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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what powers are available to Ofgem to protect consumers against fraud by green deal energy providers.

The Green Deal is administered by the Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body (GD ORB) under The Green Deal Framework (Disclosure Acknowledgement, Redress etc) Regulations 2012. The GD ORB assesses applicant Green Deal Providers against the criteria set out in the Regulations to determine whether they are a fit person to act as a Green Deal Provider. The GD ORB also monitors compliance against the Green Deal Code of Practice and use of the Green Deal Quality Mark. These processes seek to ensure that Green Deal Providers operate to a high standard for the benefit of all scheme stakeholders, and that consumers entering Green Deal plans are appropriately protected. Where things go wrong, the Green Deal Ombudsman is available to consumers to seek redress and the Regulations provide remedies for consumer redress. We are exploring ways to improve consumer protection in the area through the Each Home Counts Review and the call for evidence on the Green Deal Framework which closed on 23 November 2017. Ofgem does not have powers under the Framework Regulations.