To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Energy Bills Rebate: Meters
Tuesday 20th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed postal strikes on the delivery of Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers for households with pre-payment meters.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Suppliers must ensure that vouchers for traditional pre-payment meter customers reach recipients by the 11th working day of the month. Suppliers are working with the Post Office and PayPoint, who are the two voucher providers, to minimise any disruption of the postal strikes and bringing from voucher production where possible.


Written Question
Energy Bills Rebate: Meters
Tuesday 20th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

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 has taken to support households on pre-payment meters who have not received their Energy Bill Support Scheme vouchers.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Suppliers must ensure that vouchers for traditional pre-payment meter customers reach recipients by the 11th working day of the month. Suppliers are working with the Post Office and PayPoint, who are the two voucher providers, to minimise any disruption of the postal strikes and bringing from voucher production where possible.


Written Question
Energy Bills Rebate: Meters
Tuesday 6th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2022 to Question 88033 on Energy Bills Rebate: Meters, how many and what proportion of people on pre-payment meters have taken up support through the Energy Bill Support Scheme as of 28 November 2022.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Figures were published on GOV.UK on 18 November 2023. As at 1 November, 2,053,580 vouchers were provided to traditional pre-payment customers. Of those, 1,205,337 (59%) had been redeemed.

Energy Bill Support Scheme credit is applied automatically to smart prepayment meters. Customers who use a traditional prepayment meter are encouraged to make sure they have received their voucher from their supplier and should redeem them promptly, so they get the energy bill support to which they are entitled.


Written Question
Energy: Billing
Monday 17th October 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the press release entitled Ofgem requires improvements from energy suppliers on customer direct debits published on 13 July 2022, what discussions he has had with Ofgem on the steps it is taking to secure improvements from the twelve energy suppliers found to have weaknesses in their direct debit and charging processes.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

BEIS Ministers regularly have discussions with Ofgem on a range of issues relating to the energy market.

Having completed a review on whether energy suppliers are setting customers’ direct debit payments appropriately, Ofgem is working with seven suppliers found to have minor weaknesses in their processes. The five suppliers found to have moderate to severe weaknesses are required to implement rapid and robust improvements to their processes and reassess customer direct debits where necessary. Failure to act fast enough may result in Ofgem taking enforcement action. Ofgem intends to strengthen direct debit rules in the supply licence. Details available at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/statutory-consultation-strengthening-fixed-direct-debit-rules.


Written Question
Energy: Billing
Monday 17th October 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the press release entitled Ofgem requires improvements from energy suppliers on customer direct debits published on 13 July 2022, what discussions he has had with Ofgem on the steps it is taking to monitor energy suppliers that it found to have weaknesses in their direct debit and charging processes.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

BEIS Ministers regularly have discussions with Ofgem on a range of issues relating to the energy market.

Having completed a review on whether energy suppliers are setting customers’ direct debit payments appropriately, Ofgem is working with seven suppliers found to have minor weaknesses in their processes. The five suppliers found to have moderate to severe weaknesses are required to implement rapid and robust improvements to their processes and reassess customer direct debits where necessary. Failure to act fast enough may result in Ofgem taking enforcement action. Ofgem intends to strengthen direct debit rules in the supply licence. Details available at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/statutory-consultation-strengthening-fixed-direct-debit-rules.


Written Question
Energy: Billing
Monday 17th October 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with energy firm representatives on increases to energy bill direct debits.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

BEIS Ministers regularly meet with stakeholders, including energy suppliers, to discuss range of energy retail market issues.

Energy suppliers should not increase their customers’ direct debits by more than is necessary. Customers may challenge a proposed increase and renegotiate the direct debit payment. They can also review their direct debit payments at any time by taking a meter reading and contacting their supplier. The Government welcomed Ofgem’s announcement on 13 July 2022 of strict supervision of direct debits payments.


Written Question
Energy: Billing
Monday 17th October 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what mechanisms are available to help support individuals whose direct debit for energy bills has been increased by their energy provider (a) at short notice and (b) by more than the corresponding increase in the energy price cap.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem requires energy suppliers to take all reasonable steps to ensure their customers’ direct debit payments are based on the best available information. For existing customers, the direct debit payments should be based on energy used over the previous year plus any price changes. Customers should receive notice of a payment increase at least 10 days in advance of the change taking place. If a customer does not receive prior notice, they can make a complaint to the energy supplier.

The energy price cap and the new energy price guarantee apply to the amount customers are charged per unit of gas or electricity, so customers’ exact bill amounts will continue to be influenced by how much energy is used.


Written Question
Energy: Billing
Monday 17th October 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

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 individuals whose direct debit for energy bills has been significantly increased by their energy providers (a) at short notice and (b) by more than the corresponding increase to the energy price cap.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem requires energy suppliers to take all reasonable steps to ensure their customers’ direct debit payments are based on the best available information. For existing customers, the direct debit payments should be based on energy used over the previous year plus any price changes. Customers should receive notice of a payment increase at least 10 days in advance of the change taking place. If a customer does not receive prior notice, they can make a complaint to the energy supplier.

The energy price cap and the new energy price guarantee apply to the amount customers are charged per unit of gas or electricity, so customers’ exact bill amounts will continue to be influenced by how much energy is used.


Written Question
Carbon Emissions
Tuesday 7th January 2020

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps she will take to ensure the UK meets its target of zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng

The Government is committed to delivering our target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and end the UK’s contribution to climate change.

We are a world leader in cutting emissions, having reduced emissions by 42% since 1990 while growing the economy by 72%.

We recognise the need to go further and, since legislating for net zero in June, the Government has continued to bring forward ambitious plans to support clean growth across a range of sectors. This includes a £250 million Clean Steel Fund, £400 million of investment in new charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, and up to £1 billion additional funding to develop and embed the next generation of cutting-edge electric vehicle technologies.

Under the leadership of the newly created Cabinet Committee on Climate Change, chaired by the Prime Minister, we will be setting out ambitious plans throughout 2020 to strengthen our global leadership and seize the economic opportunities of clean growth for the whole country. The Committee will also oversee the UK’s preparations to host the crucial UN climate change summit, COP26, in November 2020.


Written Question
Carbon Emissions
Tuesday 5th November 2019

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the UK meets its renewed target of Zero Carbon emissions by 2050.

Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng

Tackling climate change is a top priority for the Department. We were the first major economy to legislate for a net zero target and have already made great progress towards it. Since 1990 we have reduced emissions by 42% while growing our economy by 72%.

The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy and Industrial Strategy set out strong frameworks to deliver the target in a way that maximises the economic benefits of our transition to net zero. This includes building on our strengths in electric vehicles and offshore wind. In 2018, 1 in 5 battery electric cars sold in Europe were built in the UK[1] and we are spending nearly £1.5 billion out to 2021 to support the take-up of ultra low emission vehicles. The UK has the largest offshore wind capacity in the world, with 34% of global capacity[2]. At the latest contracts for difference allocation round, 12 renewable electricity projects won contracts at record low costs. The auction has delivered enough energy to power 7.2m homes by 2025.

On 15 October, the Government published its response to the CCC’s latest annual Progress Report, setting out the suite of recent announcements made in support of our net zero target, and describing further actions that the Government will take to deliver net zero and meet our carbon budgets. These include plans for the publication in 2020 of an Energy White Paper, a Transport Decarbonisation Plan and a Heat Roadmap.

[1] OLEV (2019) fast facts briefing; ONS (2019) Low carbon and renewable energy economy final estimates: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/datasets/lowcarbonandrenewableenergyeconomyfirstestimatesdataset (Updated 19/07/2019 Nelli Vanninen)

[2] GWEC (2018), Global Wind report 2018, https://gwec.net/global-wind-report-2018/, (Updated 16/07/2019 Nelli Vanninen) last updated 07 May 2019 CED briefings