Martin McCluskey MP: speeches

Speeches

• 11 Jun 2026 · Clean Power by 2030 · Hansard source

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  indicated assent .

• 2 Jun 2026 · Heat Networks · Hansard source

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  I was very pleased to meet my hon. Friend’s constituents in Edinburgh to discuss the issues that they face with their heat network. The poor experience that they have had is an example of why we have introduced this regulation, and I commend her for the campaign that she has been running on their behalf. She is right to say that, under the new regulatory framework, heat network suppliers will be required to submit pricing data quarterly to Ofgem, improving oversight.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Heat Networks · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman will know that I take a keen interest in Northern Irish politics. I spent this morning in a Delegated Legislation Committee, delivering a reduction in bills through the removal of the renewables obligation. I am more than happy to discuss further with him how the regulation of heat networks might operate in Northern Ireland.

• 2 Jun 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We are considering a range of remediation options in a number of schemes for which the Department is responsible, most of which were operated by the previous Government. We will come forward with proposals soon.

• 27 Apr 2026 · Draft Warm Home Discount (Scotland) Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  It is per year.

• 15 Apr 2026 · Cost of Heating Oil · Hansard source

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  As I said, once the funds are disbursed in Northern Ireland, just as across the whole of the United Kingdom, we will make an assessment as to what further work might need to take place. I will have further discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive. We are obviously keeping every option under review, especially as we start to think about later in the year and into the winter. In Northern Ireland, we are still to see what happens when the funds are disbursed. In Scotland, we have heard from my hon. Friend the Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Torcuil Crichton) about how Advice Direct Scotland is disbursing those funds. However, we cannot know at the moment how much is being given out, because the Scottish Government will not let Advice Direct Scotland provide us with that data, so there is no way for us to know what the situation in Scotland looks like. In England, we are having weekly stocktakes with the DWP, which is the Department responsible for the crisis and resilience fund. It is providing us with assurance on the disbursal of those funds, and we hope to have a dataset available in May that looks at how many applications and payments have been made, and what those payments look like across the country.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil: Rural Homes · Hansard source

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  I think the hon. Member should be careful not to sow fear about these issues among his constituents, which is precisely what his remarks do. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor provided £4.6 million to the Scottish Government, who have increased the fund to £10 million. It is absolutely imperative that the Scottish Government tell hon. Members and constituents how to access the funding. They are delivering that £10 million scheme, which they have told us will be available from 1 April, so it is up to them to set out how it will get to people.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We moved swiftly to introduce funding to support people. The £53 million-worth of support, which is being disbursed through the crisis and resilience fund in England and Wales, will provide support for people through this immediate period. We will keep other measures under review, but if hon. Members have examples of unfair pricing practices, it is important that they report them to the CMA so that it can consider them as part of its review.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We have supplied £17 million to the Northern Ireland Executive, and I had a constructive conversation last week with Minister Archibald about how that is deployed. We will keep other measures under review as the situation develops.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  The support on offer is not means-tested; it is at the discretion of local authorities to decide the criteria for those applications. That is the first point. The second point is that the CMA is investigating this in detail. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said earlier, if there are any examples, please bring them to my attention and to the CMA’s attention, so that they can be considered as part of that review.

• 24 Mar 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We heard in the responses to our 2024 consultation the concerns about the continued risk to consumers arising from some of these TPIs. The Government plan to bring in new regulation of TPIs and will appoint Ofgem as the regulator, which will be empowered to put in place rules to protect small and medium-sized enterprises and other TPI customers.

• 18 Mar 2026 · Draft Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2026 · Hansard source

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  I am not sure if the hon. Gentleman— [ Interruption. ]

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes an important point, which I will be sure to raise in future discussions with Scottish Government Ministers.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for his continued advocacy for his constituents in High Peak. The CMA is investigating areas of policy around the heating oil market and will come forward with suggestions. We will examine those suggestions in detail to determine whether or not regulation is required in the sector. However, it is clear from points that my hon. Friend and others have made that this market is not operating in the way that it should.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  Again, the points that my hon. Friend makes and the cases she brings to the attention of the House demonstrate that this market is clearly not working in the way that it should. I encourage her to send any of these cases to the CMA, so that it can consider them as part of its work.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  I am always happy to come to the Committee; I understand that discussions are ongoing about a longer evidence session just on the warm homes plan to give it the attention that I am sure my hon. Friend agrees it is due. I agree that the warm homes plan should target some of the lowest-income people in our country. That is why we have allocated well over £1 billion for some of the low-income schemes in the warm homes plan, and why we have also focused on how we target rural households, many of whom will be affected by the heating oil situation.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  In our warm homes plan, we came forward with proposals for England. The Scottish Government, unfortunately, have ditched their heat in buildings Bill, which would have provided some relief to my hon. Friend’s constituents. I hope that the Scottish Government come forward with an alternative soon.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  My priority and the priority of the Government has been to ensure that support gets to people as quickly as possible, which is what we are doing today. The pro rata suggestion that the hon. and learned Gentleman has just made misses the fact that not everyone will fill up their tank during this period when prices are high. We do not know where the situation in the middle east is going, and we do not know what prices are going to be like two, three, four or five weeks from now. However, as I have said in response to other hon. Members, we will review the situation as it progresses.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  As the hon. Gentleman said, £3.8 million has been allocated to Wales. It will be for the Welsh Government to design the scheme that they will use to roll that out; it may be through existing schemes or through something different, but that is a decision for them. In all this, our priority has been to work at speed. We do not want to leave people in a situation without any support, which is why we have come forward with this proposal, just a few weeks after the initial stages of this conflict in the middle east. That is our priority. As I said, we will keep this issue under review, and we will come forward with more proposals if necessary.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for the constructive way in which she and other MPs representing rural constituencies have engaged with this process. I can confirm that the money will be available from 1 April.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  On the right hon. Gentleman’s final question, his constituents should send any cases of potential price manipulation through the CMA, which will investigate such cases. As for how allocations have been arrived at, that is a combination of the number of heating oil households in individual areas and deprivation figures. It will be for local authorities to determine how the scheme works. As I have said, we have provided guidance to local authorities to ensure that households that use heating oil and LPG receive the support that they need.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for bringing the case of Barrie and Gill Fulton to the attention of the House. I can confirm that the guidelines stipulate heating oil and LPG, so they will be covered; determining who is eligible will be at the discretion of local authorities, but I hope my hon. Friend’s constituents can find some relief in that information.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  As my hon. Friend knows, a consultation has recently concluded, and we will come forward with a response in due course.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  I completely agree with my hon. Friend. We must ensure that support is available in all parts of the UK as quickly as possible. In England, it will be available through the crisis and resilience fund from 1 April.

• 16 Mar 2026 · Heating Oil Support · Hansard source

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  The local authorities have a role to play—as do all of us in this House—in communicating clearly that support is available. We need to make sure our constituents know that support for heating oil and LPG is now part of the crisis and resilience fund, and that it will be available from 1 April.