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Britain's six largest energy profiteers will be giving rebates for certain deserving sufferers of fuel poverty. Elderly people with pension credits will receive this bounty automatically; but others will have to apply for it. Among those who will need to apply are families with young children, disabled people and the terminally ill; doubtless the bureaucracy will work at sufficient pace to ensure that members of the latter group are kept waiting long enough to prevent the energy companies being burdened overmuch with their importunities. It is to be hoped that the application process will also be sufficiently rigorous to weed out the single mothers, the non-permanent wheelchair users, the smokers and any others whose condition could be interpreted by the Daily Mail as being all their own fault. As regards economic utility, the timing of the rebate certainly gives grounds for optimism: it will start in April, as soon as the cold weather is out of the way.