Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to reclassify Heat Network users from non-domestic to domestic users.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not propose to reclassify heat network consumers as domestic users.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support retail businesses with (a) reduced footfall and (b) increased business costs.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Eligible retailers continue to benefit from 50% businesses rates relief and the Government has frozen the multiplier for all businesses in 2022/23.
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. The Growth Plan sets out government’s vision for a simpler, lower tax economy, delivering £45 billion of tax cuts by 2026/27, alongside a substantial package of supply-side reforms to start boosting growth.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish additional detail on his Department's fund for support people on heat networks.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 8 September, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister made announcements on a price freeze for customers. The new Energy Price Guarantee will apply to households in Great Britain, with the same level of support made available to households in Northern Ireland. Those households who do not pay direct for mains gas and electricity – such as those living in park homes or on heat networks – will be no worse off and receive support through a new fund. The Government will set out more detailed proposals on the scheme as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to help businesses with (a) reduced demand and (b) increased costs.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses) ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. A review of the scheme, to be published in three months, will identify the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs after the initial six months.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle rising electricity prices for business in (a) Battersea and (b) the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses (EPGB) – to protect all businesses and other non-domestic energy users from soaring energy costs. The scheme will offer comparable support to that being provided for consumers and more details will follow shortly. After this initial six-month scheme, the Government will provide focused support for vulnerable sectors, targeted to make sure those most in need get support.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to make it his policy to introduce emergency energy grants for small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Battersea and (b) the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses (EPGB) – to protect all businesses and other non-domestic energy users from soaring energy costs. The scheme will offer comparable support to that being provided for consumers and more details will follow shortly. After this initial six-month scheme, the Government will provide focused support for vulnerable sectors, targeted to make sure those most in need get support.
The Government is also providing a 50% business rates relief for businesses across the UK and reducing employer national insurance.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) prepay force-fitting warrants have been requested by energy companies in each month of 2022 as of 7 September and (b) customers moved to prepay for arrears monthly between October 2021 and March 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not collect or hold this data.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to take steps to introduce a price cap on communal energy systems for domestic use in the context of the Government's strategy to expand heat networks.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
District or communal heating systems typically buy their energy through commercial contracts which are not covered by the Default Tariff Act. The government is aware that this can lead to large increases in the bills of some consumers on communal networks and that some consumers are seeing increases larger than would be allowed under the domestic price cap.
The measures announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 February are intended to cover heat network consumers and the Government is engaging closely with industry and consumer groups to understand the specific impacts in the heat network sector and continue to assess whether further options are needed to help households through this challenging period.
The Government needs to ensure heat network consumers receive a fair price for their heating. The Government is therefore committed to legislating within this parliament to regulate the heat networks sector and in December 2021, the Government announced that Ofgem will take on the role of regulator and give Ofgem new powers to regulate prices in this sector as a matter of priority. This will enable equivalent protection for domestic heat network customers as well as ensuring heat network operators are securing good purchasing deals for their consumers. This will mean that consumers are charged a fair rate for heating whilst encouraging investment in heat networks.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to ensure that domestic residents are not classed as business users under communal heating systems.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
District or communal heating systems typically buy their energy through commercial contracts which are not covered by the Default Tariff Act. The government is aware that this can lead to large increases in the bills of some consumers on communal networks and that some consumers are seeing increases larger than would be allowed under the domestic price cap.
The measures announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 February are intended to cover heat network consumers and the Government is engaging closely with industry and consumer groups to understand the specific impacts in the heat network sector and continue to assess whether further options are needed to help households through this challenging period.
The Government needs to ensure heat network consumers receive a fair price for their heating. The Government is therefore committed to legislating within this parliament to regulate the heat networks sector and in December 2021, the Government announced that Ofgem will take on the role of regulator and give Ofgem new powers to regulate prices in this sector as a matter of priority. This will enable equivalent protection for domestic heat network customers as well as ensuring heat network operators are securing good purchasing deals for their consumers. This will mean that consumers are charged a fair rate for heating whilst encouraging investment in heat networks.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the increase in energy prices on residents who are on a communal heating plan.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
District or communal heating systems typically buy their energy through commercial contracts which are not covered by the Default Tariff Act. The government is aware that this can lead to large increases in the bills of some consumers on communal networks and that some consumers are seeing increases larger than would be allowed under the domestic price cap.
The measures announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 February are intended to cover heat network consumers and the Government is engaging closely with industry and consumer groups to understand the specific impacts in the heat network sector and continue to assess whether further options are needed to help households through this challenging period.
The Government needs to ensure heat network consumers receive a fair price for their heating. The Government is therefore committed to legislating within this parliament to regulate the heat networks sector and in December 2021, the Government announced that Ofgem will take on the role of regulator and give Ofgem new powers to regulate prices in this sector as a matter of priority. This will enable equivalent protection for domestic heat network customers as well as ensuring heat network operators are securing good purchasing deals for their consumers. This will mean that consumers are charged a fair rate for heating whilst encouraging investment in heat networks.