Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of households in fuel poverty in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England.

The Government is fully committed to tackling fuel poverty in England, including meeting the 2030 target now enshrined in law.

Policies such as the Warm Home Discount and Energy Company Obligation deliver vital support to millions of low income and vulnerable homes each year. This includes direct reductions in electricity bills as well as support to improve homes through heating and insulation measures.

We publish information on the geographical distribution of measures under ECO here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-march-2015.

Furthermore, in terms of support in the West Midlands, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council has recently received funding through the Fuel Poverty Health Booster Fund for scaling up activity to help fuel poor households where people have health conditions linked to cold homes.