Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Household Income: Energy Costs

Tuesday 28 November 2023 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • In England, 21% of households spent more than 10% of their income on energy costs in 2021 and 30% in 2022.
  • The government provided close to 40 billion of energy support last winter and announced an extra 900 cost of living payments across 2023 and 2024, bringing the total support to 104 billion over the period.
  • The Ofgem price cap has fallen from 4,279 at its peak in January 2023 to 1,928 from January 2024.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Champion Lab Rotherham
Energy
Context

In England, the share of households required to spend more than 10% of their income on energy after housing costs was 21% in 2021 and 30% in 2022.

Question

If she will make an estimate of the proportion of households that spent more than 10% of their income on energy costs in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022. More than 20% of Rotherham households are living in fuel poverty, yet the Government's flagship energy policy will not save a single penny from those households' energy bills. Bills are set to rise again in January. How can the Minister justify the Government's failure to support constituents?

Answer from Claire Coutinho

In England, 21% of households spent more than 10% of their income on energy costs in 2021 and 30% in 2022. The government provided close to £40 billion of support last winter and announced an extra £900 cost of living payments across 2023 and 2024, bringing the total support to £104 billion over the period 2022 to 2025.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer did not directly address the specific ask about justifying the government's failure and provided general figures instead of addressing fuel poverty specifically.

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Q2 Sarah Champion Lab Rotherham
Energy
Context

Christopher Thexton, a 'green doctor', works out of College House in Barrow to help people reduce their energy bills.

Question

The demand is massively outstripping supply regarding the teams that go into homes to try to help people save money on their energy bills and reduce cost. Can my right hon. Friend speak to whether any more support is available to such teams?

Answer from Claire Coutinho

We are spending £20 billion on energy efficiency over this Parliament and the next. When we took over in 2010, just 14% of homes were energy-efficient. Now the number is 50%, and we have plans to go further.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer provided statistics about past efforts but did not directly address whether more support will be given to the teams mentioned.

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Q3 Simon Fell
Energy Benefits & Welfare
Context

An estimated 6.3 million households are in fuel poverty across the UK, with Ofgem estimating energy debt at £2.6 billion.

Question

The Government promised to consult on a social tariff to help vulnerable people with their bills. Can the Secretary of State provide an update on that consultation?

Answer from Claire Coutinho

People mean many different things by a social tariff, but fundamentally it is about providing people with support to help with their bills. Just in the autumn statement, we have increased the national living wage, benefits by 6.7%, and cut national insurance contributions.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer did not provide an update on the consultation status but instead gave general support measures.

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Q4 Jeff Smith Lab Manchester Withington
Scotland Energy
Context

Recently, the Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel estimated that nearly 30% of households in Scotland are facing extreme fuel poverty.

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree that at least this is concerning? A third of my constituents live in energy-rich Scotland but find themselves in fuel poverty. Is that what Unionists mean by pooling and sharing resources?

Answer from Claire Coutinho

We have spent £104 billion protecting the British people, which is one of the most generous packages anywhere in Europe. The hon. Member should back British oil and gas jobs if they care about incomes in Scotland.

Not addressed: The answerer did not address the specific ask or provide an opinion on the situation described but instead suggested supporting British oil and gas jobs.

How: Suggesting Support For Another Issue

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Q5 Dave Doogan SNP Angus and Perthshire Glens
Energy
Context

In England, the share of households required to spend more than 10% of their income on energy after housing costs was 21% in 2021 and 30% in 2022.

Question

More than 20% of Rotherham households are living in fuel poverty, yet the Government's flagship energy policy will not save a single penny from those households' energy bills. Bills are set to rise again in January. How can the Minister justify the Government's failure to support my constituents?

Answer from Claire Coutinho

We provided close to £40 billion of energy support last winter, one of the most generous levels in Europe. Since then, the Ofgem price cap has fallen from £4,279 at its peak in January 2023 to £1,928 from January 2024.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer provided general figures but did not directly address the specific ask about justifying the government's failure to support constituents.

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