Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data his Department holds on (a) the number of prepayment meters forcibly installed by British Gas between 1 January 2022 and 31 January 2023 and (b) the number of those subject to forced installation that have since received compensation.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In March 2023, British Gas previously confirmed that it installed 25,000 PPMs under warrant in 2022. If any of these installations were completed wrongfully then it is vital that affected customers are appropriately compensated.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has set a deadline for OFGEM to publish findings of its investigation into British Gas and the forced installation of prepayment meters.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem’s investigation into the involuntary installation of prepayment meters (PPMs) by British Gas is ongoing. This is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on an ongoing investigation.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he expects OFGEM will publish findings of its investigation into British Gas and the forced installation of prepayment meters.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem’s investigation into the involuntary installation of prepayment meters (PPMs) by British Gas is ongoing. This is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on an ongoing investigation.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has received interim findings from OFGEM’s investigation into British Gas on the forced installation of prepayment meters.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem’s investigation into the involuntary installation of prepayment meters (PPMs) by British Gas is ongoing. This is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and it would not be appropriate for the government to comment on an ongoing investigation.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households eligible for the Warm Homes Discount in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency in winter 2025-26.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest published Warm Home Discount statistics are for 2023/4 and use the constituency boundaries operating prior to the 2024 General Election. Most (82%) of the residential premises in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency come from Middlesbrough constituency under the previous boundaries, in which 9,708 households received the Warm Home Discount rebate in 2023-24. The statistics only cover receipt of the Warm Home Discount and not eligibility.
We don't have constituency-level estimates of likely numbers of future recipients of the Warm Home Discount under the potential expansion set out in the recent consultation. At a national level, we expect around an 80% increase in overall eligibility, but this will vary at local level due to e.g. differences in demographics, household makeup or the balance of rented vs owner-occupied properties, since these kind of factors could affect the likelihood of the benefit recipient (or their partner or appointee) being named on their energy bill (which is a requirement for eligibility).
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/warm-home-discount-statistics-2023-to-2024
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households are (a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of the Warm Homes Discount in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The latest published Warm Home Discount statistics are for 2023/4 and use the constituency boundaries operating prior to the 2024 General Election. Most (82%) of the residential premises in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency come from Middlesbrough constituency under the previous boundaries, in which 9,708 households received the Warm Home Discount rebate in 2023-24. The statistics only cover receipt of the Warm Home Discount and not eligibility.
We don't have constituency-level estimates of likely numbers of future recipients of the Warm Home Discount under the potential expansion set out in the recent consultation. At a national level, we expect around an 80% increase in overall eligibility, but this will vary at local level due to e.g. differences in demographics, household makeup or the balance of rented vs owner-occupied properties, since these kind of factors could affect the likelihood of the benefit recipient (or their partner or appointee) being named on their energy bill (which is a requirement for eligibility).
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/warm-home-discount-statistics-2023-to-2024
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Ofgem's criteria for conducting future reviews of the energy price cap methodology.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government continues to work closely with Ofgem to ensure that the price cap continues to protect consumers from unfair prices.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring Ofgem to consider average changes to wages in future energy price cap methodology.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government continues to work closely with Ofgem to ensure that the price cap continues to protect consumers from unfair prices.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the rate of earnings before interest and tax allowance in OFGEM's energy price cap methodology.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The setting of the energy price cap is a matter for the independent regulator Ofgem. The earnings before tax and interest (EBIT) allowance allows energy suppliers to make a reasonable profit that ensures long-term investment, while limiting excess profits.
The law requires Ofgem to ensure the cap level reflects the underlying efficient costs of supplying energy.