To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008, Official Report, column 2187W, on departmental accountancy, what measure of inflation is used in uprating concessionary fuel payments. (185260)

Concessionary fuel payments are linked to different RPIs: cash in lieu increases are linked to the fuel and light RPI index (the increase is applied from October onwards). Coal prices are linked to the solid fuel index.

However, RPI increases are not included ‘in the forecast’ of concessionary fuel provisions.