Cost of Heating Oil Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Ann Davies
Main Page: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)Department Debates - View all Ann Davies's debates with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
(1 day, 10 hours ago)
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Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Allin-Khan. I congratulate the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) on securing this important debate.
I do not know whether to take comfort from the number of MPs present for this debate, or to be troubled that we are here again to press the Government to take stronger action to get to grips with the costs facing rural households because of Trump’s war. As Members have said, many households in rural areas simply have no alternatives to heating oil, and that is particularly true in Caerfyrddin and across Wales, where reliance on heating oil is significantly higher than the UK average. Some 57% of my constituents, representing more than 25,000 households, are off grid.
Just over a month ago, heating oil was retailing at around 65p a litre; today, if I wanted to buy oil for my home, it would be 130.98p—an increase of more than 100% in a matter of weeks. I recognise that the Government have announced a package of support for low-income households who heat their homes with oil, and of course I welcome any help that is available. However, because heating oil is bought in large lump-sum deliveries to cover several months—usually about four months—a 100% increase is a huge hit for households, whatever their income bracket. People who are already squeezed from every side are expected to find extra money that they do not have.
I simply ask the Government to cast the net wider, so that households who are not defined as low income can still receive the help that they need. That includes constituents who do not claim benefits, those whose income is just above the pension credit threshold and pensioners who now pay tax because of the freeze on taxable earnings—they are not well off. Every day that passes is a missed opportunity for the Government to address the needs of households in the UK and across Caerfyrddin.