Anne McLaughlin
Scottish National Party - Former Member for Glasgow North East
First elected: 12th December 2019
Left House: 30th May 2024 (Dissolution)
5 APPG memberships (as of 30 May 2024)
Fairtrade, Governance and Inclusive Leadership, Immigration Detention, Jamaica, Refugees27 Former APPG memberships
Africa, Afrikan Reparations, Aid Match, Caribbean, Consumer Protection, Deaths Abroad, Consular Services and Assistance, Drug Policy Reform, Faroe Islands, Green Deal Mis-selling, Green Deal Misselling, Industrial Heritage, Loneliness, Malawi, Migration, Mindfulness, Missing Children and Adults, No Recourse to Public Funds, Norway, Pension Credit, Prepayment Meters, Race and Community, Rohingya, Showing Racism the Red Card, Social Integration, Tackling Loneliness and Connected Communities, Unconscious Bias, Universal CreditDivision Voting information
All Debates
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
(38 debate interactions)
(33 debate interactions)
(28 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(329 debate contributions)
(67 debate contributions)
(49 debate contributions)
(36 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(20,674 words contributed)
(13,646 words contributed)
(8,495 words contributed)
(6,234 words contributed)
Latest EDMs signed by Anne McLaughlin
165th anniversary of Jewish Care Scotland
Tabled by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)That this House congratulates Jewish Care Scotland as they celebrate their 165th anniversary; notes that Jewish Care Scotland dates back to 1858, when it was mentioned in the earliest written record of the Glasgow Hebrew Philanthropic society, with the organisation requesting the use of a room at a Glasgow synagogue …
(Most recent: 24 May 2024)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 8
The West Highland Way
Tabled by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)That this house commends the many people who will complete the West Highland Way walk this summer; recognises the opportunity to witness some of Scotland’s most incredible landscapes via this iconic route; notes the abundance of local businesses available at the start of the route in Milngavie for walkers to …
(Most recent: 24 May 2024)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 8
Commons initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Anne McLaughlin, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Anne McLaughlin has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Anne McLaughlin has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
2 Bills introduced by Anne McLaughlin
A Bill to require energy companies to allow a grace period before disconnecting customers with pre-payment meters who have run out of credit; to require energy companies to offer debt management support to all customers; and for connected purposes.
Friday 24th March 2023
A Bill to make provision for a compulsory registration scheme for certain off-road vehicles; to require such vehicles to display a registration plate; and for connected purposes.
2 Bills co-sponsored by Anne McLaughlin
Miscarriage Leave Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Angela Crawley (SNP)
Equal Pay (Information and Claims) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Stella Creasy (LAB)
Latest 50 Written Questions
(View all written questions)2 Other Department Questions
The Government keeps section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 under review but has no current plans for it to be commenced. We encourage political parties to lead the way in improving diverse electoral representation through their selection of candidates and we are happy to engage political parties and civil society groups on how best those responsibilities can be fulfilled.
Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Government keeps section 106 of the Equality Act 2010 under review but has no current plans for it to be commenced. We encourage political parties to lead the way in improving diverse electoral representation through their selection of candidates and we are happy to engage political parties and civil society groups on how best those responsibilities can be fulfilled.
Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Within the Department for Business and Trade there were 190 staff on Fixed Term or Temporary Contracts on 30 September 2023. 88 of the staff on Fixed Term or Temporary Contracts are women which is equal to 46.3%.
On 30 September 2023 the Department for Business and Trade had 62.8 FTE of staff on pay band SCS2. 22.6 FTE on pay band SCS2 are women (36%).
Officials in my office have been in contact the hon. Member to arrange a meeting to discuss the ongoing Green Deal complaints in her constituency.
Shadow Minister (Veterans)
The Government recognises the challenges posed by cost of living pressures, including the impact of energy bills and debt, and is already providing extensive financial support to households. The Government has spent nearly £40 billion protecting households and businesses from spiralling energy bills over last winter, covering around half a typical household’s energy bill, and this comes in addition to the £900 cost of living payments being delivered across 2023/24. This payment has already increased from the £650 payments provided the previous year.
The Government understands the challenges that are posed by cost of living pressures that includes energy bills and the impact of debt. However, energy prices have fallen significantly with the price cap more than halving from £4,279 at the start of this year to £1,834 since the start of October.
This coincides with the £900 cost of living payment being provided by the Government across 2023/24, which has increased from the £650 provided the previous year. The Government continues to closely monitor energy prices and will keep support schemes under review.
The Department is aware of 20 such appeals that have been made to the General Regulatory Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal.
A total of 348 Homes Energy and Lifestyle Management (HELMS) cases have been referred to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (or predecessors at the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) for review. 189 of these cases are live; 159 have been completed.
A permanent ban on the use of involuntary prepayment meter installation would likely see a move to using debt enforcement via the courts and bailiffs, which is not a desirable outcome.
The Code of Practice that Ofgem have agreed with industry and consumer groups sets out clear procedures that suppliers must follow, strengthening protections for customers in vulnerable situations, including banning involuntary switching for customers in high-risk categories.
The Government has asked Ofgem to report by autumn on options to bring charges for PPM customers into line with direct debit customers, including standing charges, so that they are ready for implementation when the Energy Price Guarantee ends.
From July, the Energy Price Guarantee will be adjusted so that the typical customer on a PPM is paying the same amount as an equivalent customer on direct debit until 31 March 2024. The Government has asked Ofgem to report by autumn on options to bring charges for PPM customers into line with direct debit customers, including standing charges, so that they are ready for implementation when the EPG ends.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State confirms receipt of your correspondence of 10 February regarding prepayment meters and your request for a meeting with the newly-formed AAPG. He will respond shortly.
32 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Questions
(View all Anne McLaughlin's BEIS questions)The Department does not hold this data. The Supplier of Last Resort process, which can by triggered by an energy supplier exiting the market, is managed by Ofgem.
Equality impact assessments are generally required when a new or revised policy or practice is being considered. The installation of prepayment meters is a long-standing practice dating back several decades and undertaken by privately-owned supply businesses. However, suppliers are required by Ofgem to assess whether installing a prepayment meter, including force-fitting one on customers in arrears as a last resort, is safe and practicable for the customer. This assessment should include identifying any vulnerability.
The letter will be sent, and published, once advice on this matter has been fully considered.
My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility, Lord Callanan, wrote to the hon. Member on 11 January about Green Deal mis-selling.
Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Government monitors prices and will consider further intervention if required to protect UK households from extraordinary fuel prices.
Ofgem does not hold this data for 2022 yet. The Government expects to receive the data in Q1 2023.
Neither the Government nor Ofgem, the independent regulator, collect this data at the constituency level.
Ofgem's latest data shows that the number of warrants exercised in Great Britain to install a pre-payment meter was 49,552 in 2021. Ofgem does not collect data on this in Northern Ireland.
The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide an energy price reduction for eligible non-domestic customers, including park home owners, over the winter. Regulations covering pass-through requirements came into force on 1 November (GB) and 5 November (NI), requiring any park site owner to pass these reductions on to park residents in a just and reasonable way.
In addition, Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) Alternative Funding will provide a £400 discount on energy bills for the small percentage of households who are not reached through the main EBSS fund, such as park home residents. The Government will announce more details shortly.
BEIS produced a one-off publication of annual prepayment meter electricity statistics in March 2019 (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electric-prepayment-meter-statistics). There are no current plans to update this publication.
For Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd appeals at the First Tier Tribunal, the Department has incurred estimated total costs of £142,300 from the Government Legal Department.
Since 2017, the Department has incurred £309,992 on external legal advice in relation to Green Deal activity. This figure cannot easily be disaggregated to give a total for purely HELMS-related costs. The Department has also incurred £79,787 in fees from the Government Legal Department on First Tier Tribunal litigation related to the sale of Green Deal plans by HELMS. The Department gave external legal instructions for a small amount of work prior to 2017 but the details of costs are not readily available.
To date, no appeals have been made to the First Tier Tribunal in relation to complaints which are related to HELMS but do not concern mis-selling.
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement secured zero tariffs and zero quotas on trade in goods between the UK and EU.
The Agreement also guarantees that UK investors and service suppliers will be able to access the EU’s markets and will not be subject to discriminatory barriers to trade.
If someone hires goods to the EU, they will need to check the national regulations of the country they are doing business in to understand how best to operate.
If the supplier intends to travel for business, they should check whether they need to apply for a visa, work permit or other documentation before travelling to the EU.
The Department has undertaken no specific analysis in relation to leaving the EU and goods for hire.
At 15th February, a total of 244 appeals about the mis-selling of Green Deal Plans by the company Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) have been referred to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State, of which 137 are yet to receive an intention notice and 153 are yet to receive a sanction notice.
The Department has issued 2 Intention Notices setting out ‘minded to’ decisions not to consider appeals on the basis that they were made more than 6 years after the date on which the alleged breach of the Green Deal Regulations occurred. These decisions have been made in accordance with the Regulations. The Department does not hold data on any further appeals made more than 6 years after the date on which the alleged breach occurred, as it is not possible to categorise appeals as such until case reviews are complete, at which point Intention Notices are issued.
At 15th February, a total of 244 appeals about the mis-selling of Green Deal Plans by the company Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) have been referred to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State, of which 137 are yet to receive an intention notice and 153 are yet to receive a sanction notice.
The Department has issued 2 Intention Notices setting out ‘minded to’ decisions not to consider appeals on the basis that they were made more than 6 years after the date on which the alleged breach of the Green Deal Regulations occurred. These decisions have been made in accordance with the Regulations. The Department does not hold data on any further appeals made more than 6 years after the date on which the alleged breach occurred, as it is not possible to categorise appeals as such until case reviews are complete, at which point Intention Notices are issued.
At 15th February, a total of 244 appeals about the mis-selling of Green Deal Plans by the company Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) have been referred to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State, of which 137 are yet to receive an intention notice and 153 are yet to receive a sanction notice.
The Department has issued 2 Intention Notices setting out ‘minded to’ decisions not to consider appeals on the basis that they were made more than 6 years after the date on which the alleged breach of the Green Deal Regulations occurred. These decisions have been made in accordance with the Regulations. The Department does not hold data on any further appeals made more than 6 years after the date on which the alleged breach occurred, as it is not possible to categorise appeals as such until case reviews are complete, at which point Intention Notices are issued.
The Department has requested information from various Green Deal Parties, including Green Deal Providers and the Green Deal Finance Company, on numerous occasions since the scheme was introduced in 2013. However, because there is no formal requirement to state that the Department is using its powers under Part 9 (reg 86) of the Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgment, Redress, etc) Regulations 2012, no record exists of how many times the Department has invoked the powers.
The number of Green Deal plans provided by Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd which included External Wall Insulation in England and Wales by parliamentary constituency are shown in the table below.
In order to manage the risk of revealing personal or commercial data, our approach is not to release non-zero counts of less than five for a small geographic area. Items marked * are small and have been supressed to achieve this disclosure control.
Parliamentary constituency | Green Deal Plans |
Bristol North West | 21 |
Chippenham | * |
Coventry North West | * |
Coventry South | * |
Esher and Walton | * |
Gloucester | * |
North Herefordshire | * |
North Swindon | 41 |
Reading West | * |
South Swindon | 13 |
Worcester | * |
England total | 90 |
Newport East | 7 |
Newport West | 16 |
The Department does not hold data on the total value of Green Deal loans, whether taken out with Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) or any other Green Deal Provider.
The then Secretary of State Greg Clark delegated initial reviews of complaints about mis-selling to the Financial Ombudsman Service under section 32 of the Energy Act 2011 on 24th October 2018. Their consideration is part of the wider review process. Responsibility for deciding whether a breach has occurred and, if so, whether a sanction should be imposed rests with the Secretary of State, in line with the requirements of the Framework Regulations.
Under this delegation the Financial Ombudsman Service has made recommendations regarding 143 complaints about HELMS. Recommendations may cover whether to cancel or reduce loans, or cover other matters, such as whether to conclude that there have been breaches of the Green Deal Framework regulations. For 69 of these complaints, the Financial Ombudsman Service recommended cancellation.
The then Secretary of State Greg Clark delegated initial reviews of complaints about mis-selling to the Financial Ombudsman Service under section 32 of the Energy Act 2011 on 24th October 2018, and as such the Department does not hold data on the total value of Green Deal Loans, whether taken out with Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) or any other Green Deal Provider.
The Financial Ombudsman Service’s consideration of complaints is part of the wider review process. Responsibility for deciding whether a breach has occurred and, if so, whether a sanction should be imposed rests with the Secretary of State, in line with the requirements of the Framework Regulations.
Under this delegation the Financial Ombudsman Service has made recommendations regarding 143 complaints about HELMS. Recommendations may cover whether to cancel or reduce loans, or cover other matters, such as whether to conclude that there have been breaches of the Green Deal Framework regulations. For 69 of these complaints, the Financial Ombudsman Service recommended cancellation.
The then Secretary of State Greg Clark delegated initial reviews of complaints about mis-selling to the Financial Ombudsman Service under section 32 of the Energy Act 2011 on 24th October 2018, and as such the Department does not hold data on the total value of Green Deal Loans, whether taken out with Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) or any other Green Deal Provider.
The Financial Ombudsman Service’s consideration of complaints is part of the wider review process. Responsibility for deciding whether a breach has occurred and, if so, whether a sanction should be imposed rests with the Secretary of State, in line with the requirements of the Framework Regulations.
Under this delegation the Financial Ombudsman Service has made recommendations regarding 143 complaints about HELMS. Recommendations may cover whether to cancel or reduce loans, or cover other matters, such as whether to conclude that there have been breaches of the Green Deal Framework regulations. For 69 of these complaints, the Financial Ombudsman Service recommended cancellation.
The then Secretary of State Greg Clark delegated initial reviews of complaints about mis-selling to the Financial Ombudsman Service under section 32 of the Energy Act 2011 on 24th October 2018, and as such the Department does not hold data on the total value of Green Deal Loans, whether taken out with Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) or any other Green Deal Provider.
The Financial Ombudsman Service’s consideration of complaints is part of the wider review process. Responsibility for deciding whether a breach has occurred and, if so, whether a sanction should be imposed rests with the Secretary of State, in line with the requirements of the Framework Regulations.
Under this delegation the Financial Ombudsman Service has made recommendations regarding 143 complaints about HELMS. Recommendations may cover whether to cancel or reduce loans, or cover other matters, such as whether to conclude that there have been breaches of the Green Deal Framework regulations. For 69 of these complaints, the Financial Ombudsman Service recommended cancellation.
The then Secretary of State Greg Clark delegated initial reviews of complaints about mis-selling to the Financial Ombudsman Service under section 32 of the Energy Act 2011 on 24th October 2018, and as such the Department does not hold data on the total value of Green Deal Loans, whether taken out with Home Energy and Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS) or any other Green Deal Provider.
The Financial Ombudsman Service’s consideration of complaints is part of the wider review process. Responsibility for deciding whether a breach has occurred and, if so, whether a sanction should be imposed rests with the Secretary of State, in line with the requirements of the Framework Regulations.
Under this delegation the Financial Ombudsman Service has made recommendations regarding 143 complaints about HELMS. Recommendations may cover whether to cancel or reduce loans, or cover other matters, such as whether to conclude that there have been breaches of the Green Deal Framework regulations. For 69 of these complaints, the Financial Ombudsman Service recommended cancellation.
Where mis-selling complaints have not been dealt with to the consumer’s satisfaction by the Green Deal Provider, they are routinely handled by the Financial Ombudsman Service. We do not hold data on response times for either the Green Deal Ombudsman or the Financial Ombudsman Service.
In line with departmental targets, we aim to respond to correspondence within 15 working days. This includes acknowledging complaints about Green Deal mis-selling.
The Government’s Trade Credit Reinsurance Scheme will see the majority of Trade Credit Insurance coverage maintained for businesses across the UK. The Scheme operates as a reinsurance arrangement which will see trade credit insurers continuing to write and maintain cover to business throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
We expect to finalise details of the scheme with both insurers and the European Commission soon. Contractual agreements with insurers will be signed shortly afterwards allowing cover that has previously been reduced or withdrawn to be reinstated. If a business feels that their coverage has been withdrawn unfairly they should contact either their previous insurer about reinstating cover, or look to arrange new cover under the same conditions as their previous coverage.
We have been in regular contact with representatives from the hospitality sector, including suppliers, to ensure that we support them during and after the Covid-19 crisis. A number of measures are available to support suppliers to the hospitality industry, such as access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and government backed loans. Suppliers to badly hit sectors such as hospitality may also be able to access the Discretionary Grant Fund which provides business support grants to businesses affected by the Covid-19 crisis at the discretion of Local Authorities.
The Government is providing additional measures to support the hospitality sector itself, including a VAT reduction to 5% and the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme.
Capita, as the scheme administrator for the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF), received information on registered installers from the Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body (GD ORB), which managed the authorisation scheme for participants. A company was listed on the GDHIF Register if it was on the Green Deal Register.
The table below shows the number of firms that have been removed from the Green Deal (GD) Participants Register each calendar year since the GD scheme began.
Year | Installers Withdrawn by CBs |
2012 | 99 |
2013 | 11 |
2014 | 191 |
2015 | 410 |
2016 | 206 |
2017 | 14 |
Total | 931 |
Green Deal Certification Bodies are responsible for certifying Green Deal Installers and monitoring their compliance against the requirements in the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2030 and/or Microgeneration Certification Scheme and the Green Deal Code of Practice. The Green Deal Ombudsman and Investigation Service provides a redress path for consumers who have a Green Deal Plan in place and experience problems with the measures installed.
Green Deal Certification Bodies are responsible for certifying Green Deal Installers. A Green Deal Certification Body is required by the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2031 to ensure that an Installer company meets both PAS 2030 (the technical standards governing Green Deal installations) for the energy efficiency measures they wish to install and the Green Deal Code of Practice requirements. These cover, among other things, the business and financial probity of the Installer company and the technical competence of individual installers employed by a company.
1 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all Anne McLaughlin's DCMS questions)Whilst there is currently no UK legislative requirement for Gaelic language broadcasting to be funded by the Exchequer, some of the UK Government’s commitments under Article 11 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages are fulfilled by BBC Alba’s content, in tandem with the Gaelic radio service provided by the BBC, Radio nan Gaidheal. MG ALBA is a public body, set up by UK legislation and funded predominantly by the Scottish Government. In addition, two one-off funding allocations of £1 million were provided for MG ABLA for the period 2014-16.
MG ALBA's principal functions relate to the provision of Gaelic programmes. It works in partnership with the BBC to operate the channel, BBC ALBA. Scotland continues to enjoy the live stream from BBC ALBA and programmes are available on the BBC website via iPlayer for the rest of the UK.
2 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Questions
(View all Anne McLaughlin's Defra questions)The £15m food waste prevention pilot fund announced in October 2018 was a ring-fenced one-off pilot. Funds were made available in the 2019/2020 financial year. The last scheduled payment was paid in 2022. Awards were made to small and large redistribution organisations for infrastructure to increase their capacity and capability and for Covid-19 emergency surplus food grants. There was also valorising food grants, funding for a Target Measure Act (TMA) field force, citizen behaviour change research, educational resources for schools and support for the hospitality sector. Further information can be found here: Food grants | WRAP.
There are no plans to appoint a food waste prevention champion at this time. The objectives set for the champion are now being taken forward by ministers, officials and our delivery partner the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). The latter includes championing waste reduction through high profile ambassadors in the hospitality sector and well known figures to present Food Waste Action Week.
Citizens currently have the choice of three routes to make an application to Pension Credit, online, by phone or by paper. Through our Service Modernisation Programme, DWP aims to further improve the process of claiming Pension Credit based on user research with customers and their representatives.