The estimated payments to Pension Credit recipients during 22/23 Cold Weather Payment season is 180,000, equating to an estimated spend of £4.5 million.

[1] Postcode information was obtained from the ONS Postcode Directory (November 2023): ONS Postcode Directory (November 2023) | Open Geography Portal (statistics.gov.uk)

There are currently no plans to change the Cold Weather Payment scheme.

A £25 payment is made when the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0ºC or below over seven days at the weather station linked to the eligible customer's postcode. The seven consecutive days is a clear and reasonable measure of a sustained period of cold weather. A payment is made automatically within 14 working days of a trigger to ensure claimants receive payments at the time of need.

Cold Weather Payments are targeted at those most vulnerable to the cold including, older people in receipt of Pension Credit, disabled adults and children, and families with children under five who receive an income-related benefit.

The Met Office review the Cold Weather Payment scheme each year to assess whether the linkages between postcode areas and weather stations remain the best available. The Department continues to monitor Cold Weather Payment policies and procedures to review the scheme's effectiveness.

The Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) 2022-25 is investing up to £500m in funding to 303 local authorities across England, spanning a 3-year period from April 2022 to March 2025. The multi-year funding provides local authorities the resources to offer accommodation, support, and a route off the streets for people sleeping rough all year round.

The full allocations of RSI 2022-25 can be found here.

The Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) 2022-25 is investing up to £500m in funding to 303 local authorities across England, spanning a 3-year period from April 2022 to March 2025. The multi-year funding provides local authorities the resources to offer accommodation, support, and a route off the streets for people sleeping rough all year round.

The full allocations of RSI 2022-25 can be found here.

In recognition of the current high cost of living, pensioners who are entitled to a winter fuel payment in 2022/23 and 2023/24 have received, or will receive, an extra Cost of Living Payment of £300 per household. The combined winter fuel and Cost of Living Payments are therefore £500 for households containing someone between State Pension age and 79, and £600 for those containing someone aged 80 or over.

There are currently no plans to review the current value of Cold Weather Payments paid to eligible people in England and Wales. The Scottish Government has introduced the Winter Heating Payment scheme, to replace Cold Weather Payments for people living in Scotland.

The Cold Weather Payment scheme is administered at weather station level rather than any other standard GB geography such as postcode or constituency level. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0oC or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November to March).

The Postcode SA13 falls under the weather station St. Athan. St. Athan also covers the following postcode areas, in Table 1, which include postcodes other than SA13.

Qualifying individuals living in these postcode districts will have received a payment in respect of a seven- day period of Cold Weather.

From 2019/20 up to the current season, 2022/23, there have been 0 Cold Weather Payment triggers for St. Athan weather station. Thus, 0 payments have been made to postcodes within St. Athan weather station since 2019, as outlined in Table 2.

The Met Office review the Cold Weather Payment scheme each year to assess whether the linkages between postcode areas and weather stations remain the best available. The Met Office will be conducting their next review this summer once the current Cold Weather Payment season has ended.

Cold Weather Payments make an important contribution towards the additional heating costs incurred during periods of exceptionally cold weather, between 1st of November and the 31st of March each year.

The Cold Weather Payment scheme is administered at weather station level rather than at a constituency or regional level. The coverage area for each weather station is determined by the Met Office, which assesses the most appropriate weather station for each postcode area. Cold weather payments are triggered when the average temperature recorded at the weather station has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below over seven consecutive days, during the Cold Weather season (November to March)

The constituency of Solihull covers all or part of the following postcode areas: B14, B26, B27, B28, B90, B91, B92.

The above postcode areas are covered by the weather station Coleshill. Coleshill weather station covers the following postcode areas, in Table 1, which include constituencies other than Solihull.

Qualifying individuals living in these postcode districts will have received a payment in respect of a seven-day period of Cold Weather.

We estimate that in the period 1 November 2022 to 06 January 2023 there were 95,000 payments made to Pension Credit recipients in this area as a whole. We are not able to break this figure down to a lower level.

For the 21/22 Cold Weather Payment season, running from 1 November 2021 to 31 March 2022, there were 0 Cold Weather Payment triggers for Coleshill Weather station.

The Met Office review the Cold Weather Payment scheme each year to assess whether the linkages between postcode areas and weather stations remain the best available. The Met Office concluded this year’s review on 18 July 2022, and the next review will take place in summer 2023.

Please see below Cold Weather Payments for Wales, by year.

• A household is classed as eligible for Cold Weather Payments if it satisfies eligibility criteria, such as receipt of a qualifying benefit
• A household will receive at least one Cold Weather Payment if it satisfies eligibility criteria and a cold weather trigger occurs in their postcode area, hence years with fewer cold weather triggers, fewer households were in receipt of at least one payment.
• Total Households eligible in receipt of UC or other legacy benefits is equivalent to total eligible households minus total eligible households in receipt of pension credit.
• For the year 2013/14, the estimated number of eligible households in Wales is not published.
• For year 2012/13 data broken down for Wales was not published, and therefore is not included here.
• Figures are rounded to nearest 1000

The current Cold Weather Payment scheme represents a contribution towards additional heating costs, paid at the time of need.

The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. In 2022-23, the government’s Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what energy price would have been under the current price cap – reducing bills by roughly a third. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

The current Cold Weather Payment scheme represents a contribution towards additional heating costs, paid at the time of need.

The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further decisive action to support people with their energy bills. The government’s Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what energy price would have been under the current price cap – reducing bills by roughly a third. This is in addition to the over £37bn of cost of living support announced earlier this year which includes the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

There are currently no plans to increase payment of the Cold Weather Payment scheme. The current Cold Weather Payment scheme represents a contribution towards additional heating costs, paid at the time of need.

Pensioner households are in the process of receiving an extra £300 on top of their winter fuel payment to help them cover the rising cost of energy this winter. For those in receipt of Pension Credit the second Cost of Living Payment of £324 was issued in November. Pensioners in receipt of eligible disability benefits will have also received the disability cost of living payment of £150 issued in September.

The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and that pensioners are disproportionately impacted by higher energy costs, and many low-income pensioner households do not claim the means tested benefits they are entitled to. That is why, in addition to the £37 billion of support we have provided for cost of living pressures in 2022/23, we are acting now to ensure support continues throughout 2023/24.

To ensure stability and certainty for households, in the Autumn Statement the Government has announced £26 billion in cost of living support for 2023/24. In 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to a further £900 in Cost of Living Payments. A £300 payment will be made to pensioner households and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Also included is the amended Energy Price Guarantee which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023/24 and raising the benefit cap by 10.1% in line with inflation.

The Cold Weather Payment scheme ensures that vulnerable claimants on qualifying benefits automatically receive a payment of £25 for every 7-day period of exceptionally cold weather. It is paid within 14 working days of a trigger. Issuing payments automatically without the need to claim provides certainty to claimants and minimises delays.

Cold Weather Payments are intended to contribute towards the additional cost of heating a home during periods of severely cold weather, in England and Wales. The Scottish Government has introduced the Winter Heating Payment scheme to replace Cold Weather Payments for claimants living in Scotland.

Changing the eligibility criteria, or altering the temperature calculation, would significantly increase the cost, complexity and uncertainty of the scheme. We continually monitor the delivery of Cold Weather Payments to ensure it meets the policy intent.

To help and support veterans with additional cold weather payments, has the Department liaised with the Ministry of Defence to ensure that none of our veterans is left shivering in the dark this winter?

None of our veterans should be left shivering in the dark this winter. Cold weather payments and grants from the Royal British Legion are available to support those who are at a particularly vulnerable point in their lives. Help is available if veterans speak up and reach out. Many people are prepared to help them, so no veteran should be cold and suffering this winter.

There are currently no plans to introduce a one-off payment under the Cold Weather Payment scheme. The scheme ensures that vulnerable claimants on qualifying benefits automatically receive a payment of £25 for every 7-day period of exceptionally cold weather. This represents a generous contribution towards additional heating costs, paid at the time of need.

The Government has already announced additional financial support to help vulnerable people with energy costs this winter, and the Department continues to keep its policies and procedures under review.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I also associate myself with your remarks regarding Paul Pelosi and the Speaker in the United States. Our thoughts are with them both.

It is a huge honour to stand here as the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. In so doing, I pay tribute to all those who have preceded me, in particular my right hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North (Chloe Smith), who was an outstanding Secretary of State and also an outstanding Minister of State for disabled people.

The cold weather payment’s design ensures that support reaches those most vulnerable. The energy price guarantee is supporting millions of households with energy costs from now until April 2023. This is on top of the cost of living support worth more than £37 billion for around 8 million households on means-tested benefits.

What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the criteria for Cold Weather Payments.

I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s question, because these are very important payments. They are automatic, as he will know. Typically, they are received within 14 days and they are targeted at those who are most vulnerable. His point about the particular local conditions and the elevation of parts of his constituency are well made and I would be very happy to have further discussions with him about that. I should point out though that I believe there are 72 different weather stations to serve as reference points for different temperatures, so it may be that there is one very close to the area he describes.

Mr Speaker, may I associate myself with your remarks about the Pelosi family?

I congratulate the right hon. Member on his appointment. The £25 cold weather payment rate has not been updated since 2008. In today’s money, it should be worth £37. Parts of Blaenau Gwent are more than 1,000 feet above sea level, and the constituency itself is one of the most deprived in the UK. Will the Secretary of State look again at the criteria for this scheme? Surely areas with bad weather, higher energy costs and lower incomes should get a fairer deal.

My hon. Friend is right to raise this very important benefit, pension credit. He will be aware that the Department has been fully engaged in encouraging pensioners who will qualify to take up this benefit, and it is important that they do, because it is worth more than £3,000 a year and it is a gateway benefit for other benefits in turn. I pay tribute to the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman), who has done a great deal to push greater uptake, including a week of effort back in June when the uptake increased by 275% in that week.

I welcome my right hon. Friend to his new position. Will he tell the House what progress his Department is making to increase the uptake of pension credit, which means that more vulnerable elderly people will be eligible for cold weather payments?

Cold Weather Payments help vulnerable people in receipt of certain income-related benefits to meet the additional costs of heating during periods of severe cold weather between 1 November and 31 March. We keep all policies, including Cold Weather Payment, under constant review.

The Secretary of State regularly meets with Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of topics. The Cold Weather Payment scheme makes an important contribution towards the additional costs of heating for every week of severe cold weather, between 1 November and 31 March. It is targeted at those in receipt of certain income-related benefit, to ensure the support reaches the most vulnerable.

A breakdown of triggers by country along with number of payments can be found in the official statistics for cold weather payment (CWP) estimates here: Cold Weather Payment estimates: 2021 to 2022- GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Expenditure on Cold Weather Payments can be found in the Annual Social Fund Reports here Social Fund annual report 2020 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The 21/22 report is due to be published in the near future and thus 21/22 expenditure is an estimate based on the Cold Weather Payment Official Statistics.

Cold Weather Payments are not ring-fenced. Funding for the Cold Weather Payment scheme is demand driven and expenditure varies each year depending on how cold the winter is.

The current system of cold weather payments was introduced in 1988. The payment is a fixed amount for each week of cold weather. From 1995 this was set at £8.50 a week. The Cold Weather Payment was temporarily increased from £8.50 to £25 for the winters of 2008/9 and 2009/10. This increase was made permanent in November 2010.

The table below shows the number of Cold Weather payments made and total expenditure in each year since 1988-89. 21/22 is due to be published in the next Annual Social Fund Report so has not been included below.

Notes

1. N/A= not available
2. Figures are for payments triggered in the relevant financial year.
3. There was a single level of payment each year, except in 1990-91 when the level of payment was increased during the year. A breakdown of the number
   of payments for that year by level is not available. 3. Some people were made more than one payment in some years.
4. Numbers of payments made are rounded to the nearest 1,000, except for
   1988-89 where the number of payments is rounded to the nearest 100.
   Amounts spent are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million, except for 1988-89
   where the amount spent is rounded to the nearest £1,000.
5. Data are not available on the numbers of payments received (as opposed
   to made) or on the numbers of people who received payments. However, the
   vast majority of payments are now made direct into bank accounts.
6. Source: Annual reports by the Secretary of State for Social Security/Work and
   Pensions on the Social Fund