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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to support people who have been supplied with substandard cavity wall insulation; and what plans the Government has for improved regulation of the insulation sector.

The Department has published consumer guidance for householders who suspect they have received faulty cavity wall insulation. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cavity-wall-insulation-cwi-consumer-guide-to-issues-arising-from-installations.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme requires a 25-year guarantee to be provided to householders for all cavity wall insulation. The guarantee provides instructions if there are problems related to the insulation product or its installation.

Where cavity wall insulation is installed under ECO, the installation must also be compliant with the most recent provisions of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS); this sets out the specifications for the installation of energy efficiency measures in existing dwellings, including cavity wall insulation. The standard sets out requirements which aim to ensure that the installation is suitable for the property and installed to high standards.

TrustMark is delivering the new Government endorsed quality framework for energy efficiency measures which was launched in October 2018. The framework ensures an improved and comprehensive consumer protection process, including guarantees and a redress scheme.

From 1 January 2019 all relevant measures (including cavity wall insulation) installed under the ECO scheme must be delivered by a Trustmark approved installer and compliant with the Trustmark framework requirements.