Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Fuel Poverty

Tuesday 14 November 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government have taken significant action to help households with rising energy prices and the costs of living, providing one of the largest packages of support in Europe, totalling 94 billion.
  • Orkney and Shetland have recorded record levels of winter mortality due to high fuel poverty rates.
  • The Minister is willing to engage with stakeholders to address the difficulties faced by constituents in Orkney and Shetland.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alistair Carmichael Lib Dem Orkney and Shetland
Economy Housing Energy
Context

The MP is concerned about the fiscal measures being taken to assist households in fuel poverty, a critical issue given rising energy prices.

Question

What fiscal steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support households in fuel poverty. The question highlights the urgent need for assistance as energy prices rise and the cost of living increases.

Answer from Gareth Davies

The Government have taken significant action to help households with rising energy prices and the costs of living, providing one of the largest packages of support in Europe, totalling £94 billion.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Alistair Carmichael Lib Dem Orkney and Shetland
Housing Energy
Context

The MP is concerned about the extremely high rates of fuel poverty in Orkney and Shetland, which recorded record levels of winter mortality last year. The area suffers disproportionately from rising energy costs.

Question

Orkney and Shetland have the worst rates of fuel poverty of anywhere in the country. Provisional figures show that, for last winter, both Orkney and Shetland recorded record levels of winter mortality. In his new office, will the Minister bring his colleagues together from across Government to hear from agencies such as THAW—Tackling Household Affordable Warmth—in Orkney that are working to tackle fuel poverty, because if we can tackle fuel poverty in Orkney and Shetland, we can tackle fuel poverty?

Answer from Gareth Davies

We are incredibly sympathetic to the right hon. Gentleman's constituents, who have suffered a very difficult time. That is why we introduced the energy price guarantee, which will remain in place until March 2024 as a safety net. We continue to engage with lots of stakeholders and we are very happy to include the ones he suggests.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request for a meeting with colleagues across Government was not directly addressed.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)