Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information his Department holds on the number of families with children in (a) North West Durham constituency and (b) the UK who are currently in debt to their energy suppliers.

The Department does not hold information on how many families are in debt with their energy companies.

Ofgem closely monitors domestic energy suppliers’ performance and publishes information in relation to debt owed by domestic electricity and gas account holders in Great Britain, but they do not publish data relating to families with children or constituency areas. At the end of 2013, latest data available, 1.5 million domestic electricity account holders and 1.4 million domestic gas accounts holders were in debt to their energy supplier:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/92186/annualreport2013finalforpublication.pdf.

(Ofgem’s Domestic Suppliers’ Social Obligations: 2013 Annual Report)