Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support his Department has provided to the retrofit market, housing associations and local authorities in order to implement the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government recognises the essential role that local places play in accelerating progress towards net zero and is committed to working with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to deliver the Warm Homes Plan through an area-based approach.
The new Warm Homes Fund will help local authorities accelerate their existing consumer offers for solar PV. Additionally, Crown Commercial Service and Great British Energy are testing approaches to aggregating demand for technologies to drive down unit costs for both social housing landlords and the public sector estate.
The new Warm Homes Agency will play a pivotal role in supporting local partnerships, convening, facilitating and building capacity within local government.
Government support also includes funding five Local Net Zero Hubs, helping local authorities to develop decarbonisation projects and attract commercial investment.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department will implement new conditions which require public grants recipients to procure services from the Energy Company Obligation supply chain.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government recognises the closure of the supplier obligation schemes may present challenges for companies in the supply chain.
The Warm Homes Plan, which confirmed an additional £1.5bn in low-income grant funding, represents our long-term plan and sets out a range of policy interventions designed to lower bills and tackle fuel poverty.
We will use the procurement regime for all new funding to support the retrofit workforce affected by the closure of ECO. We will engage the retrofit supply chain, Housing Associations and Local Authorities to agree an appropriate regime.
I will lead a working group of representatives from local authorities, housing associations and industry to coordinate action to support the retrofit supply chain.
This includes the Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce which will support the transition to high-quality roles in low-carbon sectors.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much capital funding will be made available in April 2026 to support people impacted by the closure of the Energy Company Obligation scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ Ministers have consulted on extending ECO4 by six to nine months, in order to support remediation activity and enable an orderly programme closure. The Government will publish its response to this consultation shortly. As set out in the Warm Homes Plan, £5 billion has been allocated to support low-income and fuel-poor households, comprising £4.4 billion in direct capital grants and an initial £600 million through the new Warm Homes Fund. Delivery for low-income households will also continue through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Social Housing Fund ahead of integration into a single, combined offer for all low-income households. Further details on future scheme design will be announced in Spring 2026.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Warm Homes Agency will commence supporting companies and employees in Birmingham Perry Barr constituency impacted by the closure of the Energy Company Obligation scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that ending Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme presents challenges for the supply chain. For the additional £1.5 billion announced in the Warm Homes Plan, the Government will use the procurement regime for all new funding to support the retrofit workforce affected by the closure of ECO, working closely with the retrofit supply chain, housing associations and local authorities. The Government is also committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the Warm Homes Agency. The scope and timeline of the Agency’s operations are being developed and will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) consumer protection and (b) quality assurance frameworks for the Energy Company Obligation.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is committed to creating a simpler, stronger system of standards and oversight, with reforms to ensure work is done right first time, create a clear and straightforward installation process, and enable swift redress.
The Government’s Retrofit System Reform Advisory Panel will continue to support us to develop these proposals. Further detail will be provided in the Warm Homes Plan.
In the short-term, Government is offering comprehensive on-site audits to every household with external wall insulation installed under ECO and GBIS, at no cost to the consumer.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
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 total cost of remediation for homes that received substandard external and internal wall insulation through the Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation Scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
No household should be asked to pay for remediation work. Where non-compliance is found and remediation is needed, the original installer is responsible for the cost of putting the work right. Should the installer have ceased trading, the protections under the 25-year guarantee can be invoked.
The vast majority of remediation for solid wall insulation installed under ECO4 or GBIS has cost between £250 and £6,000 for internal wall insulation and £5,000 and £18,000 for external wall insulation. This would all be covered by the £20,000 guarantee required by TrustMark, should the installer no longer be trading.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department's initial projections of the annual financial and emissions savings to be made through the Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation Scheme will be achieved.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Scheme impact assessments included annual bill savings targets of £224.3m for ECO4 and £55.99m for GBIS.
Evaluations of ECO4 and GBIS are underway, including household surveys about energy consumption and bills savings. Evaluation reports will be published in 2026 (ECO4) and 2027 (GBIS). Following completion of ECO4 and GBIS, analysis will be carried out using gas and electricity meter data to assess energy and carbon savings. The official statistics provide ongoing estimates of annual bill savings.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor, (b) deter and (c) eliminate fraud among retrofit businesses carrying out works under the Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation Scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Measuring fraud and non-compliance is critical to managing the risks they pose. We are taking on board the ten lessons identified by the NAO and embedding these into our future consumer protection system. We will ensure fraud measurement is part of our future quality assurance regime.
For existing schemes, we currently work with Ofgem, TrustMark and energy suppliers to detect, prevent and deter fraud. When Ofgem is notified of suspected fraud, they will engage with suppliers to ensure robust investigation. Ofgem also engages with Action Fraud and the Serious Fraud Office.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on securing long-term funding for the development of smart energy systems within the West Midlands as part of the Spending Review.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the important role of local government, such as West Midlands Combined Authority, in driving net zero action. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial Colleagues on a number of issues. Details of the spending review will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
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 including the preservation of nature as priority in the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is fully committed to protecting nature. That’s why as part of the SSEP we are requiring NESO to give due consideration to environmental impacts and statutory environmental duties throughout all stages of its production. This will include environmental data sets, a robust governance framework and stakeholder engagement. The SSEP will also be subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and plan-level Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA).