Miatta Fahnbulleh MP: speeches

Speeches

• 1 Jul 2025 · Business Energy Supply Billing: Regulation · Hansard source

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  We will raise the issue of deemed contracts with the regulator and the ombudsman. More broadly, my hon. Friend has raised specific concerns about the ombudsman’s approach. There is a clear complaints procedure, so if constituents feel that they have not had the service that they require, there is a process to escalate their complaint up the hierarchy of the ombudsman and consumers should use it. My hon. Friend also raised the important issue of the Ofgem review, as did other Members. I could not agree more; we need a regulator with teeth that is on the side of consumers. As part of our manifesto, we promised to strengthen Ofgem, to ensure that it can hold companies to account for wrongdoing and require higher standards of performance, and to make sure that customers receive automatic customer compensation for poor service. To address that, in December, we launched a comprehensive review of Ofgem. We are in the weeds of that review, which will conclude in the autumn. Critically for me, the review will establish Ofgem as a strong consumer regulator. It will ensure that Ofgem is equipped to address unacceptable instances of customer failing and, importantly, we want it to reset consumers’ confidence in a system that, quite frankly, they have lost confidence in. In response to the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway (John Cooper), the review will specifically look at whether Ofgem has the right remit, mandate, tools and powers to do the job that consumers expect. We want to ensure that all the examples are represented, so we have done a big call for evidence. We are doing huge amounts of engagement to make sure that all the evidence informs the final conclusions of the review. Critically, it will also look at redress, because we know that we need to get that right. The point has been made over and over again that it is about setting in place the right regulatory framework, but also about making sure that there are repercussions when compliance does not happen, and that there are clear enforcement mechanisms. We want to ensure that the regulator has all that. We know that the cost of energy is a massive issue for businesses across the country, particularly small businesses. This issue, and the question of whether we cap energy bills for non-domestic customers, was raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Kevin Bonavia) and the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Pippa Heylings). We have taken the judgment that the way that we respond to energy bills that are too high is to sprint in order to deliver clean power and break our dependence on fossil fuel markets so that we can drive down costs and bills for consumers. The shadow Minister is wrong: this is not and never was ideological. We have seen the worst energy crisis in a generation and our dependence on fossil fuels was at the root of that. That crisis, not on our shores, meant that businesses and consumers across the country were paying the price. That is why diversifying our energy mix, whether Members believe in net zero or not, and generating home-grown clean energy that we control are the routes out of this bind and out of volatility. That will deliver energy security for families and fundamentally secure family and business finances.

• 1 Jul 2025 · Business Energy Supply Billing: Regulation · Hansard source

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  I will make some progress. I want to end by addressing the issue of energy brokers, which has been raised. We know that many energy brokers can help businesses to save money on their bills with contracts tailored to their needs. However, we have also seen evidence of opaque charging structures and unfair sales practices. We are hugely conscious of that, and last year the Government launched a consultation on introducing regulation of third party intermediaries such as energy brokers, aimed at enhancing consumer protection, particularly for non-domestic consumers, where we have recognised that there is an issue that must be addressed. The consultation has now closed, and I can assure my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth that the Government are working through the huge volume of responses that we received and will respond in due course. Finally, to the hon. Members—

• 1 Jul 2025 · Business Energy Supply Billing: Regulation · Hansard source

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  We know we have a challenge with smart meters. The majority of smart meters work, but there are far too many cases where they do not. We are working with the DCC and suppliers to make sure that we have connection across the piece and that there is a clear obligation on suppliers to respond to meters that are not working. Ofgem is reviewing this at the moment, and we will set out what we will do to introduce further obligations and ensure compliance on the specific issue of smart meters. On the wider question about back billing, let me be clear: suppliers cannot back-bill domestic or microbusiness consumers for energy use more than 12 months ago. A company is classed as a microbusiness when it has fewer than 10 employees and turnover of less than £2 million, or where it falls under certain energy-usage thresholds. In February, the Secretary of State wrote to the chief executive officer of Ofgem, asking him to accelerate the regulator’s work on reviewing the back-billing rules as part of its ongoing consumer confidence reforms. Ofgem is in the process of doing that. The Secretary of State and I have constant meetings with the regulator to make sure that this matter is proceeding with the pace and urgency it requires. It is very clear that suppliers can back-bill consumers only in very specific circumstances; we need to clarify what those circumstances are and ensure far tighter compliance and enforcement on this issue. My hon. Friend raised a point about the Energy Ombudsman, and what it should do to support businesses such as those in her constituency. We announced an expansion of the ombudsman’s service in December so that small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 50 employees can now access it. That means that 99% of businesses in this country can now access that important service. In recognition of the impact on businesses when things go wrong, the maximum award for new business disputes that go through the ombudsman has been doubled to £20,000. We know that much more must be done to ensure that the ombudsman and the redress service are working for all customers. We have committed to consulting on a range of issues that would strengthen the ombudsman, including introducing automatic referrals to it rather than consumers having to do that themselves. We think that will speed up the process. We are also looking to reduce the referral waiting time from eight weeks to four weeks so that customers are not waiting in a long and frustrating process before their issue gets redress. Critically, as part of that, we are looking to increase the value of the compensation that is paid to customers when things go wrong and the ombudsman has clearly put in place a judgment that suppliers are not responding to. We also want to make compensation automatic, because that is how we can expand and drive deterrence in the system. We will look to see how, in instances of, for example, excessively long call waiting times, which consumers find desperately frustrating, unacceptably high bills when suppliers fail to adjust their direct debits, and suppliers not responding to complaints in time or not complying with the Energy Ombudsman, there can be automatic compensation so that consumers get the redress without having to go through the hassle.

• 1 Jul 2025 · Business Energy Supply Billing: Regulation · Hansard source

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  I was just coming to that.

• 1 Jul 2025 · Business Energy Supply Billing: Regulation · Hansard source

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  That was my concluding point, to hon. Members from Northern Ireland, who have raised a really important issue: we are working closely with the Northern Ireland Government to ensure that the improvements we make in the UK market are aligned and that lessons are learnt to ensure that, where we develop stronger and better practice, it is shared with the regulator and the Northern Irish Government. In the end, we must ensure that we have a system that works for all consumers across these isles. Let me conclude by again saying a huge thank you to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth for raising this important issue, and by offering, if she wishes, to meet to talk in more detail about some of the issues she has raised. I am clear that, without a fair, functioning energy market, our clean power mission will not succeed, energy bills will not come down and consumers will not get justice or access to a system that works for them. That is an absolute imperative for us; that is the priority; that is the thing that drives everything we do. We look forward to working with all hon. Members to achieve that outcome.

• 1 Jul 2025 · Business Energy Supply Billing: Regulation · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Sarah Edwards) for introducing this important debate, and all hon. Members for their insightful contributions. I assure them all that the Government are taking this issue seriously, and we are working at pace to respond to it. The experience of Roasters reflects the issues that consumers face in an energy market that, quite frankly, is not working for them. Let me be clear that reforming the energy market so that it works for consumers and is fair is a key priority for this Government. We have made progress already, which I will set out, but we must do more. I was extremely disappointed to learn of another example of a customer receiving incorrect bills and back-billing requests. Ofgem supply licence conditions are very clear: suppliers must take all reasonable steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements where these have been provided by a customer or taken by a supplier. Suppliers must also take all reasonable steps to obtain meter readings at least twice annually. They must provide historical consumption information to all customers upon request and explain how a customer’s bill was worked out.

• 1 Jul 2025 · Business Energy Supply Billing: Regulation · Hansard source

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  My words were very clear. We welcome the reductions in energy prices, but we were very clear that we are on a rollercoaster: prices go up and prices go down. We must get off the rollercoaster so that we deliver energy security. That will deliver price stability and fundamentally secure family finances.

• 26 Jun 2025 · Floating Solar Panels · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. There are many schemes and huge opportunities, and the Government are working with industry to think about what the potential is across the country. New proposals are coming forward, and we are trying to engage with them. Although we see that there is huge potential, it is also important to put that in the context of some of the challenges we face as we try to grow floating solar. We are trying to do our part to work with industry, so we want to ensure that we deal with some of the obstacles and barriers to the schemes that are coming forward—for example, planning or investment certainty. Floating solar projects can apply to the Government’s flagship contracts for difference scheme, and they do. I know that one of the arguments in favour of floating solar, which the hon. and gallant Gentleman put forward, and which was reiterated by other hon. Members, is that it will reduce the amount of land that we need to use. Arguments have been made about agricultural land and constraining the amount of ground-mounted solar panels on them. I gently say, however, that if we look at the statistics, we see that only 0.1% of land in the UK is covered by ground-mounted solar at the moment—a minuscule amount. Even with the expansion that we are actively trying to encourage, we are still talking about a fraction of UK land that will only ever be used for ground-mounted solar, so it is important to put that in context.

• 26 Jun 2025 · Floating Solar Panels · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. and gallant Gentleman for that; his nudge has been taken, and I will pass that on to the Minister for Energy. As a Department, we are trying to engage extensively with industry on how we will take forward the complex and difficult challenges as we try to deliver our clean power mission. If companies and organisations can lend their insights and knowledge to help us develop better policy, we are always in the market for that, so I will pass on the nudge. We are finishing the final touches to the solar road map, and it is due to be published very soon. While I will not disclose the detail of it, I assure hon. Members that the question of floating solar will be addressed within it. We recognise that floating solar is an exciting area, and we think it has huge potential for deployment in the UK. We are seeing the technology being deployed more broadly in other countries, and we want to be part of that. The hon. and gallant Gentleman has talked about the benefits for the grid, water quality, consumers of electricity and, ultimately, climate change. There is much to like about floating solar. The challenge for us is to work with industry to ensure that we can unlock its potential. That means reducing the cost, ensuring that it is cost-effective, and ensuring that we can deploy the technology. The one commitment I will make on behalf of the Government is that we will always engage with industry as we do this work. We want the innovation, insight and experience of the brightest and the best as we try to build up our clean power sector, so we will work with industry to unlock the huge potential that we believe is there. Question put and agreed to .

• 26 Jun 2025 · Floating Solar Panels · Hansard source

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  We will always keep this area under review. We recognise the potential of the technology, and we will continue to work with industry to bring down costs. As the hon. Member says, there are reservoirs and waterways where there are potential problems, but there is also the potential for it to be painless. If we can help to unlock the technology, there will absolutely be appetite from the Government for this. We are trying to invest in research and development in this area, and we are putting in Government support and investment to unlock that. Finally, the hon. and gallant Gentleman mentioned the solar taskforce. We are working at pace to deliver the taskforce’s recommendations. The taskforce has effectively brought together industry and Government to discuss the actions needed to scale up solar deployment, in line with our 2030 clean power mission. It has identified the need for a road map to address the specific barriers to floating solar and other innovative technologies, and a sub-group has been convened to focus on this specific topic.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for a really good question. Park homes are currently supported through industry initiatives and the warm home discount. We will continue to make sure that park homes are supported. There is obviously work that we need to do, because we are conscious that there are some customers who are not receiving the discount, and we are working with industry to resolve that.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  With permission, I wish to make a statement on the action we are taking to cut energy bills for working families. Three years on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine which sent prices soaring, people up and down the country are still feeling the impacts. Everywhere I go in this job and from every person I speak to, I hear how the wages that used to support families are being swallowed up by sky-high energy bills month after month after month. The truth is that for as long as we remain dependent on gas and volatile global markets, British people will continue to pay the price and we will continue to be held back as a country. That is why we are finally ending our exposure and our vulnerability by sprinting to clean, affordable energy that is controlled by us. We know that in the meantime, we must do everything we can to support families who are under huge amounts of pressure with their energy bills. Today, we are setting out how we will help millions more households with their bills this winter by expanding the warm home discount. Previously, around 3 million people received the £150 rebate off their energy bills, but millions of people living in homes not classified as “hard to heat” were excluded as a result of criteria introduced by the previous Government in 2022. We believe those criteria were unnecessary and unreliable. We believe that it cannot be fair to have two families in almost exactly the same circumstances, with one receiving help and one not. That has been raised repeatedly by consumers and their advocates since the changes were made in 2022, and I absolutely understand their concerns. That is why we are abolishing this restriction. This winter, every single household where the bill payer receives a means-tested benefit will be eligible for the warm home discount, which means a further 2.7 million low-income households will get that vital support. In total, more than 6 million households—one in five families in Britain—will get the help they need this winter. This expansion will help us meet our goal of tackling fuel poverty, which is critical to the work of my Department. It will increase the number of fuel-poor households that receive support, with coverage improving from 30% under the current scheme to around 45%. In total, 1.6 million fuel-poor households will receive support. I have met people on the frontline of the energy bills crisis up and down the country, so I know for a fact that there are families out there right now breathing a sigh of relief because this measure will ease the huge amount of pressure they are under with the cost of living. One issue that is often raised with me is that families can miss out on the warm home discount because the person who receives the means-tested benefit is not named on the energy bill. To be eligible, the means-tested benefit recipient, their partner or their legal appointee needs to be named on the energy bill. I encourage all families who receive a means-tested benefit to check that and, if necessary, to contact their supplier. People need to ensure that the benefit recipient, their partner or their appointee is named on the bill before the warm home discount qualifying date, which is 24 August. At the same time, we are going further to put the energy market back in the service of working people, taking steps to restore confidence and faith in the energy market, which has been shaken. As it stands, too many complaints against energy companies go unresolved or take too long to fix—whether it is suppliers not responding quickly enough or failing to adjust direct debits when families use less energy—which leads to a situation where consumers often do not access the compensation they are entitled to due to an overly complex complaints system. This Government are absolutely committed to standing up for consumers who have had a bad experience of the energy system, and we are working hard to ensure that the system works in the interests of consumers. We have already made real strides in improving conditions for customers. Following the Secretary of State’s intervention and months of Government work with the sector, Ofgem announced £18.6 million of compensation for victims of forced prepayment meters in May, and we will continue to go further. This is a Government willing to use every tool in our arsenal to fight for working people. By moving at speed to deliver clean power, and with the spending review setting out the biggest investment in the domestic clean energy industry in history, we will take back control of our energy system and do the job of protecting consumers. That is why we have wasted absolutely no time in driving forward our clean energy mission in our first year, ending the onshore wind ban, consenting more than 4 GW of renewable energy, launching Great British Energy, funding a new golden era for nuclear, kick-starting carbon capture and hydrogen industries, and investing £1 billion already to upgrade up to 300,000 homes, with £13.2 billion committed in the spending review to upgrade millions more. This is how we will rebuild our energy network and protect families across the country: by supporting more people who need our help this winter; by restoring confidence in a reformed energy market; and by bringing bills down for good with secure, reliable, clean energy. We will ensure that every family in this country has the security of a home they can afford to heat now and in the future. I commend this statement to the House.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  Rural consumers who are on means-tested benefits and linked to an energy supplier should be supported in the right way. We know that there are some off-grid rural households that are not with a particular energy supplier and that that is more difficult. This is why we are working with industry. There is a discretionary amount within the warm home discount that allows industry to find and target those people to provide support.

• 5 Jun 2025 · Battery Energy Storage Sites: Safety Regulations · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Member for Horsham (John Milne) on securing this debate and on his thoughtful and informed speech. I thank all Members for raising this incredibly important issue. Let me reassure them and this House that the Government appreciate all the concerns that have been raised. There is no complacency, and we are taking a responsible approach to the deployment of grid-scale batteries, which are an essential part of delivering clean energy. We are very clear that increasing the amount of clean, renewable electricity generated, stored and used in the UK will improve our energy security. It will bring down bills for consumers in the long term by reducing our reliance on fossil fuel markets, which are volatile. It will create jobs, and it will tackle the climate and nature crisis, which we must do for future generations. We are committed to delivering clean power by 2030, and it was reassuring to hear support for that ambition from Members across the House, with the disappointing exception of the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Nick Timothy), who has adopted a pretty impressive skill of rewriting history and forgetting his own Government’s shoddy legacy on this. In the clean power action plan, the Government outlined that 23 GW to 27 GW of grid-scale battery storage could be required by 2030. I understand that many Members here today are concerned that this comes at the expense of health and safety, but let me reassure them that that is absolutely not the case. I acknowledge that there have been a number of incidents at battery sites, in 2025 in particular, and this has raised legitimate concerns. We hear those concerns and understand them, and Members are right to raise them with Government. However, it is incredibly important for me to stress—and reiterate a point that has been made by other Members—that the risks associated with grid-scale batteries are relatively small and well understood, that there are robust measures in place for managing those risks, and that Government are already taking further steps to address some of the issues that have been raised.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Domestic Energy Bills: Transparency · Hansard source

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  We are engaging with industry on this matter. The Confederation of British Industry and Energy UK are clear that they should support alignment, but we are looking at that. Ultimately, we are doing everything that we can to bear down on energy costs in this country. That is why we are sprinting to clean power. We inherited an absolutely atrocious legacy from the Conservative party, which allowed businesses and consumers to bear the price of a broken system. We will not make the same mistakes, which is why we are cracking on with the job.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  We know that consumers are under pressure with energy bills. That is why last winter, £1 billion of support was provided to help vulnerable customers through our warm home discount and through industry. That is why we are extending the warm home discount from 3 million households to 6 million households and doing ongoing work to ensure we are supporting the most vulnerable households with bills.

• 29 Apr 2025 · Energy Efficiency: Council Leaseholders and Social Homes · Hansard source

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  At the 2024 autumn Budget, £1.8 billion was allocated to local authorities and social housing providers, supporting them to deliver warmer and more energy-efficient homes across the country, targeting low-income households in particular. This goes alongside our plans to raise standards in rented properties to ensure that no social or private renter has to live in a cold, draughty home.

• 8 Apr 2025 · Radio Teleswitch Service Switch-off: Scotland · Hansard source

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  I thank the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) for raising this important debate on the radio teleswitch service. I also thank him for meeting me on Thursday to discuss the concerns of his constituents, and for all the work that he and other Members are putting in to ensure that the switchover is as smooth as we can get it for constituents across the country. We all know that the deadline for the switch-off is fast approaching. The reason for that hard deadline is that the technology behind the RTS system is at the end of its life and will soon be obsolete. When the service ends, meters still reliant on the signal will no longer be able to switch between rates. In some cases, consumers may lose control of their heating or hot water. That is incredibly concerning for constituents who might be impacted. Let me reassure the House that while the RTS switch-off has been and is industry-led and industry-run, the Government are doing everything we can to ensure the transition is delivered properly in the interests of consumers. The progress made so far on RTS replacements has simply not been fast enough or good enough. As of 7 March there were 521,892 meters in Great Britain, with 139,000 in Scotland and 47,277 in the highlands and islands. That is not acceptable so close to the deadline. The Government are meeting regularly with Energy UK and Ofgem, as well as the suppliers, to address that, with particular focus on Scotland and remote rural areas. In those meetings, I continue to emphasise the need for urgency to ensure that RTS households across Great Britain receive a suitable replacement as soon as possible. Turning to the focus of this debate, although there are RTS meters across Great Britain that require urgent replacement, and we are working on that, the Government are very aware of the significant number in Scotland, many of which are in remote rural and island areas. Some of those areas have had challenges with sufficient installer capacity and resource to do the job at hand. To address that, the RTS taskforce—convened by Ofgem, led by Energy UK and attended by Government—agreed that resources should be targeted towards regional hotspots with a high number of RTS meters. As part of that, a number of suppliers are planning a series of spring sprints over April and May, as part of a targeted effort to replace RTS meters in the highlands and islands. OVO, as the key supplier, is taking a lead, but other suppliers will also be playing their part. These sprints aim to provide dedicated resources to hard-to-reach areas, ensuring that engineers are in the right areas at the right times to provide the RTS replacements to communities when they need them. To support this, Ofgem is working with suppliers to ensure that consumers are sufficiently engaged and ready to let suppliers into their properties for their meter replacements during these periods. We will be working with Members, local government, charities and local partners to spread the word and ensure there is sufficient demand when we provide surge capacity and installers to do the job. This is part of the work that Ofgem and Smart Energy GB are doing on the RTS national consumer engagement campaign; since it began in January, it has been encouraging consumers with an RTS meter to contact their supplier to book an appointment. We are seeing an uptick in engagement—the campaign is having an impact. On the important question of replacement meters working, technological solutions do exist and are available to replace RTS meters in every single household. The Department, alongside Ofgem, expects suppliers to replace RTS meters with smart meters where appropriate, so that consumers can access smart meter benefits in good time, including across a range of tariffs. However, I acknowledge that some rural areas with relatively large numbers of RTS consumers, such as the highlands and islands, may have lower levels of network connectivity—we saw that in the casework that the right hon. Gentleman pointed out. In these circumstances, we believe that pre-configured smart meters can be installed in households with RTS meters. A pre-configured smart meter operates in a similar way to an analogue meter, recording energy usage accurately. These meters can provide a similar service to that provided by RTS, including electricity tariffs Economy 7 and Economy 10. I completely agree with the right hon. Gentleman on the legitimate concerns about consumers being no worse off. We cannot have a situation in which consumers do the switch over and are worse off. That is why Ofgem has been consulting on proposals, including one that would put a condition on suppliers to take all reasonable steps to provide a tariff that leaves their customers no worse off than they were under the RTS meter. When Ofgem publishes the final proposal, which will be very soon, I hope that it will go a long way towards addressing some of the concerns that I know people have about that. I would expect all suppliers to comply with these rules, which will be baked into licensing conditions. We will be doing our part to make sure that they comply. Let me conclude by saying that this Government understand the urgency of the situation. As the right hon. Gentleman said, we should not have been in this position. We now are, and we have to collectively work to get a grip of it and to make sure that there is no detriment to constituents across the country. I again thank him for bringing this debate to the House. I thank all Members who have been working with us, including at the roundtables, to make sure that we do this well in the final stages. I will be reconvening the roundtable after recess. I look forward to many Members attending and to collectively working to ensure that we deliver the transition in an incredibly short space of time and, critically, that no consumer is put in detriment. Question put and agreed to .

• 31 Mar 2025 · Draft Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2025. This instrument forms an important part of the Government’s commitment to ensuring energy-related products are sustainable and efficient, by enabling new regulations to be enforced as they apply to Northern Ireland. Ecodesign policies aim to reduce environmental impacts of products by reducing their energy consumption, reducing carbon emissions and saving businesses and consumers money on their energy bills. As hon. Members will already understand, following our exit from the European Union, Great Britain assimilated its regulatory regime for energy-related product standards into domestic law, which we may in future amend. Hon. Members will also be aware of the agreement reached by the UK and the EU regarding the Windsor framework, which was passed overwhelmingly by a large majority in this place. The Windsor framework helps to ensure the flow of trade within the UK internal market by removing trade barriers and safeguarding Northern Ireland’s place in the Union. It allows Northern Ireland to maintain dual market access by continuing to apply EU rules with respect to the regulation of energy-related products. Therefore, it is vital that we keep the enforcement legislation for Northern Ireland up to date. The instrument will update both the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010 and the Energy Information Regulations 2011 with respect to Northern Ireland. These updates will ensure that the specific Northern Ireland tables in the 2010 and 2011 regulations accurately reflect the latest product-specific ecodesign and energy labelling measures, and enable these measures to be enforced by the relevant market surveillance authority. There are seven new product regulations that will apply in Northern Ireland, which range from smartphones through to tumble dryers and heaters. The ecodesign regulations seek to improve the energy efficiency of all products, while the new energy labelling regulations reflect new labelling standards. Repairability and recyclability of products have been included for the first time under EU ecodesign and certain energy labelling regulations to ensure further sustainability and to benefit consumers. The statutory instrument will ensure that these schedules continue to reflect the most up-to-date versions of these EU ecodesign and energy labelling measures in force, whether amended or replaced, while minimising the need for further updates to the enforcement regulations. The requirements updated by this instrument will not restrict manufacturers’ ability to sell into the EU or Northern Ireland, unless they are not willing to meet the EU regulations. The EU’s higher standards are likely to become the industry default and we can assume that manufacturers are likely to choose to meet those standards. If that is the case, these measures will have no impact on traders who abide by the relevant standards. Since Great Britain is looking to achieve higher product efficiency, it is very likely that Great Britain will seek to meet similar standards. As such, we will be consulting as soon as possible on the merits of mirroring the new EU regulations, with the first consultation, on tumble dryers, expected to be launched shortly. Our intention is to apply the measures on a UK-wide basis and maintain the UK’s internal market. Our consultation will be on the appropriate means to achieve that aim. I commend the regulations to the Committee.

• 31 Mar 2025 · Draft Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  We are trying to work within the Windsor framework. We are not here to litigate that. It sets out a set of protocols and procedures that we are working under. EU rules have come forward, and it is right that we make sure that we create the legal framework so that these measures apply in Northern Ireland. Critically, irrespective of all that, the basics of what is proposed are good for consumers. They are about improving the efficiency and design of products. In the case of smartphones, it is about improving some of the protections that are available to consumers. The hon. Gentleman and other Members should want that, and we as a Government do want that, irrespective of whether or not we want to litigate the Windsor framework. We are introducing the SI because we believe it is the right thing to do. We believe it is important that we improve and drive up standards. We will consult on the proposition because we think it is good. Based on the engagement we have had, manufacturers are supportive of the direction of travel. As they want to sell in the EU single market, that sets the default for industry. In that spirit, we propose the SI today and I commend the regulations to the House. Question put and agreed to .

• 18 Mar 2025 · Energy Consumer Support · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right: charities and third-sector organisations play a vital role in getting support to households, which we know are struggling with bills. Part of the reason we thought it was so important to agree £500 million of industry support was to make sure that we got additional support to households. We are also consulting on extending our warm home discount to 2.7 million more households, so that more than 6 million people get help. We will work with the energy sector to make sure that we use the vital network of charities to get that support to the households that need it.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Energy Consumer Support · Hansard source

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  I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this case. However, there are clear rules in place to protect consumers from unfair back-billing, and energy companies must comply with those rules. I have met Energy UK, the industry body, and Ofgem to reinforce our expectation that if rules are not complied with, Ofgem will take enforcement action. The broader point is that we have to ensure that the energy market is working for consumers and is fair. We are reviewing Ofgem to ensure that it has the mandate, the duties and the powers—including the Energy Ombudsman—that it needs to be an effective and strong consumer champion.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Energy Consumer Support · Hansard source

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  We know that people are worried about their energy bills, and that too many are struggling to afford them. We agreed £500 million of industry support, alongside our warm home discount, to ensure that £1 billion of support was available for households struggling with their energy bills this winter. We will continue to take action to support consumers in the short term, as we sprint towards clean power in order to bear down on energy bills for good.

• 18 Mar 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. We are very aware of the issues with park homes, and industry support is provided to residents. As we think about expanding the warm home discount and the support we provide for households that cannot afford their energy, we will, of course, have park homes in our mind.

• 6 Mar 2025 · Geothermal Energy · Hansard source

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  We want to think about creative ways in which we can unlock the potential for investment, so I am very keen to meet the hon. Member and members of the APPG so we can hear those proposals. I give him that reassurance. Not just today but over recent years, the hon. Member has made a convincing case for the merits of pursuing deep geothermal. The Government remain committed to exploring the renewable energy opportunities afforded by our geography and geology. However, I hope the hon. Member will understand that the priority now—and the thing my boss has tasked me with—is developing the warm homes plan. It would be premature for the Government to set a geothermal strategy with detailed targets in advance of that plan. For us, it is a question of sequencing; for instance, if we are to make the most of geothermal’s potential, we need to start by creating an environment that enables the growth of heat networks and, crucially, protects consumers along the way. To that end, the Department will bring forward a market regulatory framework in January 2026 to improve consumer protection. We are also consulting on heat network zoning, which is an essential part of our plan to establish and accelerate heat networks. We think that will significantly increase private sector investment and remove some of the barriers. We are committed to taking a long-term, strategic view, and we are trying to sequence this work so that we develop the warm homes plan and build the enabling environment. However, I absolutely recognise the need for us to set a policy framework in which geothermal energy can thrive.