Overview

The Terminal Illness (Support and Rights) Bill aims to improve the lives of individuals with terminal illnesses in the UK. It seeks to extend financial support schemes, such as the Warm Home Discount and the Energy Company Obligation, to include those who are terminally ill, and to enhance employment rights for terminally ill employees.

Description

This bill makes several key changes:

• Extension of Warm Home Discount Scheme: Amends existing regulations to explicitly include terminally ill individuals as eligible for the Warm Home Discount, a scheme providing financial assistance towards energy bills.
• Extension of Energy Company Obligation scheme: Extends eligibility for the Energy Company Obligation scheme, which helps low-income households improve energy efficiency, to include those who are terminally ill.
• Employment Rights: Requires the Secretary of State to create regulations under the Equality Act 2010. These regulations will ensure employers consider the circumstances of terminally ill employees when making decisions about dismissal due to sickness absence or salary reduction due to sickness absence. The bill defines "terminally ill" as someone with a progressive disease where death is reasonably expected within 12 months.

Government Spending

The bill is expected to increase government spending through the extension of existing energy support schemes to include terminally ill individuals. Precise figures are not provided in the bill text itself, but the cost will depend on the number of people newly eligible and the level of support provided.

Groups Affected

The bill directly affects the following groups:

• Terminally ill individuals: Will benefit from expanded access to financial support for energy costs and potentially stronger employment protections.
• Utility companies: Will be required to adapt their schemes to incorporate the new eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount and Energy Company Obligation schemes.
• Employers: Will be legally obliged to consider the circumstances of terminally ill employees when making decisions regarding dismissal or salary reduction due to sickness absence.

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