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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the energy bills of consumers of domestic energy suppliers ceasing trading.

In the event of an energy supplier insolvency, the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process allows a quick transfer of customers to another supplier appointed by Ofgem and ensures credit balances are protected.

As a result of the competitive SoLR processes, successful suppliers have agreed to absorb a proportion of the costs of the process and claim some of the remaining costs via the industry-wide SoLR levy. The amount claimed through the levy will vary depending on the terms of the successful SoLR bid and other factors such as number of customers and how much credit they have built up. It takes time for the extent of some SoLR-related costs to become clear and Ofgem consult with industry and interested parties before any levy claim decision is taken.