Liz Saville Roberts

The Department will be responding to the Public Accounts Committee via Treasury Minute as is the standard process.

The Department will be responding to the Public Accounts Committee via Treasury Minute as is the standard process.

The Department will publish monitoring statistics and evaluation of policies announced in the Warm Homes Plan. DESNZ currently publishes statistics covering the uptake and impacts of energy efficiency measures on GOV.UK.

We have received similar recommendations from both the NAO and the PAC. We are considering these reports and the recommendations and will be responding to these in full in due course.

As set out in the Warm Homes Plan, we will consult this year on options for bringing the oversight of energy efficiency and microgeneration installations for government schemes under closer government control and the role of the Warm Homes Agency.

The Government understands the need to target support to those who need it most. That is why on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills every winter until 2030/31. This means that millions of households every year who need support with their energy bills will receive the Warm Home Discount for the rest of the decade.

We also committed to exploring additional improvements to the scheme. While we consider options for future bill support, we are working across Government to improve access to and sharing of data to target support more effectively in the future. Specifically, the ‘Kickstarter’ programme under the National Data Library will test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes.

The Government understands the need to target support to those who need it most. That is why on 30 January, we announced the continuation of the Warm Home Discount scheme, providing around 6 million eligible households with the £150 rebate on their energy bills every winter until 2030/31. This means that millions of households every year who need support with their energy bills will receive the Warm Home Discount for the rest of the decade.

We also committed to exploring additional improvements to the scheme. While we consider options for future bill support, we are working across Government to improve access to and sharing of data to target support more effectively in the future. Specifically, the ‘Kickstarter’ programme under the National Data Library will test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes.

We have been clear that the original installer is responsible for remediating issues with their work and for the costs of doing so. Where an installer ceases to trade or in some cases fails to rectify an issue, protections under the guarantee should be invoked. TrustMark require a guarantee to have been issued, which for Solid Wall Insulation will cover up to £20k.

If consumers have a separate complaint about their installation, they can follow the steps set out in the TrustMark complaints process here. This includes the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman if the consumer wishes to progress with legal actions.

The Government has been actively engaging with the Welsh Government on the Warm Homes Agency since Spring 2025, including discussions on how future arrangements of the Agency would work with Devolved Governments. The Agency will only operate in Wales with agreement from the Welsh Government, and discussions to secure this agreement are ongoing.

The Government commissioned an independent statistical audit in April 2025. Unfortunately, the samples are not substantial enough to reliably perform regional analysis.

Due to the level of non-compliance found for EWI measures, the Government is offering a comprehensive on-site audit to all households where external wall insulation (EWI) was installed under ECO4 or GBIS. This check will be provided at no cost to the consumer.

Should any issues requiring action be found, these should be remediated by the original installer. Where the installer has ceased trading, protections under the installation guarantee policy should be invoked.

Checks across all measures under ECO4 and GBIS, will continue to be carried out by TrustMark and certification bodies as part of routine surveillance.

The Treasury has not yet confirmed the specific Barnett consequential appointments of the Government’s spending commitment for the Warm Homes Plan.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have unique devolution settlements. The age, tenure, type and size of building stock varies across different parts of the UK. Therefore, some aspects of the Warm Homes Plan will apply equally in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland while other parts will not be relevant in all nations of the UK.

The UK Government will continue to work closely with the Devolved Governments in delivering the Warm Homes Plan.

We are working with MCS and certification bodies to determine the number of homes in Wales awaiting remediation of work carried out by Consumer Energy Solutions under ECO4.

Ministers have been clear that no household should be asked to pay to fix work that is non‑compliant through no fault of their own. Where issues are identified, the installer responsible is expected to put them right. Where an installer has ceased trading or fails to remediate, households should contact their relevant guarantee provider to access the protections of their guarantee. Further advice will be provided to affected households shortly.

Government is committed to supporting businesses to transition to new opportunities in the sector, including exploring options to support the supply chain to transition from ECO and GBIS to capital scheme delivery.

The Warm Homes Plan, due to be published soon, will set out government’s plans to invest nearly £15 billion to upgrade low‑income homes and scale clean home‑energy technologies. The number of UK jobs supported in clean energy industries and their supply chains is estimated to increase from around 440,000 today to around 860,000 by 2030 and we are working closely with the sector to support its growth.

To ensure the bill savings from the transition to clean energy technologies are felt in all parts of the country, the different needs and approaches of the Devolved Governments will need to be recognised. The UK Government will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government and will publish the Warm Homes Plan soon.

ECO4 has played a part in delivering clean heat technologies; however, issues identified by the NAO and PAC support a shift to a more direct, publicly-funded approach focused on technologies that cut bills and accelerate the transition to clean heat such as heat pumps, solar PV and batteries. The government is providing an additional £1.5 billion—taking planned capital investment to almost £15 billion—to upgrade low‑income homes and scale clean home‑energy technologies. Deployment will be further supported through wider policies and details of this will be set out soon in the Warm Homes Plan.

For existing schemes, we work with Ofgem, TrustMark and energy suppliers to detect, prevent and deter fraud. When Ofgem is notified of suspected fraud, they engage with suppliers, Action Fraud and the Serious Fraud Office to ensure robust investigation.

We are taking on board the lessons identified by the NAO, embedding these into our future consumer protection systems, and applying relevant lessons from grant-funded programmes as part of our revised approach to assurance in all retrofit schemes. We have increased departmental oversight of consumer levy funded schemes and will publish an updated Accounting Officer statement with our 2025-26 annual report.

All completed installations under ECO4 and GBIS are covered by a guarantee. Consumers should approach their guarantee provider for support within the bounds of their policy. We are actively and urgently working with Trustmark, MCS and scheme providers to consider how best to support recipients of CES’ work. We will provide further advice as soon as possible. No household should be asked to pay to rectify non-compliant works.

The Government has no current plans to extend the licensing by Ofgem of gas and electricity operators to the supply of off-grid heating fuels, such as fuel oils, bottled gas or coal and wood products. However, Ofgem and the Competition and Markets Authority have powers to enforce the rights of consumers under consumer law, such as the Consumer Rights Act.

The migration of first-generation (SMETS1) smart meters onto the Data Communications Company (DCC) network is now complete. This means that all SMETS1 smart meters on the DCC network are able to retain smart services upon switching energy suppliers, just as second generation (SMETS2) smart meters do.

On 19 June the Government announced that we will consult on strengthening the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that suppliers comply with its final decisions or pay compensation to their customers. We also announced that we would consult on proposals to make referrals to the Ombudsman automatic instead of consumers having to do this themselves, and on waiting time for referrals being cut from 8 weeks to 4 weeks.

The Government is working with Ofgem to look at increasing the value of base-level automatic compensation from £40, following the first increase since the payments were introduced a decade ago.

Ofgem is also looking at expanding automatic compensation to cover more key issues faced by consumers, including excessively long call waiting times, unexpectedly high bills when suppliers fail to adjust their direct debits, suppliers not responding to complaints, or suppliers not complying with Energy Ombudsman final decisions. This will ensure that consumers can get fairer, quicker, and easier compensation when things go wrong.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with Welsh Government ministers on a range of issues.

The Government has made no such specific assessment.

A universal service obligation (USO) ensures that every household and small business is supplied, regardless of their location. This prevents suppliers segmenting customers by their profitability. As well as the USO, it should be noted that electricity distribution networks are not constructed along national boundaries - the same networks serve customers either side of the Wales/England border, making it very difficult or impossible to split customers by their location such that different licensing regimes can be introduced.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of issues.

As interim Minister for nuclear, I am responsible for the regulation of non-power generating nuclear facilities for civil nuclear fission research and development within DESNZ. Other Departments may hold responsibility for non-power generating nuclear facilities depending on the use case. The responsibility for the production of healthcare-related materials sits with the Department of Health and Social Care.

Ofgem has consulted on plans to ensure that suppliers must take all reasonable steps to provide an energy tariff that leaves all their customers ‘no worse off’ than before once their RTS meter is replaced. Ofgem will make further announcements on this in due course.

The Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) signal will be switched off in carefully targeted local areas, where suppliers are ready to respond quickly in case of any issues, starting from 30 June.

Industry’s phase out plan will be flexible and subject to change, and therefore will not be published, as suppliers must demonstrate to Ofgem and Government that they are sufficiently prepared before they can proceed. Households will be contacted by their energy suppliers through multiple methods of communication to inform them well ahead of time of any phase out activity in their area. Ofgem will also contact local authorities to inform them of planned activity in their area in advance of any switch off.

Most recent figures provided to the Department from Ofgem indicates that as of 2nd May there were c.9,500 RTS meters remaining in Wales.

Ofgem does not collect constituency level data on RTS meters from suppliers.

The Department is not aware of a list of RTS properties that separately identifies premises with and without storage heaters.

Smart meters, and the communication services that support smart metering, will not be switched off.

The Department does not receive information from energy suppliers about the number of households with storage heaters.

The industry-led Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) is reaching the end of its operational life and can no longer be adequately maintained.

The switch-off will start from the end of June, and the Government and Ofgem have called on suppliers to rapidly increase the pace of RTS replacements, so that there is a smooth transition and consumers are protected. We continue to closely monitor progress.

Eligibility for the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) does not guarantee assistance, the Department cannot direct who receives support. ECO4 and GBIS have already supported an estimated 292,490 households to February 2025, with around 9,000 homes per month in the last quarter. We are committed to meeting fuel poverty and Net Zero targets, and we are currently considering what policy mix will best achieve that, including what role energy company obligations should play post-2026.

The Department does not receive information from energy suppliers on the number of households on specific tariffs, such as Economy 7.

The aim of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is to support the transition away from fossil fuel heating to a low carbon alternative. Hybrid heat pumps are not eligible as the department wants to direct the funding available to technologies that offer the greatest carbon savings, rather than those which would continue to involve the burning of fossil fuels for heating. The Government will keep its position on alternative heating technologies under review and make further assessments as supporting evidence develops.

The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future. The transition to warmer, decarbonised homes, will include support for the most vulnerable to help tackle fuel poverty. We will set out further details on the Warm Homes Plan in due course.

We are currently supporting rural homes and homes off the gas grid through targeted energy efficiency schemes including the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Home Upgrade Grant, which are aimed at low income and vulnerable consumers.

As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expects to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation which have fewest options to decarbonise. Renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHF) are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.

Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of RLHFs, like hydrotreated vegetable oil, in heating, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstocks.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) offers grants to help property owners transition away from fossil fuels to low carbon heating. However, other schemes such as the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, Warm Homes: Local Grant and Energy Company Obligation are more targeted towards low-income households.

The Government and Ofgem do not collect income statistics as part of directly administering the BUS, however, socio-economic factors are studied as part of the scheme evaluation, with an interim report due to be published next year.

The Department does not collect revenue data for power stations and has not made an estimate. Revenue estimates are within the remit of the private company that owns the power station.