Damian Hinds
Main Page: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Mr Davey
The right hon. Lady will know that I have already acted on this issue. Two months into office, I negotiated a voluntary agreement with the big six so that they would provide details of the best available tariff on people’s bills already—so I am afraid that she is behind the times again. I note that she has not commented on Ofgem’s proposals, not least because she wants to abolish Ofgem. That would be very damaging to the interests of energy consumers, both households and businesses. So I have to say to her that she needs to engage with the real debate, which is Ofgem’s proposals and our thinking.
Damian Hinds (East Hampshire) (Con)
Does my right hon. Friend agree that although having multiple price points for exactly the same product can be good for consumers, that stops being true when the poorest and most vulnerable are less able to access them and when the sheer volume, complexity and rate of change of those tariffs makes it almost impossible to make meaningful comparisons and keep up?
Mr Davey
My hon. Friend is right. Under the previous Government we had a multitude of tariffs, which became confusing and complex, but that Government failed to take action. It is good to know that Ofgem, with our support, has brought forward proposals after careful study, and we will act on them. Although it is possible to have too much simplification, which puts us in danger of reducing choice and competition, Ofgem is trying to strike the right balance and that is why we are studying its proposals so closely rather than dismissing them.