Miatta Fahnbulleh MP: speeches

Speeches

• 2 Jul 2025 · ECO4 Scheme Redress · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for raising that. We will take that away because that is unacceptable. We have been in regular touch with every part of the system since this issue came to light. We are talking to installers, certification bodies, TrustMark, the MCS and Ofgem. I will take that issue away and write to her. My final point on the reform agenda is that we clearly need a guiding mind overseeing the system. One reason we are in this bind is because we do not have that guiding mind. Let me reassure the hon. Member, who has spoken eloquently, passionately and with great insight about this issue time and again. the Government will take the decisive action that is necessary to protect the interests of consumers. It is essential to restore consumer trust, because we must take people on this journey of upgrading their homes, not just for our clean power mission but because that is the route to drive down bills and tackle the cost of living crisis. If people do not trust the system, do not trust that upgrades will be of the utmost standards and that, if things go wrong, they will be fixed, they will not come with us on that journey. I am clear that we take these issues seriously. We inherited them but they are ours to fix. We will put in place a reform agenda and, critically, for people who have been affected by ECO4, we are working hard to ensure that the system does what it needs to do—that is, when issues are identified, installers go in and certification bodies TrustMark and MCS do their job to ensure that it is remediated at no cost. In the short term, we are trying to fix the problem we inherited. Then we will draw a line and put in place a system that is fit for purpose so that we can build consumer trust. Question put and agreed to .

• 2 Jul 2025 · ECO4 Scheme Redress · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I thank the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain) for securing this important debate and shining a light on the problem, which I agree is systemic, and also for sharing the case of her constituent, Jackie, which is both worrying and heartbreaking. I want to reaffirm the Government’s unwavering commitment to driving up standards—we know we must do this—and to strengthening consumer protection and rebuilding public trust in home upgrades. On 23 January I informed the House of the discovery of widespread non-compliance in the insulation of solid wall insulation under the ECO4 and Great British insulation scheme. I am clear that blameless families have fallen victim to work that is not up to standard and which, if untreated, could lead to chronic issues of damp and mould spoiling their homes. This, for me, was a wake-up call and clearly shows that the system needs reform. Since then, we have taken clear and co-ordinated action to address the issues and protect affected households. I will set out the steps we have taken. As I set out in my statement to the House in January, as soon as my Department was made aware of the issues we worked at pace to establish an expanded programme of checks, which we have asked Ofgem to oversee. I am pleased to report that those checks have progressed quickly; where issues have been identified they are already being resolved. I encourage all households who are contacted to have an audit on their property to take up those checks, even if they do not think there is a problem. We are building up a comprehensive picture of the scale and size of the problem and I will update the House in due course. Our immediate priority was to protect consumers. Alongside the ongoing checks, we are implementing a comprehensive plan to remedy poor quality installations in accordance with the required standards. Where substandard work is identified, we have been clear that it is the installer’s responsibility to put it right at no cost to the household. Some 90% of the installations identified as not being up to standard have already been remediated, I am glad to say. We will continue to apply pressure on installers to take responsibility to fix the issues and not put the burden on individual consumers. If Jackie is struggling to get the system to respond in the way that it should, I will be happy for her to meet me and for us to take up that specific case. Beyond energy efficiency measures, we are also verifying the quality of installations of two microgeneration technologies—heat pumps and solar panels—that were installed under ECO4. Installers use the publicly available specification standard for energy efficiency, and a standard set by the microgeneration certification scheme for heat pumps and solar. The MCS has been carrying out additional site audits of the microgeneration installations. So far, we have not seen concerning evidence of consumer detriment, but we are completing further checks before we can be assured that there are no systemic problems in the installation of microgeneration technologies. If substandard work is found, the MCS makes installers put it right. It is very important that the people who get this wrong are not allowed to walk away. They must be the ones to remediate the problems. We were clear that we need further oversight of the system while we bring in bigger reforms, which I will come on to. The National Audit Office is undertaking an investigation into the issues with ECO4 scheme. We welcome that investigation and the insights it will bring. We have also taken steps to strengthen oversight of the wider consumer protection system, so that in the short term, while we bring in wider reforms, we stop problems happening. That includes the UK Accreditation Service increasing rates of inspection of certification bodies, and agreement with TrustMark that a senior Department for Energy Security and Net Zero official will attend its board in an advisory capacity, so that we keep a firm grip on issues as they arise. Certification bodies have agreed that installers will only be PAS 2030 certified for each measure by one certification body. The latest iteration of PAS 2035/2030 standards, which came into force on 30 March, introduced strengthened requirements to ensure high-quality installations. Energy suppliers have also strengthened their oversight of solid-wall insulation measures, so that there are additional audits and oversight of any measures brought forward. Those are all important, necessary short-term steps, but it is clear to me that there is a systemic problem. We recognise that and are very clear that we need to put it right. We inherited a situation of many organisations with different roles and responsibilities involved in ensuring the quality of retrofit activity, resulting in a fragmented and confusing system of consumer protections. To address that and to create a clear, more comprehensive set of standards for consumers, we are moving forward with reforms, which we will announce in our warm homes plan to be published in October. That plan will look at the entire of spectrum, including the training and the capacity building of installers, who are key. It will look at how installers who work in people’s homes are certified and monitored, and the quality assurance regime that we put in place. One insight we found was that capital schemes that tend to be overseen by local authorities and devolved Administrations have far fewer issues because of the level of quality assurance. The plan will also inform people where to turn for redress when things go wrong, making that as simple as possible. The situation where consumers have to jump through multiple hoops just to get things sorted cannot be allowed to continue. Guarantees must be in place to ensure that, when things do go wrong, consumers do not foot the bill, and work is remediated by the system.

• 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 recognise that point, but even with the expansion, we are still talking about only a fraction of land. Inevitably, regional and local government will make a judgment about the land that we protect. Everyone recognises that we must have prime agricultural land, because we need it, so we are making decisions, and local government will also be making decisions in that context.

• 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.

• 26 Jun 2025 · Floating Solar Panels · Hansard source

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  I am always in the market for less pain. Let me say a little bit about some of the constraints. Eligible bids have been submitted to our contracts for difference schemes, but unfortunately none has yet been successful. That is because the cost of floating solar is about 10% to 15% higher than those of ground-mounted projects, and the reason for that is the cost of the floating structures on which the panel sits. And we hear from the sector that these can account for nearly half of the cost of the project. Moreover, floating solar requires expensive underwater cables, which costs more than land-based systems. Therefore, although we are very keen to encourage this technology and to encourage the sector to grow, there is more that needs to be done in order to make them cost effective. From a Government perspective, it is critical that every scheme and every project that we support is cost-effective, so that, in the end, taxpayers are not footing the bill for technology that is too expensive.

• 26 Jun 2025 · Floating Solar Panels · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. and gallant Member for Spelthorne (Lincoln Jopp) for securing a debate on this important issue and for prosecuting his case for floating solar with such flourish. I also wish to put on the record that the Minister for Energy, my hon. Friend the Member for Rutherglen (Michael Shanks), was desperate to be here and is very sorry that he cannot be, but I am glad that I am able to stand here in his place. I am also glad that the hon. and gallant Gentleman was able to make his speech today, as I know he was not able to intervene in the recent solar debate. Let me start by saying that I absolutely agree. The Government are very clear that, like the hon. and gallant Gentleman, we believe there is an exciting role for floating solar. It is a new technology, but one that we think has huge potential. Developers around the world started to come forward with utility-scale proposals in the past decade, and several large projects have been constructed in recent years, including installations with the capacity to generate hundreds of megawatts of electricity, which have mainly been in China. The hon. and gallant Gentleman has very effectively set out the upsides of floating solar, so I will not reiterate them. However, I want to put on the record that we agree, and that we recognise many of those upsides. I will say a little about the state of floating solar in the UK today. There has been some deployment of floating solar in the UK. Lightsource led a project on the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir, which is just outside the hon. Gentleman’s constituency, as he mentioned. The project uses 24,000 solar panels to generate around 20% of the site’s electricity needs. It was, at the time of construction, Europe’s largest floating solar installation. There are now other, smaller projects across the country, but the scale is still nascent and very limited.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are engaging with the Scottish Government. Today’s expansion creates more resources for the Scottish Government to ensure that direct bill support is provided to more households. Alongside that, there has to be a plan to upgrade homes and to make sure that we are delivering homes that are warmer and cheaper to run. We will have a plan here, and we expect that, with the additional funding and the example that we have set, the Scottish Government will follow suit, but we are long past the stage of warm words and light action. We need to get on with it, because there are people across the country, including in Scotland, who are struggling. It is the responsibility of Government to get a grip and start to act.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  I think the hon. Lady has some cheek, given the previous Government’s record on energy bills. When, under their watch, families across the country were paying sky-high energy bills—with people still paying the price of that today—the idea that the Conservatives would try to lecture us on energy bills is pretty rich. Let me take the hon. Lady’s questions directly. Yes, we are committed to reducing energy bills by £300. We have passed the legislation on Great British Energy and the institution is up and running. We are doing the job of driving down bills—we stand by that commitment, and the way we will deliver it is through investment in clean power. It is very clear that our reliance and dependence on global fossil fuel markets under the Conservatives’ watch was ultimately what led to bills rising. Labour will not make that mistake, which is why we are investing record levels in renewables. That is the way we will drive down costs in the system and drive down bills. This policy is not about ideology; it is about families across the country. The status quo is not tenable. We do not think it is acceptable to have bills at the current levels and to leave families exposed, which is why we are taking action. The hon. Lady asked specifically how this policy will be paid for. The warm home discount is paid for under the price cap. We are very clear that we do not want other families’ bills to increase in order to pay for this change. We have worked with Ofgem to look for savings within supplier operating costs, for instance. Given that debt spiked under the energy crisis, meaning that all households are currently paying a bit on the debt allowance, we are also working with Ofgem to get that debt burden down. We will use the savings there to cover the cost of this policy. We are very clear: support for those who need it; protection for all households.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  I think the hon. Member is referring to some of the financial transaction mechanisms. We will deliver the warm homes strand through Government support to some households as well as by working with energy companies, whether it be suppliers or distribution network operators, in order to ensure that we are driving upgrades. Part of that will involve the Government providing loans to suppliers, which they will pay back over time. I think that is what the hon. Member is referring to. We are very clear that we need up-front investment as a catalyst, and we are clear that we need to upgrade millions of homes and crack on with the job.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. The legacy—the inheritance—was woeful. I do not need to say that, because people feel it across the country. We, as the incoming Government, have a responsibility to ensure that we are doing everything that we can to lift living standards—everything that we can to support families who we know are struggling. I share my hon. Friend’s pride in our being able to expand the support, because we know just how much it is needed. None the less, there is more that we need to do. We will not stop here. If we get the roll-out of the warm homes plan right, and if we are upgrading homes, we will be taking up to £600 off bills. The bigger plan that we must take forward will help us to deliver clean power, so that we can reduce bills for everyone. This Government are clear about the task of improving living standards. It is core to what we need to do and to what we need to achieve as a Government, and we are getting on and delivering it.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right to talk about the cost of living. He is also right to point out that we have huge exposure to global fossil fuel markets, and at a point where we are seeing tensions and conflict in the middle east, energy security becomes so critical. So we will continue, despite the naysayers on the Opposition Benches, to sprint to deliver clean power, but while we do that we are taking action to reduce the cost of living. So, whether it is the expansion of the warm home discount, or the expansion of free school meals, or increasing the national living wage, or the action that we are taking to roll out breakfast clubs, or the action that we are taking to build record amounts of social housing, the Labour Government are committed to bettering living standards—not talking about it, but getting on and delivering the change that we were elected to deliver.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is completely right—a promise made, a promise delivered. That is what a Labour Government do. We are very clear about the change we need to deliver in the country. Unlike the Conservatives and the Scottish Government, there are no warm words or faffing around; we are getting on with the job of delivering change.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is a clear obligation on energy suppliers to do everything that they can to support vulnerable households. I meet with suppliers regularly to emphasise that people are under pressure and that they absolutely must discharge their obligations. My hon. Friend is also right to point out that we have to work with local government, regional government and partners on the ground to ensure that the support that is available—we will continue building on that support—gets to the people that absolutely need it.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  I cannot believe it was 30 years ago that my hon. Friend was learning about green energy. We have been sprinting to deliver clean power. When we came into government we set a mission to do it by 2030. There were naysayers, and there continues to be naysayers, but we were not deterred by that. So whether it is removing the ban on onshore wind, whether it is record investment in nuclear, or whether it is a record renewables auction, we are very clear that we are putting in the investment—we are putting in the hard yards, the hard graft—to deliver clean power. Why are we doing that? Not because of ideology, but because we recognise that we inherited an energy system that was not working on behalf of consumers. We recognise that people were under huge pressure—a status quo that we were not willing to accept. We will deliver clean power, so that we can bear down on bills and ensure that we drive down energy bills for good.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for the work he has been doing to champion this agenda. I can confirm that we will be writing to all households in receipt of means-tested benefits to let them know that they are eligible for the discount. For the vast majority, it will be automatic; they will not have to do anything, and the discount will turn up as a credit on their bills. There is a bit of action to take for people who are not the bill payer. We will get the message out that they must ensure that they are included as the bill payer in order to get the automatic support.

• 19 Jun 2025 · Warm Home Discount · Hansard source

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  I could not agree more. The record of stops and starts on home upgrades and home insulation is one reason that we failed to insulate as many households as we should have done from the energy price spike. We are committed to a long-term plan to upgrade millions of homes across the country. That is what the warm homes plan will do. We are delighted that this has been backed by the Chancellor with £13.2 billion of investment, and we are now working on how we draw that out across the country. We will make sure that we have the right solution for every household, using a combination of insulation, solar, and heat pumps. We want every household that gets an upgrade to have a home that is warm and much, much cheaper to run. That is our absolute focus and priority. On the future homes standard, we have been working very closely with colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and consulting with developers. We are absolutely committed to driving forward standards. We have set out our ambition to make sure that future homes are fit for the future, using solar and clean heat solutions. We cannot have the situation that we have had in the past, where we built homes that needed retrofitting a few years later. We are committed to our ambition and we will be setting out more details in the warm homes plan.