Context
Scotland has a high level of fuel poverty, with one third of households living in it. The UK Government pledged to cut energy bills by £300 but the chairman of GB Energy could not confirm when this would happen.
Question
Despite Scotland being one of the most energy-rich nations in Europe, decades of mismanagement by different colours of UK Government—whether Labour or Conservative—have led to a shocking one third of households in Scotland living in fuel poverty. That number is set to rise, along with energy bills. The Government were elected on Labour’s pledge to cut energy bills by £300, but yesterday the chair of GB Energy admitted that that was “not in its remit” and was completely unable to say when bills would come down, alleviating fuel poverty. If this is not another broken promise from the Prime Minister, can the Secretary of State confirm exactly when in this parliamentary term consumers in Scotland will see that reduction?
Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Miatta Fahnbulleh)
Fuel poverty is devolved in Scotland. The Scottish Government have had the opportunity to make a dent in this problem for almost 20 years and they have not. Even now, as we are ramping up upgrades to help people with fuel poverty, the Scottish Government are raiding more than £200 million from retrofitting funds that could help families today. I will take no lectures from the hon. Gentleman on how we tackle this problem.
Not addressed: When during this parliamentary term consumers in Scotland will see a reduction in energy bills as promised by the government.
How: The Issue Is Devolved To The Scottish Government.
Was this summary accurate? Tell us
How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)