Energy Bill Support Scheme - Alternative Funding Pilot Grant Assurance

Descriptions

The Department for Business & Trade (DBT) is awarding grant payments to householders across the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) to assist with energy costs - payments are made primarily through Energy Suppliers direct to customers through the Energy Bill Support Schere (EBSS), but it is estimated that up to 10% of households fall outside of the scope for this scheme. An Alternative Funding scheme (EBSS AF) has been established to support households that have not received support under the main scheme. EBSS AF is delivered by DBT in Great Britain through Local Authorities (LAs), and in Northern Ireland by a private company. DBT is completing post payment assurance checks on the grant payment decisions (both successful and rejected applicants) by the LAs and private providers These checks will start July 2023 and are expected to complete no later than December 2023. DBT will randomly select and review a sample of grant decisions made to check eligibility of the household to receive the payment. The results of the assurance checks will be used by DBT to help inform its 2023/24 Annual Accounts. As part of the post payment assurance checks for EBSS AF DBT is seeking support to help check the identity and residential status of individuals receiving the grant payment - specifically (although the same check will be completed on all grant decisions sampled) we are looking at how to assure itinerant traveller households (households that do not have a permanent or fixed address, and live full time in a caravan, boat, or similar) to confirm that the individual does not have a permanent or fixed address that they are responsible for. DBT accepts that it may be impossible to fully assure these individuals as itinerant travellers, but Is looking for a solution to help reduce risk associated with this group - for example being able to confirm whether or not an individual is knowingly linked to a permanent or fixed address. This will not necessarily provide a final answer on eligibility to receive the grant payment but is an important step in the assurance process to help manage risk. Any solution would be expected to demonstrate the range of information / data that would be accessed to support the assurance request, and could include (but is not limited to) address links, bank account verification checks, document verification, fraud risk scoring, credit checks.