Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help mitigate potential job losses in the energy efficiency sector and associated supply chains following plans to close the Energy Company Obligation scheme.

We recognise that for those within the ECO supply chain, the decision to close the scheme presents immediate challenges. In the Warm Homes Plan, we committed to supporting the workforce to access opportunities through the £15bn funding and through regulations in the rented sector and for future homes which will support millions of households. We will engage the retrofit supply chain, housing associations and local authorities to agree an appropriate regime, in line with procurement law and their existing contractual arrangements, for awarding this new capital funding from April 2026.

We have also established the Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce, with the trade unions and the industry, to facilitate the transition to clean energy sectors.

The Taskforce will consider how to build resilience in the workforce to meet evolving demand in the market, which includes assessing the knock-on effects of the ECO4 closure.