Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of fuel poverty in rural and off-gas-grid areas in the last 12 months.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Fuel poverty is a devolved policy area and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero produces official statistics on fuel poverty in England.

The latest statistics for England include trends for households off the gas grid (Table 5). This shows a reduction in fuel poverty rate for these households between 2021 and 2024 (the latest year available).

The latest publication also shows that 12.3% of rural households were fuel poor in England in 2024, compared to 11.0% of all households (Detailed Table 5). Results are also published for previous years.

The next statistics for England will be published on 26th March 2026. Statistics on fuel poverty in Scotland are published by Scottish Government here.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support he is providing to households in rural and off-gas-grid areas reliant on heating oil as their primary source of heat.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Chancellor has announced £53m for low-income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. In England, funding will be distributed by local authorities via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), which comes into effect from 1 April.

In addition, the Government has announced the intention to regulate the heating oil sector to introduce new customer protections along-side securing agreement with industry to quickly improve customer experience.

We will work closely with the CMA to understand their findings and develop options to increase consumer protections in this sector.

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 reduce fuel poverty among households reliant on domestic heating oil as their primary source of heating.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government understands that many households, particularly in rural and off‑gas‑grid areas, rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat. We continue to monitor heating oil supply chains to ensure households can access fuel when needed.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK

Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. The measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. In addition, on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with the devolved administrations on tackling fuel poverty and providing cost of living support for households in rural and off-gas-grid areas that rely on domestic heating oil as their primary source of heat.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises that families and businesses across the country will see the recent global events and once again be concerned about the impact on their energy bills. We continue to monitor the situation closely and we are looking at what further support may be needed across the UK, recognising the role of the devolved administrations as fuel poverty is a devolved matter.

The measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. In addition, on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.

The Government understands that many households, particularly in rural and off‑gas‑grid areas, rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat. We continue to monitor heating‑oil supply chains ensuring households can access fuel when needed. We are frequently engaging with industry to ensure supply and pricing remains resilient to demand. Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer protection law, overseen by the Competition Market Authority.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. . More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what cost of living support measures are available to households in rural and off-gas-grid areas where domestic heating oil is commonly used as the primary source of heating.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government understands that many households, particularly in rural and off‑gas‑grid areas, rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53m for low income families, who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. This funding will be available to the Northern Ireland Executive, Wales, and Scotland. More information can be found here: Over £50 million to help families struggling with soaring heating oil costs - GOV.UK

The measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid. In addition, on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.

We continue to monitor heating‑oil supply chains ensuring households can access fuel when needed. We are frequently engaging with industry to ensure supply and pricing remains resilient to demand. Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer protection law, overseen by the Competition Market Authority.

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Found: Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall (Labour; Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane

Found: Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall (Labour; Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane

Found: Public Accounts Committee Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown; Chris Kane.

Found: Public Accounts Committee Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown; Chris Kane.

Found: members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Rachel Gilmour; Sarah Green; Chris Kane

Found: Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall (Labour; Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane

Found: meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Sarah Hall; Chris Kane

Found: Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall (Labour; Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Chris Kane