Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 help protect homeowners from exploitative firms offering spray foam insulation removal services.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I convened a roundtable in Spring with lenders, consumer bodies and the insulation industry on spray foam, and agreed for attendees to continue working with officials on public communications.
Tools are available online to find independent surveyors experienced with spray foam who can provide an assessment.
Homeowners receiving cold calls in relation to spray foam removals may wish to report these to Trading Standards or The Information Commissioners Office.
The department has launched a consultation seeking views on how the consumer protection system for home upgrades should be reformed to support delivery of the Warm Homes Plan.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help improve public awareness of the risks associated with spray foam insulation, including the circumstances in which it may affect mortgage lending or insurance.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I convened a roundtable in Spring with lenders, consumer bodies and the insulation industry and I agreed with attendees to continue working with my officials on public awareness around spray foam.
While most lenders now consider applications, it is important that banks, surveyors and homeowners use the information now available so they can make informed decisions and that homes are treated on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what redress is available to homeowners whose spray foam insulation was incorrectly installed by TrustMark-approved companies that have since ceased trading.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
If the installer is no longer trading, consumers should contact the guarantee provider associated with the installation. TrustMark registered installers are required to provide financial protection through approved guarantee arrangements, subject to the policy terms and conditions.
Installers should provide consumers with a copy of the guarantee after installation is complete. Where consumers do not have a copy of a guarantee, they should contact the installer's scheme provider in the first instance or alternatively get in touch with TrustMark directly.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support is available to homeowners with incorrectly installed spray foam insulation through TrustMark-approved schemes outside the ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to supporting homeowners that have had poor quality installations obtain redress.
Where products, including spray foam, have not been installed correctly installers are required to remedy the work. Where installed by a TrustMark registered business, customers should follow the TrustMark dispute resolution process. The TrustMark website contains further guidance on how consumers can complain if things go wrong and the dispute resolution process: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowners/if-things-go-wrong.
Consumers can also contact their respective guarantee provider to make a claim, subject to the policy's terms and conditions.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Ofgem's compensation guidelines for consumers experiencing disruption or incurring fees as a result of service errors by energy suppliers.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOP) framework outlines the minimum levels of performance consumers can expect from suppliers, with automatic compensation provided if these standards are not met. The level of GSOP payments was recently increased in 2025 from £30 to £40 to account for inflation since the £30 payment level was set in 2015.
Ofgem is currently reviewing the GSOP framework to assess their adequacy in line with a wider consultation on consumer outcomes, launched on 23 June.
In addition, on 17 June 2026, the Government published its consultation response outlining measures that will be taken to strengthen the powers of the Energy Ombudsman to ensure consumers receive fairer and faster redress where they have not been able to resolve a dispute with their supplier.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Oral Statement of 21 May 2026 on Middle East: Economic Response, Official Report, columns 731-733 and Ofgem's press release entitled Energy price cap will rise by 13% from July, published on 27 May 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of support for fuel poor households.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. That is why we recently published a new fuel poverty strategy for England alongside the Warm Homes Plan.
With this new strategy, Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty.
We are also investing £15 billion through the Warm Homes Plan – the biggest home upgrade plan in British history – to help lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
The Government acted in the Autumn Budget to reduce electricity costs by scrapping the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and moving 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation to the Exchequer.
In addition, the Warm Home Discount scheme will continue until 2030/31, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills each winter.
The rise in the price cap reconfirms the importance of the Government’s mission to get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices and onto clean, homegrown power we control.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 the adequacy of support for fuel poor households.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for this Government. That is why the Government recently published a new fuel poverty strategy for England alongside the Warm Homes Plan, to ensure that many more fuel poor households are protected by 2030.
With this new strategy, Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty.
This strategy is accompanied by our £15 billion Warm Homes Plan – the biggest home upgrade plan in British history. The actions set out in this plan will reduce energy use, lower bills for millions of households, and help to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 reduce annual energy costs and reduce fuel poverty.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
At the Autumn Budget, we committed to taking money off energy bills to tackle the cost of living. By scrapping the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme and moving 75% of the domestic costs of the Renewables Obligation to the Exchequer, we have been able to provide immediate savings for households that are factored into energy bills for the years to come.
The Government recently published a new Fuel Poverty Strategy for England. With this new strategy, the Government is determined to double the pace at which we slash fuel poverty.
This strategy is accompanied by our £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, with a £5 billion allocation to low-income households. This will roll out upgrades to up to 5 million homes that could save them hundreds on energy bills and help to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 the potential impact of projected increases in the energy price cap on the number of households in fuel poverty in winter 2026/27.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Tackling the cost-of-living is the government’s top priority. Decisions at last year’s Budget have taken £150 of costs off bills and this is now factored into bills for the years to come. The increase in the price cap announced by Ofgem on 27th May for the period from July to September is not what we wanted, and it is the effect of the war in Iran – just two days before the conflict the price cap fell by 7%. Without the action taken at Budget, the price cap from July to September, would be significantly higher. The government also expanded the Warm Home Discount last winter to support around 6 million of the most vulnerable households and is accelerating the Warm Homes Plan. Action has also been taken to help people who are reliant on heating oil. The outlook for prices remains uncertain but the government will do everything it can to help protect households in the face of this fossil fuel price spike and the Chancellor said she stands ready to act as we look towards the autumn and the winter
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.