Miatta Fahnbulleh MP: speeches

Speeches

• 17 Dec 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We are rolling out our warm homes plan, which we want every household to benefit from, and we will ensure that we have the right solution for the right homes. I will work with my hon. Friend and with Members from across the House on solutions that every household can benefit from, to ensure that we have warmer homes that are cheaper to run.

• 17 Dec 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for that meeting. We are working across Government to ensure that we can provide the support that the community requires after that tragic incident.

• 17 Dec 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is a great champion of our clean power mission, and I would be very happy to meet him and representatives of the sector.

• 17 Dec 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We recognise that not enough was done to upgrade homes over the last 15 years, which is why we are absolutely running at this. We will upgrade up to 300,000 homes this year, and we are putting in place our plan to drive up standards in the private rented sector, and to ensure that as many households as possible benefit from homes that are warmer and much, much cheaper to run.

• 6 Dec 2024 · Spray Foam Insulation: Property Value · Hansard source

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  Let me start by thanking the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Tom Gordon) for bringing this important issue to the attention of the House and highlighting the stories of his constituents. This Government are committed to ensuring that all energy efficiency installations are done to the highest standards, and that proper consumer protection and redress are built into the system. That matters because building and maintaining consumer confidence and trust are critical to our delivering our warm homes plan and upgrading millions of homes across the country. We will do everything that we can to ensure that the system works for consumers. This is therefore a very important and a timely debate. We understand the frustration and the difficulties that some homeowners with spray foam loft insulation have experienced when obtaining finance. This problem followed the publication of now-withdrawn guidance from a surveyors association in December 2021. The guidance said that surveyors could not comment on the condition of timber roof structures, or properly assess the risks once installed, given the nature of the product. In response to the problems that some homeowners were having when obtaining finance, under the previous Government, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government worked with industry to publish several documents in 2023. These included a consumer guide, a code of practice for installers and an inspection protocol, alongside training for surveyors. The Building Safety Regulator also completed research to understand moisture risk factors, which indicated that the risk is low if the relevant British standards are followed. Crucially, the inspection protocol now enables a surveyor to determine whether an installation was done properly and, therefore, to determine the risk level. This means decisions on mortgage products should be made on a case-by-case basis, and there should not be a blanket exclusion on mortgages. I understand that progress is being made and, while some lenders will want to follow the advice of surveyors, most no longer have a blanket policy against lending where there is spray foam insulation. We are aware that just over 6,000 pitched roof insulation measures were installed using a voucher from the previous Government’s green homes grant voucher scheme, and some of these installations may have used spray foam products. If products have been installed to the standard required under the scheme, we do not expect them to be removed. We expect that they are doing the work and are effective in the home. A surveyor should be able to use the available inspection protocol to make the proper assessment. Where the measure has not been installed correctly, however, homeowners should contact their installer or use the TrustMark dispute resolution process to seek redress. If the installer is no longer trading, the homeowner should contact the guarantee provider. The details of this should be in the paperwork they were given at the point of installation, or they will be available from TrustMark. Although the system is working, we know that it is not working in too many cases and that people are falling between the cracks. We know that the standards and accreditation processes for Government schemes are too complex, and that accountability structures are not always clear. I am new to my role, but I am the first to admit that there is a job to do to improve the system so that, when problems occur, consumers get the right advice and redress without having to bang their head against the wall to get it. The Government are determined to address this. The Government’s ambitious warm home plans will upgrade millions of homes across the country to make them warmer and cheaper to run, from installing new insulation to rolling out solar panels and heat pumps. We will review the consumer protection framework as part of this plan, ensuring clear lines of accountability and clear and easy redress mechanisms so that consumers can trust the system. The plan will also outline the further action we intend to take to drive up quality and standards, and to support the supply chain to grow in size and competence. This will include investing in training and supporting trusted small businesses that work in the community to join the supply chain. We understand that the hon. Gentleman’s constituents, and constituents across the country, face this issue, and we are looking into it to understand the size of the problem and what we can do in response. More fundamentally, people should be in no doubt that we are committed to building consumer protection and trust, because that is the only way we can take the country on the journey as we try to upgrade millions of homes. I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising the profile of this issue, for raising the stories of his constituents and the difficulties they have faced, and for giving us the opportunity to highlight the avenues that are available for affected consumers. Question put and agreed to.

• 4 Dec 2024 · End of Radio Teleswitch Service: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens (Dave Doogan) for bringing this important issue to the attention of the House. As I will set out later, it is important that people who will be affected by the transition are aware of the issue and the steps we need to take to upgrade. I reassure him that we are doing everything we can to ensure that the transition is done with consumers in mind, and that it works for the households we know will be affected. Since the 1980s, the radio teleswitch service has played an important role in helping many consumers to have lower-cost energy for heating and hot water. However, as has been acknowledged, the technology is coming to the end of its life. The continuation of the BBC’s longwave radio signal is due to end on 1 June 2025. We have already extended the service once, from March this year. When the service ends, as has already been pointed out, there will no longer be the availability to switch between rates. In some instances, consumers may lose control of their heating or hot water. With the deadline fast approaching, I cannot stress enough that this is a big issue for us. It is a priority and we understand that there is a job of work to do to ensure that we can deliver the transition for consumers.

• 4 Dec 2024 · End of Radio Teleswitch Service: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising his personal experience of the issue. From the perspective of the Government, it is very important that we have sight of where it is not working, because we need to ensure that it is working for consumers. There is a question about capacity that we are very exercised about. We are trying to work with suppliers to ensure, particularly in rural areas, that we are putting in roaming teams and building the capacity to be able to respond in a way that is timely, and sensitive to the fact that we are asking consumers to make a transition and go through disruption. Smart meters are the natural upgrade for RTS, and we have energy suppliers that will be offering them. If we get this right, smart meters are an opportunity to upgrade people’s homes, and critically, for them to access smart tariffs that will give them greater control and reduce bills. I urge consumers to discuss the options with their energy suppliers. I acknowledge that, particularly in rural areas where we have large numbers of RTS users, we have lower levels of smart meter coverage and installer capacity. To address that, we are actively encouraging energy suppliers to ensure that they are building capacity. We are looking at roaming teams, and how we manage demand across different geographies. We know that there are issues with network coverage, and we are working with the data communications company to ensure that we are resolving them. In a minority of cases where households cannot connect, we are advising them to engage with their energy suppliers to think about the right solutions for their home. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that customers have genuine concerns and scepticism about smart meters; we have received that intelligence as much as other hon. Members have across the House. It is worth saying that there are 37 million smart and advanced meters in homes and small businesses across the country—65% of all smart meters. Our analysis and data suggest that 90% of smart meters are sending automatic signals and working, but for too many customers the experience of smart metering is not as good as it ought to be. The number of meters that are not working across the country is problematic, and we are trying to build confidence. There is a really important job for us to do in working with the regulator to deal with those particular issues. The Government are working with Ofgem to introduce new guaranteed standards of performance to improve and protect consumer experience with smart meters, offering compensation when the system is falling short for consumers. Ofgem will be consulting to introduce those new standards in the new year. Let me end by touching on the wider point about public confidence, which is key to us getting this transition right. I acknowledge that some consumers have lost faith in the energy suppliers, and the levels of satisfaction have damaged consumer confidence. We hear that when we engage with customers. We absolutely must and are trying to do more to prioritise and protect consumers in the transition, both with RTS and more widely on home upgrades and our warm homes plan. That is why the Government are strengthening the regulator to ensure that it can hold companies to account for wrongdoing and can require higher standards of performance, as well as ensuring that there is automatic consumer compensation where failures occur. There is a lot to do, but I hope I have reassured the House that we are aware of the challenge and are doing everything we can to grip the problem and to get the regulator and suppliers to work with partners on the ground to make the transition as smooth as possible. I again thank the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens for raising the profile of this important issue and highlighting the needs of all communities. We have to get this right, and I confirm my desire to work in concert with hon. Members across the House to make this as easy for constituents as possible. Question put and agreed to.

• 4 Dec 2024 · End of Radio Teleswitch Service: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  Yes, I am very keen to reconvene that. It is absolutely essential that we work with hon. Members across the House who represent constituencies that we know will be affected. From our perspective, we have a big job to engage consumers to ensure that they are aware and that the transition is working. We are keen to work across the House to do that. One of the outcomes of the roundtable that was put in place was that the taskforce has been established—with Ofgem, industry and the Government—to manage the transition and to put and inject the urgency that we need to see in the ongoing process. In October, the industry signed up to a call to action, representing a collective agreement to take the steps needed to speed the transition away from RTS. Specific actions that were included in that call for action are: targeting of resources towards regional hotspots where we know there are a high number of RTS customers and we know that we need to do work to reach them; fast-tracking of meter upgrades for RTS customers and, in particular, vulnerable customers who we are very worried about; and collaboration on some of the technical solutions that we know are needed. We are clear that the delivery of the transition away from RTS requires active engagement with consumers, as they will need to agree to appointments, collaborate with their installers and ensure that they have the right solutions in place.

• 4 Dec 2024 · End of Radio Teleswitch Service: Rural Areas · Hansard source

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  I completely agree with the hon. Member. We have said to suppliers that they must inform all affected customers by 31 December to make sure that we are injecting that sense of urgency, both within the supply chain and, critically, among customers. There is a collective job for us all to make sure that those who are affected are aware that this is happening. That is why this debate is so important. That is why I am keen to engage with Members from across the House to ensure that we are getting that message out to constituents. Critically, the taskforce has been asked to establish working partnerships with local authorities, housing providers and other customer-facing organisations, so that we can get the word out that this is happening, that customers need to engage and that they must get in touch with their suppliers so we can provide the best possible options for them as we move forward.

• 3 Dec 2024 · Draft Contracts for Difference (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024 · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Contracts for Difference (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2024. These draft regulations were laid before the House on 20 October 2024. Last week, the Secretary of State updated the House on COP29 and reiterated what we already knew—that speeding up our transition to clean power is in our national interest. It is the best way to bolster our energy security, getting us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuels, which we do not control. It is the best way to spark economic growth across the country, with hundreds of thousands of new jobs, particularly in our industrial heartlands, and to tackle the climate crisis for today’s and future generations. That is why this Government are running at our clean power by 2030 mission, and this instrument will contribute towards that march. The contracts for difference scheme is the Government’s main mechanism for supporting new low-carbon electricity generation. CfDs are awarded through annual competitive auctions, with the lowest-priced bids successful. The sixth CfD allocation round, which ran earlier this year, was the largest round ever—more than double the size of last year’s round under the last Government. It awarded contracts to 128 clean energy projects across Great Britain, capturing 9.6 GW of renewable capacity and generating enough electricity to power the equivalent of 11 million homes. However, we must continue to build on that success, which means continually evolving the contracts for difference scheme to ensure that it reflects the global challenges and opportunities in the renewables sector. Building on AR6, we plan to update the scheme using this instrument to continue our march to clean power by 2030. First, we propose to extend the option of phased CfDs to floating offshore wind projects and, secondly, to enable repowered onshore wind projects to apply for CfDs. On the first point, the Government have committed to radically increase the UK’s offshore wind capacity, including floating offshore wind. As an emerging technology with less than 250 MW of capacity deployed worldwide, the floating offshore wind construction process is yet to be industrialised. Floating wind projects are likely to have a slower buildout rate, in part because of things such as capacity in ports and weather conditions. Phasing in the CfD allows projects to build in multiple stages. It allows for greater flexibility in the construction phase, enabling delivery to more realistic timelines and providing more certainty and confidence to investors. In turn, the reduction in project costs increases investor confidence in the UK’s growing floating offshore wind sector, unlocking the potential for us to massively expand. On the second point, of enabling repowering for onshore wind, our analysis shows that approximately 1 GW of onshore wind is coming to the end of its operating life between 2027 and 2030. Repowering can help ensure that renewable generation capacity is not lost from older projects. It also provides an opportunity to increase the renewable generation capacity of existing sites through improvements in technology and more efficient use of sites. Enabling access to CfDs for repowered onshore wind projects offers revenue certainty for those projects in order to maintain and boost our capacity. The CfD scheme did not previously have a policy on repowering built into it; these regulations will ensure that we do, to ensure that eligible generation capacity can apply for CfDs. In designing this policy, we are ensuring that we balance our objectives around decarbonisation, consumer value for money and security of supply by enabling repowering only for projects that both align with the fundamental aims of our CfD programme and, critically, have reached the end of their life and their operating life. Our approach, and the approach that we are taking to everything we do as we make our march to clean power by 2030, will always ensure that we are protecting consumers, by intervening only when and where needed and where it is cost-effective to do so. Before I conclude, let me say a word about the consultation process through which we sought views and evidence around the changes proposed for allocation round 7. We received a range of responses from across industry, including from developers, electricity traders and suppliers, businesses operating in the offshore wind sector, and consumer environmental groups. Most respondents agreed with implementing the phasing of floating offshore and repowering for onshore wind. Respondents also provided input into how we can implement these policies in the best way. The Department, as would be expected, will continue to engage with stakeholders in industry. Let me end here. The instrument today is another important step towards delivering our clean power mission, shielding families from volatile fossil fuel prices that we know have been a result of the cost of living crisis that we face and establishing the UK as a clean energy superpower. It builds on the existing success of the CfD programme, but allows it to evolve to reflect the realities of the global market. Critically, we believe this is a step in ensuring that we can protect consumers and reduce bills.

• 3 Dec 2024 · Draft Contracts for Difference (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024 · Hansard source

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  Let me respond directly to the question on bills. We are as exercised by and committed to protecting consumers through the transition to net zero. I say this is as the Minister for Energy whose job it is to protect consumers. Our judgment is that we have seen sky-high energy prices as a result of our dependence on international fossil fuel markets. Families at the moment are suffering the impacts of that reliance. The way that we break that is to break the dependence on fossil fuels and make the transition to clean power. All our analysis suggests that if we get this right, combined with interventions on energy efficiency and upgrading people’s homes, we will bear down on bills. The status quo is not tenable—if you speak to any consumer, they will tell you that. We have made a strategic bet that if we can run clean power and break the link with gas and the dependence on fossil fuel, we will bear down on prices. The National Energy System Operator put out its publication on clean power and validated that. This approach will reduce costs in the system and, critically, bear down on bills. Consumers are at the heart of this transition for us. We are not doing this for ideological reasons. The status quo of people’s energy bills and their affordability is not something that we are willing to countenance. It is something that the last Government were willing to put up with, but we absolutely will not. That is why we are making the march to clean power by 2030. Question put and agreed to.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I am sorry to hear about the incident that the hon. Gentleman has raised. We absolutely need to ensure, as we roll out all low-carbon technology, that standards are at the highest level. I undertake to meet him to understand the specific circumstances and see what we can do in terms of reviewing regulation.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We are doing everything we can to help the households that will struggle with bills this winter. We have had a big push to increase the uptake of pension credit and we are working with energy suppliers to provide additional support this winter, alongside our warm home discount, which will provide a rebate of £150 to households in fuel poverty. We have also extended the household support fund.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Decarbonisation: Public Sector Bodies · Hansard source

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  We will work on that with the devolved Administrations across the United Kingdom. Good practice is happening across local government and regional government. We will ensure that everyone can learn from it, and we will deliver the biggest upgrade in a generation.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Decarbonisation: Public Sector Bodies · Hansard source

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  I completely agree; decarbonising our public sector will not only reduce emissions but lower bills. We estimate that the £1 billion that we have allocated to public sector decarbonisation will reduce bills by about £40 million per year. That is a big step forward, but there is more work to do.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Decarbonisation: Public Sector Bodies · Hansard source

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  As the first step towards the warm homes plan, we have committed an initial £3.4 billion. That includes £1 billion towards public sector decarbonisation, because we know that we have to ensure that our schools and hospitals reduce their energy bills.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  We recognise that many vulnerable people, including those with high energy usage, often bear the greatest burden when energy prices increase. That is why we are doing all we can, including by working with energy companies, to make sure that we are providing additional support this winter and beyond. I will take my hon. Friend’s point away and follow up with him in due course.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  We are committed to an ambitious warm homes plan, which will upgrade homes across the country, making them warmer and cheaper to run, by installing new insulation and rolling out low carbon heating such as solar and heat pumps. As a first step, the Government have committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next three years towards upgrading homes. We have already hit the ground running with the roll out of our warm homes local grant, and our warm homes social housing fund. We will set out more details in due course.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  I am aware that many households have had upgrades that have not gone to plan. It is critical that we build confidence, because in the end we need to persuade consumers up and down the country to have these upgrades. There were schemes under the last Administration that were not regulated and did not have the correct standards, and we are working hard to make sure that we raise standards across the piece.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  Let me assure the hon. Member that we are hitting the ground running with home insulations. We are rolling out our warm homes local grant and our warm homes social housing fund, to target people this winter—this year—because we need to deliver the biggest ever upgrade.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  Yes, absolutely. Raising standards in the social housing sector will be a critical part of our warm homes plan. We have already announced plans to lift 1 million renters out of fuel poverty by raising the minimum energy efficiency standard in both the private and the social-rented sector, which will ensure that renters no longer have to live in cold, drafty homes. We will also unlock £1 billion-worth of investment to the national wealth fund in partnership with leading banks to upgrade more social homes, and we will set out more detail to build on that in due course.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  We will ensure that we see upgrades in every part of the country; we will be working with combined authorities, local government and the devolved Administrations to make sure that we are delivering the scale of upgrades needed across the country.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  We will work across the country to tackle fuel poverty, but I remind the hon. Member that fuel payments are devolved. The Scottish Government have been given the biggest budget, and it is time to get on with the job and fix the situation.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Warm Homes Plan · Hansard source

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  It is a national scandal that so many homes across the country have an EPC rating that is below C—a failure of the last Government to deliver the scale of home upgrades that we need. We are determined to end the injustice of people living in cold and draughty homes. I completely agree that we must do everything we can to support vulnerable households with their energy bills this winter. That is why we are providing 3.3 million households with the warm home discount, why we are working with energy suppliers to provide additional support, including through charities, and why we have extended the household support fund.

• 8 Oct 2024 · Energy Social Tariffs · Hansard source

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  We know that people are worried about their energy bills going into the winter and that, for a growing number of people, energy is simply unaffordable. We are absolutely determined to take this affordability issue and tackle it head on. There are many different ideas about what a social tariff could look like, and it means different things to different people. We are clear that we will tackle the affordability question and look at the full range of options available to us. But our priority—my priority—this winter is to ensure that families struggling with bills have support through our warm home discount scheme, and to work with energy suppliers to provide support.