Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Alison Thewliss Excerpts
Wednesday 28th February 2024

(8 months, 3 weeks ago)

Commons Chamber
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Rishi Sunak Portrait The Prime Minister
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I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the work he does representing his constituents. He is right about the pressures that are faced, particularly in rural areas, which is why the Government provided £600 million of additional funding for local government across the country, ensuring an increase of around 7.5% in resources available to invest in social care, but also an extra addition to the rural services delivery grant—an acknowledgement of the challenges of providing services in rural areas—with more funding for those rural councils to deliver.

Alison Thewliss Portrait Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central) (SNP)
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My constituent Lee Haywood in Dalmarnock is on a communal heat network and has seen both his standing charges and his energy bills absolutely soar. The heat network market framework was introduced in 2021, but the Minister in the Lords said in a letter last week that his “ambition” is that price regulation will only start in spring 2026. Is it this Government’s incompetence or Ofgem’s lack of powers that is letting down constituents who cannot afford to put on their heating this winter?