The commitment, which comes in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government (PfG), follows recommendations to ministers from Consumer Scotland earlier this year.

People with terminal illnesses often rely on essential medical and mobility equipment in the home and may need to heat their living spaces to higher temperatures to manage pain, respiratory issues and other clinical symptoms.

These combined needs can result in energy bills that are substantially higher than the average household, with research showing these can be up to 75 per cent higher.

Welcoming the announcement, Consumer Scotland chief executive Sam Ghibaldan said: “People approaching the end of life can face significantly higher and unavoidable energy costs.

“Living without sufficient support can significantly undermine the ability to meet essential needs, including staying warm, dry and clean which in turn can accelerate health deterioration and compound distress.

“That’s why we welcome the Scottish Government commitment to provide additional support for the terminally ill to account for the impact of their higher essential energy expenditure.

“We will now work with the Scottish Government and other key organisations to deliver this commitment to provide terminally ill consumers with the help they need to maintain wellbeing and reduce the likelihood of energy debt and self-disconnection.”

In March, Consumer Scotland wrote to the Scottish Government outlining proposed new measures to support people living with a terminal illness. The paper highlighted the fact current support does not adequately reflect the elevated essential energy needs associated with terminal illness, exacerbating the risks and impact of fuel poverty.

The latest figures from Social Security Scotland suggest there are currently 15,400 terminally ill people in Scotland including 265 children, 8,250 of working-age and 6,885 pensioners.

Consumer Scotland has also welcomed PfG proposals to introduce a Heat in Buildings Bill, while also supporting clean heating and energy efficiency measures for around 100,000 properties in Scotland, enabling the scale up of heat networks.