Oral Answers to Questions Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate

Karl McCartney

Main Page: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)

Oral Answers to Questions

Karl McCartney Excerpts
Thursday 17th May 2012

(12 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text
Alec Shelbrooke Portrait Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell) (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

10. What steps he is taking to reduce domestic energy bills.

Karl McCartney Portrait Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)
- Hansard - -

13. What steps he is taking to reduce domestic energy bills.

Graham Stringer Portrait Graham Stringer (Blackley and Broughton) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

17. What steps he is taking to reduce domestic energy bills.

--- Later in debate ---
Ed Davey Portrait Mr Davey
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend is quite right to point to the fact that one reason for bringing forward electricity market reform and the energy Bill is to ensure that we meet this country’s energy infrastructure needs, which are huge, as we see 20% of power plants coming offline over the next decade and the need to make the transition to low-carbon energy. That is a huge challenge, which could be very expensive for consumers. One of the reasons we need to reform the electricity market is therefore to ensure that that infrastructure investment can be made at the lowest cost imaginable.

Karl McCartney Portrait Karl MᶜCartney
- Hansard - -

Can my right hon. colleague update the House on his Department’s progress in cutting red tape for small energy suppliers to help increase competition in the market and thereby keep prices down for my constituents in the city of Lincoln?

Ed Davey Portrait Mr Davey
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. There are two things I would point him to. We are helping small suppliers to compete by increasing the customer threshold for participation in schemes such as CERT and CESP—the carbon emissions reduction target and the community energy saving programme—and the warm home discount scheme. Ofgem is currently consulting on proposals for a mandatory auction in the wholesale electricity market to improve liquidity, and has recently completed a consultation on tariff simplification. All these measures will, we believe, help small suppliers in my hon. Friend’s constituency and elsewhere.