Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department spent on (a) advertising the availability of and (b) registration of individuals onto a utilities Priority Services Register.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Condition 26 of Ofgem’s gas and electricity supply licence conditions requires suppliers to identify consumers who are eligible for the Priority Service Register and offer to add any or all of the Minimum Details to the Priority Services Register during interactions.
Details regarding the PSR are available to the public on Ofgem’s website, which can be accessed here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/get-help-your-supplier-priority-services-register
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to monitor (a) the numbers of and (b) reasons for refused applications to the Priority Services Register.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not monitor the Priority Services Register. Ofgem requires all energy suppliers to provide and maintain a Priority Services Register for eligible vulnerable consumers. Ofgem provides details of those that are eligible for the Priority Services Register on their website: www.ofgem.gov.uk/get-help-your-supplier-priority-services-register
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons might an individual be refused application to join a Priority Services Register.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Ofgem requires all energy suppliers to provide and maintain a Priority Services Register for eligible vulnerable consumers. Ofgem provides details of those that are eligible for the Priority Services Register on their website: www.ofgem.gov.uk/get-help-your-supplier-priority-services-register.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to help register people onto a utilities Priority Services Register.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Condition 26 of Ofgem’s gas and electricity supply licence conditions requires suppliers to identify consumers who are eligible for the Priority Service Register and offer to add any or all of the Minimum Details to the Priority Services Register during interactions.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people are on a Priority Services Register and for which utility company in (a) Cynon Valley constituency, (b) Rhondda Cynon Taff local authority and (c) Wales.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not collect this data. According to Ofgem’s statistics, as of 31st December 2021, 406,819 and 347,146 consumers in Wales were on the Priority Services Register for electricity and gas respectively. Ofgem does not collect data at a constituency or local authority level.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps to ensure that company directors whose businesses close due to insolvent liquidation cannot re-open under a different company name.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Directors of an insolvent business may run a similar business unless they are prevented from doing so, such as due to being disqualified or subject to a bankruptcy order.
Where the system is abused, for example where a director repeatedly causes harm to creditors the Insolvency Service will investigate and, where there is evidence and it is in the public interest, bring disqualification proceedings or take prosecution action against a director.
The Government is constantly seeking to improve protections to creditors and consumers. Last year, new powers were introduced to allow for the investigation and disqualification of former directors of dissolved companies, which will deter delinquent directors from abusing the dissolution process to leave creditors unpaid.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the cold weather alert issued by UK Health Security Agency on 5 December 2022, whether his Department plans to issue advice to energy suppliers regarding payment of energy bills support scheme vouchers.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 4 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all energy suppliers with customers on traditional prepayment meters, reiterating the importance of ensuring these customers receive their vouchers, have clear information about how to redeem them, and receive prompt service and accurate information from supplier call centres.
I met CEOs of suppliers on 7 December to press for significant improvements in their service to these customers. The requirements the Government places on suppliers are clear that they need to make every effort to reach all their customers and ensure a quality service.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the number of energy supply customers (a) whose direct debit was increased by 100 per cent or more in the period between 1 February and 30 April 2022 and (b) were awarded a goodwill payment; and what the (i) mean and (ii) median goodwill payment was.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department does not collect this data. Suppliers should ensure that their billing and payment arrangements are effective and fair. The regulator, Ofgem, monitors and enforces compliance with the licence obligations on suppliers.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of compliance measures by Ofgem to limit incorrect direct debit overpayments by utility providers.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently wrote to energy suppliers and Ofgem asking them to do more to ensure the direct debits are being set at appropriate levels.
BEIS Ministers continue to have regular discussions with Ofgem on this and range of other issues.
Ofgem is the independent energy regulator and is directly accountable to Parliament for the performance of its functions.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what record is maintained by (a) his Department or (b) Ofgem of significant incorrect direct debit overpayments by utility providers.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department does not have access to customer or supplier data.
As part of its Market Compliance Reviews, Ofgem collects information to assess whether suppliers are complying with their licence obligations, with the accurate setting of direct debit levels being a key focus of such activity by Ofgem.