Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Hanson of Flint Excerpts

Thursday 5th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East) (Lab)]

1. What steps he is taking to help households with their energy bills.

[Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab)]

3. What steps he is taking to help households with their energy bills.

[Mr Geoffrey Robinson (Coventry North West) (Lab)]

5. What steps he is taking to help households with their energy bills.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Davey]

I certainly agree with Which?, which has welcomed the referral of the energy market to the Competition and Markets Authority—something that we have backed. The Leader of the Opposition, when he was doing my job, failed to back such a referral on three occasions. It is vital that the cuts in wholesale costs are passed to consumers, and we are on it.

[Mr Hanson]

The Children’s Society tells me that there are 3,300 children in families that are in energy debt in my constituency, yet only last week, Ofgem estimated that household bills could be cut by £114 because of the cost of energy. Why will the Secretary of State not give Ofgem the power to cut bills when they are that high?

[Mr Davey]

The problem with the Opposition’s policy is that if we had listened to them and frozen bills, people would now have even higher bills and would be in even more debt. We are not going to listen to the Opposition’s failed energy policy. Our policy has seen bills come down, not just frozen. People can get some of the best deals by switching to the independents that we have encouraged into the market.