Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shockat Adam and Martin McCluskey

Tuesday 2nd June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Martin McCluskey]

The hon. Member makes an important point. The Government do not want anyone to be making the choice between heating and eating. That is why across Government we are working on a data sprint to work out how we can use household income date to ensure that we are targeting support at the right people.

[Shockat Adam]

The typical annual dual fuel bill is 40% higher today in real terms than it was in 2021. After accounting for inflation, that means it is £511 more per household. The bad news does not stop there, with Ofgem announcing that the crisis is going to get worse, with a 13% increase to the energy price cap. My constituents in Leicester South were already suffering. Labour promised to fix that, but the cost of living is just getting worse. The Minister says that the only way to protect our country is through clean, home-grown power, so what is he doing to decouple the bills from gas prices and when will my constituents feel that?

[Martin McCluskey]

The hon. Gentleman’s constituents in Leicester will benefit from the decisions that we have already made. Those decisions take £150 off energy costs and extend the warm home discount and the warm homes plan, providing £15 billion of support. We are delinking and we are already taking action, as the Secretary of State announced last month. Ofgem has pointed out that although last week wholesale gas prices at the price cap went up by 24%, electricity went up by 5%. As it said:

“This reflects the increase in the amount of renewable generation on the system and therefore reduced reliance on gas”.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shockat Adam and Martin McCluskey

Tuesday 18th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Martin McCluskey]

Sorry, Mr Speaker.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

14. What steps his Department is taking to ensure approved suppliers providing home improvements under the ECO4 scheme continue to meet TrustMark standards.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Martin McCluskey)]

Having inherited a flawed system of oversight and regulation established by the previous Government, we now have much closer oversight of TrustMark, including a board observer and clear reporting requirements. TrustMark has also improved its processes and systems, and our warm homes plan will set out a strengthened consumer protection regime for the ECO4 scheme shortly.

[Shockat Adam]

Hundreds of my constituents in Leicester South installed external cladding as part of the ECO4 scheme. Despite using TrustMark contractors, my constituents have been left to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds in fines because those contractors failed to obtain correct planning permission. To make matters worse, when these homeowners approach the contractors to complain, they discover—surprise, surprise—that they have all gone bust. These are not rich people, and they now face stress and financial hardship, so will the Minister please meet me and my Highfields residents to discuss how this issue can be redressed?

[Martin McCluskey]

I share the hon. Member’s concerns about this issue, which is the result of a shocking dereliction of duty by the previous Government in the oversight of these schemes. I am aware of the particular situation in Leicester, and we are undertaking specific work to engage with the community there to ensure that people take up the offer of an audit and therefore get their homes remediated. I am more than happy to meet the hon. Member and any affected Members who have this situation with ECO4 in their constituency.