Domestic Heating Oil

Sarah Newton Excerpts

Wednesday 9th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Dr Eilidh Whiteford (Banff and Buchan) (SNP)]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady not only for allowing me to intervene, but for bringing this issue to the House. Does she agree that one of the fundamental issues in this debate is the fact that people in rural areas often do not have a choice? The problem with the market is that people do not have a choice over either the oil that they use or the suppliers available to them.

[Sarah Newton (Truro and Falmouth) (Con)]

rose—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. The hon. Member for North West Durham (Pat Glass) should get a word in edgeways before she gives way to another Member, if only to help me remember whose Adjournment debate this actually is.

[Pat Glass]

I absolutely agree with the hon. Lady, and I want to give way to as many Members as possible.

[Sarah Newton]

I appreciate the hon. Lady’s generosity in giving way to so many of us, because this debate is clearly about a huge problem across the country. I represent a part of Cornwall where, just as the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford) said, there is no choice for people who are off gas. There is no choice of distributors, given what has been happening in the market.