Thank you for contacting me about the importance of boosting support for people on disability benefits. With food prices rising, mortgages and rents increasing, and heating bills going up, I know this is a very difficult time for many. As Shadow Minister for Disabled People, I have raised this issue countless times in Parliament and have been calling on the Government to do more to protect the most vulnerable. You can view my questions and statements in the In Parliament tab, or on my Twitter.

I am therefore calling on Ministers to offer real help to people who need it, including those in receipt of disability benefits. That is why I support freezing people’s energy bills until at least April 2023. This step would save the average household £1,000, get future energy costs under control and help tackle inflation.

There is also a crucial question about who ultimately pays for these measures. The Treasury estimates that energy producers could make £170 billion in unexpected windfall profits over the next two years. That is why I have supported a windfall tax since January and why I want to see the windfall tax expanded.

The Government has previously said that it has no plans to raise disability benefits before the start of the next financial year, and that in the meantime it has no plans to provide any additional support beyond the one-off £150 Disability Cost of Living Payments it began paying out in September 2022. I recognise this will disappoint you, and I hope Ministers will consider the points that you make.

I note that on 23 September 2022, in the so-called mini-Budget, the former Chancellor announced bumper tax cuts for the richest, which have since been reversed, but nothing on uprating the state pension or Universal Credit depsite deep cuts in their real-terms value this year due to inflation. I await the current Chancellor clarifying what the Government’s intentions are in the forthcoming Autumn Statement on 17 November. But, in my view, people on low incomes and disabled people should not be paying the price for the failure of the mini-Budget. Ministers should ensure that people receiving benefits get the support they need during the current cost-of-living crisis.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this very important issue.