Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made on the affordability and availability of heating oil in the Lewes constituency.

The Government recognises the particular pressures faced by rural and off-gas-grid households.

In the Lewes constituency specifically, around 5% of households depend on heating oil.

Recent heating-oil price rises have largely reflected higher wholesale costs. Earlier this year, £53 million of targeted support was announced for low-income households affected by higher heating-oil costs via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). The East Sussex county received £567,211 through the CRF to support households dependent on heating oil.

We continue to monitor supply and prices and engage with industry to support resilient supply and fair pricing.

On 13 October 2026, the Government published its response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s study and committed to regulating the heating-oil market for the first time, strengthening fair treatment, transparency, protections for vulnerable households and routes to redress while preserving competition and security of supply.