Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to review (a) regulations and (b) consumer protections through the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This government is committed to protecting consumers undertaking home retrofit work, as well as improving the overall consumer journey. We are leading reform of a system which is clearly not fit for purpose. This reform will involve rapidly changing the landscape of regulation and consumer protections, spanning from how installers working in people’s homes are certified and monitored, to where homeowners turn to for rapid action and enforcement if things go wrong. This work is already underway, but we will set out plans for root and branch reform as part of the Warm Homes Plan, which will be published soon.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Ofgem on the adequacy of its counter-fraud policies, in the context of the National Audit Office’s report titled Energy efficiency installations under the Energy Company Obligation, published on 14 October 2025.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem are the administrator for both ECO4 and GBIS and there is regular engagement between Ofgem and DESNZ on all aspects of the schemes. In regard to the NAO report, Ofgem are actively engaged in the review of evidence relating to possible fraud and they have the legal power to demand that energy suppliers pay for a new measure to be installed, where eligibility for the scheme or delivery of measures is found to have been carried out fraudulently.
Therefore suppliers must have robust fraud management plans as part of their obligation, or face losing money. Further, they will engage with any relevant authorities in pursuit of wider enforcement action where that is deemed necessary.