Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to mitigate any potential increase in fuel poverty when a new energy price cap is announced in April 2022.

It is Ofgem’s role, as the independent regulator, to set the price cap.

The Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty, reducing energy bills and delivering warmer, safer homes for the most vulnerable. The Government considers improving the energy efficiency of homes to be the best long-term method of tackling of fuel poverty. Energy efficiency schemes include the Energy Company Obligation and the Sustainable Warmth Competition.

Ofgem rules require energy suppliers to offer customers at risk of debt, or in debt, the facility to repay their debt in instalments and require suppliers to take into account a customer’s ability to pay, where they are facing financial difficulties.

In order to further help consumers, the Government has already introduced the extra £500m Household Support Fund for those more in need this winter, on top of other schemes like the Warm Home Discount, which is being increased to £150 and extended to an extra 780,000 households, to support the most vulnerable.