Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Graham Stuart(11 months, 1 week ago)
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The Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero (Graham Stuart)
I thank my hon. Friend for all his work championing both this area and the concerns of his constituents. As he rightly says, planning policy and guidance encourage large solar projects to locate on previously developed or lower value land and we will indeed undertake to be vigilant in ensuring that those principles are respected.
Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab)
Road Fuel Prices
Debate between Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Graham Stuart(1 year, 4 months ago)
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.
Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Graham Stuart
I thank my right hon. Friend for championing the consumer, as he always does. As he will be well aware, tax is a matter for the Chancellor, but the whole House will have heard his passionate call to make sure that taxes are held down to the lowest amount they possibly can be. That is one more reason why we cannot have the Labour party taking control of the country.
Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab)
In March, the RAC revealed that retailers are making a three times bigger margin on diesel than they were at the beginning of last year, and motorists are seeing absolutely no benefit from the Chancellor’s fuel duty cut. Given the Government’s dither and delay on taking any sort of action, how does the Minister feel when the Government’s flagship policy to help motorists is having little to no impact?
Graham Stuart
We are furious that these price cuts have not been passed on to consumers. That is why we asked the CMA to investigate and to get further into the detail, and it is why we will implement its findings in full.
Prepayment Meters
Debate between Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Graham Stuart
Graham Stuart
As I have made clear to the House, the Government are absolutely calling for suppliers to do everything possible to avoid doing this, and I think that we are already seeing movement as a result of that call.
Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab)
You will be aware, Madam Deputy Speaker, that prepayment customers, many of whom are the least well off in society, are charged a higher rate for their energy. Does the Minister recognise the huge injustice being forced on thousands more households as they are shifted on to prepayment meters and higher rates? What will he do to correct that injustice urgently, including, hopefully, issuing a moratorium?
Graham Stuart
I have explained that the system that Ofgem enforces, and has long enforced, is strictly based on the cost of delivery. We will look at that again to make sure of that. We have to ensure that the existing conditions on compliance on which Ofgem works with suppliers are right, but we also need a future system that learns from current pressures.