Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the energy companies on the speculative increase that they are placing on direct debit payments to anticipate the increase in energy prices.

The Government is monitoring the increases in wholesale energy prices closely, and meeting regularly with Ofgem, suppliers and consumer groups to understand the future impact on consumers.

The Government has announced a rebate of £200 on energy bills from the autumn to help households deal with the unprecedented increase in energy prices. In addition, the Government has announced further support for delivery outside of the energy system to help with the wider cost of living, with a £150 payment for the 80% of English households in council tax bands A through D.