Low-income households will be able to claim up to €1,300 from the government to compensate for high energy bills this year, poverty minister Carola Schouten has announced.

The measure is a repeat of last year’s €1,300 subsidy for families with an income of or just above the social minimum.

Some municipalities have already handed out payments of €500 to help pay people’s bills last winter. Those people will be entitled to an extra €800 in the autumn, Schouten said.

Unlike last year, the package also includes support for students, after several courts ruled that the government was wrong to exclude them as a group from last year’s compensation scheme.

Students who live away from home and receive a top-up bursary will be able to claim €400 towards their energy bills this autumn. The payments will be administered by the education service DUO.