Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will conduct an impact assessment on freezing energy bills on the energy sector and its potential effect on the workforce that sector employs.

Our overall assessment is that a price freeze would have a negative impact on energy prices by increasing regulatory risk, decreasing the incentives for companies to cut prices, and could also have a detrimental impact on investment. A more risk averse approach to investment could affect supplier decisions regarding the size of their workforce.