Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the contribution of 14 January 2015, Official Report, column 904, on energy prices, what the evidential basis is for the statement that switching rates have fallen because of the end of doorstep selling.

New rules to tighten up doorstep sales practices were introduced in 2009 and investigations into the doorstep selling practices of larger suppliers were launched by Ofgem, with the larger suppliers’ voluntarily ceasing doorstep selling from 2011/ 2012.

The time series data DECC publishes on switching [1] shows a downward trend following the cessation of doorstep sales.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-switching-statistics