Oral Answers to Questions

James Grundy Excerpts

Tuesday 17th January 2023 Commons Chamber

[Paul Holmes (Eastleigh) (Con)]

6. What steps he is taking to support households with energy bills.

[James Grundy (Leigh) (Con)]

8. What steps he is taking to support households with energy bills.

[The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Grant Shapps)]

The Government are supporting households with their energy bills through the energy price guarantee, the energy bills support scheme, and alternative fuel payments for households that use alternative fuels such as heating oil to heat their homes.

--- Later in debate ---

[Grant Shapps]

My hon. Friend raises a good point. What concerns me is the idea that when wholesale prices go up we get a rocketing in domestic prices, but as wholesale prices fall again, as they have done, we get a sort of feathering down, very slowly. I am concerned about that and I have written to Ofgem asking it to look at the market. Energy companies are forward buying their energy by several months, but we need those changes to come through in reductions to households, and we will be pressing to make sure that happens.

[James Grundy]

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the support the Government have provided to households to help with their energy bills will continue once current arrangements come to an end later this spring, and until international energy markets have fully stabilised?

[Grant Shapps]

I am pleased to confirm that the energy price guarantee has been extended to April 2024, so that support will continue. As I mentioned earlier, we are seeing some of the prices moderate, but the problem is that that combination of higher prices could still continue to lead through, which is why we will keep the energy price guarantee in place.