Energy Prices

Albert Owen Excerpts

Wednesday 11th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Albert Owen (Ynys Môn) (Lab)]

It is always a pleasure to follow the Secretary of State. I, too, welcome the debate, and I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on calling it and on keeping up the pressure on the energy companies, which is very important. As she said, the Government agreed to a motion in October calling for investigation of mis-selling, the simplification of tariffs and improved transparency, and for energy companies to use their profits to help with bills. We have not seen a lot of action yet on the points in that motion, but I acknowledge that there has been some progress, which can be laid at the door of the regulator, which has been more proactive, and of the consumer groups. I pay tribute to Consumer Focus, Citizens Advice and Which?, which have highlighted many of the issues involved. The House and politicians from all parties can also take credit, because we have embarrassed many of the energy companies into taking action. I welcome today’s 5% price reduction, but I agree with other Members that it does not in any way make up for the previous double-digit rises.

Although we have had a mild winter—[Interruption.] I know that there are exceptions, such as the wind in Scotland, but compared with last year we have had a mild winter. However, that does not disguise the fact that there will be huge rises in the bills that people receive in January.

I wish to concentrate my remarks on those who are not on the gas grid. I make no apologies for doing so again and again. They are not a fringe group but some 2 million households in Britain alone, which does not include Northern Ireland, where 80% are off-grid. Those families do not get the same protection as those who are on-grid when it comes to simple matters such as help with prices. I make a direct plea to the Government to help those people. I cannot overstate that case. They ruled out social tariffs for those off the grid, I believe in June 2010, and I ask them to reconsider that.

The Energy and Climate Change Committee is undertaking a mini-inquiry into fuel poverty and off-grid gas, and we heard evidence today from the Office of Fair Trading. Unlike the Secretary of State, I was not surprised that the OFT came to the conclusions that it did, because it has a very narrow remit. The people who undertook the inquiry did not look at the matter in enough detail to conclude what we all know—that people off the grid have been ripped off in many ways.

It is not enough to refer the matter to the Competition Commission. The problem of higher prices is real, but anecdotal evidence that we have received from consumer action groups such as the one from the constituency of the hon. Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman) that gave evidence today, and from the constituents who write to us, suggests that people off the grid are being treated unfairly. There might be four companies in an area providing fuel, but they are all selling at very high prices.

Fuel poverty in off-grid areas is going up. I have some figures from Consumer Focus that I will share with the House. Some 28% of fuel-poor customers in England, 34% in Scotland and 37% in Wales are not connected to the grid. To be fair to the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), he has met Members representing off-grid customers since the last debate. I urge him to give Ofgem the responsibility to treat customers who are off the grid equally. As I said, there are 2 million such households, and they deserve the same treatment and the same protection as those who are on the grid.

I urge the Secretary of State to consider radically extending the gas mains. The renewable heat incentive may be a good thing, but it is a long way in the future. We could create jobs in construction and help to alleviate fuel poverty if we extended the gas mains to off-grid areas. They include not just isolated areas but those very close to the original gas mains that supply towns and cities. Such an extension could be done relatively quickly and would be real action, which is what our constituents demand.