Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 transparency data entitled Energy Bills Support Scheme GB: payments made by electricity suppliers to customers, published on 20 December 2022, what the total number of (a) payments delivered and (b) vouchers redeemed for people with prepayment meters was in the London Borough of Hounslow.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Energy Bills Support Scheme payment data is collected from suppliers and broken down by energy supplier and payment type for England, Wales and Scotland.
By 1st December 2022, 99% of vouchers had been issued to customers with traditional pre-payment meters, and of these 66% have been redeemed. This is an increase from 59% in the previous month. Vouchers are valid for 3 months and so the Government expects this figure to rise in the coming months. Monthly updates can be found at this address https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-support-scheme-payments-made-by-electricity-suppliers-to-customers.
Delivery data by region, local authority and Westminster parliamentary constituency will be published in due course.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many homes were retrofitted as a result of the Green Homes Grant in the London Borough of Hounslow as of 31 October 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Information on the number of households with at least one measure installed by local authority for the Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme be found in table 4.3 accompanying the latest release.
Information on the number of households upgraded under the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme can be found in table 8 accompanying the latest release.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applications for the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme were successful in (a) Brentford and Isleworth constituency and (b) the London Borough of Hounslow.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Information on the number of applications by application stage for Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme by local authority and parliamentary constituency can be found in tables 4.3 and 4.4 respectively accompanying the latest release.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies on the Energy Charter Treaty of the opinion published by the French High Climate Council on 20 October 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties. The Government will continue to do so as part of our engagement with the Treaty’s modernisation process.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his officials have had with OVO on the time it has taken to issue Energy Bills Support Scheme support to individuals who receive their energy supply via pre payment metres.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 4 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all energy suppliers with customers on traditional prepayment meters including OVO, reiterating the importance of ensuring these customers receive their vouchers and, receive prompt service and accurate information from supplier call centres. This was followed up by a meeting I held with all CEOs of energy suppliers with prepayment meter customers to press them to ensure a good service is provided. This does not relate to customers with smart prepayment meters which are credited automatically. 100% of vouchers were dispatched to traditional prepayment meter customers in the first month of the scheme’s operation
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps has his Department taken to help ensure that people who get their energy supply through a pre-payment meter receive the first instalment of the energy voucher.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 4 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all energy suppliers with customers on traditional prepayment meters including OVO, reiterating the importance of ensuring these customers receive their vouchers and, receive prompt service and accurate information from supplier call centres. This was followed up by a meeting I held with all CEOs of energy suppliers with prepayment meter customers to press them to ensure a good service is provided. This does not relate to customers with smart prepayment meters which are credited automatically. 100% of vouchers were dispatched to traditional prepayment meter customers in the first month of the scheme’s operation
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the number of energy vouchers issued by energy providers for people who get their energy via pre-payment meters.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 4 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all energy suppliers with customers on traditional prepayment meters including OVO, reiterating the importance of ensuring these customers receive their vouchers and, receive prompt service and accurate information from supplier call centres. This was followed up by a meeting I held with all CEOs of energy suppliers with prepayment meter customers to press them to ensure a good service is provided. This does not relate to customers with smart prepayment meters which are credited automatically. 100% of vouchers were dispatched to traditional prepayment meter customers in the first month of the scheme’s operation
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who get their energy supply through a pre-payment metre who have not received the first instalment of the energy voucher.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Customers with traditional prepayment meters should have received their first and second Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) discount vouchers. These would have been sent by SMS text, email, post or a Special Action Message. Data for October indicates all vouchers were dispatched by suppliers, and take up was over 60%. Updated figures are due shortly.
The EBSS discount is credited automatically to smart prepayment meters.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 make an assessment of the potential impact of the vote by the European Parliament in favour of withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty on 23 November 2022 on the UK's position on that treaty.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK has been a strong advocate for ECT modernisation. At the Energy Charter Conference on 22 November, the decision to adopt the modernised Treaty was postponed. The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties. The Government will continue to do so as part of its engagement with the Treaty’s modernisation process.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of reforming the Energy Charter Treaty in the period since 23 November 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK has been a strong advocate for the Energy Charter Treaty modernisation. At the Energy Charter Conference on 22 November, the decision to adopt the modernised Treaty was postponed. The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties. The Government will continue to do so as part of its engagement with the Treaty’s modernisation process.