Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Fuel Poverty

Tuesday 6 January 2026 · 3 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 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Questions addressed fuel poverty in the UK on 2026-01-06.
  • Baggy Shanker highlighted that 20% of families in Derby South live in fuel poverty during a cold snap.
  • Dr Ellie Chowns criticized the Government for postponing the publication of the warm homes plan and fuel poverty plan.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Baggy Shanker Labour (Co-op) Derby South
Housing Energy
Context

MP raised concerns about the immediate impact of cold weather on families struggling with fuel poverty in Derby South. The question follows up on earlier discussions about government plans to address this issue.

Question

Everyone deserves a warm and safe place to call home, but for the 20% of families in Derby South who live in fuel poverty this week’s cold snap is a nightmare as they struggle to heat their homes. What longer-term plans are being made so that families can see the benefits of a Labour Government and do not dread this sort of weather?

Answer from Martin McCluskey

I thank my hon. Friend for that important question. Energy prices are still far too high because of dither and delay from the Opposition when they were in government. No one should have to make the difficult choices that my hon. Friend describes. The Government are totally focused on reducing the cost of energy and making life easier for people throughout the UK. That focus includes the £150 off the cost of energy from next April—the removal of those costs from bills—and the extension of the warm home discount. We are also working with other Government Departments to improve access to data so that we can properly target support for households. We will come forward with more proposals in due course.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked about longer-term plans, but the answer focused on immediate measures without providing a detailed timeline or specifics on long-term strategies.

How: Working To Improve Data Access, Will Come Forward With More Proposals In Due Course

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Q2 Ellie Chowns Green North Herefordshire
Energy Environment
Context

Charities have estimated that over 6 million households in the UK are living in fuel poverty. The Green Party spokesperson questioned the delay in publishing the warm homes plan and requested specifics on how many of those affected will benefit.

Question

Charities estimate that more than 6 million households in the UK live in fuel poverty. The Minister’s answer did not even mention the warm homes plan, but he talked about dither and delay. His Government have repeatedly postponed publication of the warm homes plan. They have cancelled previous fuel poverty programmes without replacing them with new insulation programmes. When will the Minister finally publish the warm homes plan? How many of those 6 million households in fuel poverty will benefit from it?

Answer from Martin McCluskey

It is worth waiting for the warm homes plan, which will be published very soon. Alongside that there will be an ambitious fuel poverty plan for England. The Chancellor has already announced £15 billion of funding for that. We will set it out very soon and I look forward to constructive discussions with the hon. Member when it is published.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked about a concrete timeline and beneficiary numbers, but the answer did not provide specific dates or figures.

How: Warm Homes Plan Will Be Published Very Soon, £15 Billion Of Funding

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Q3 Pippa Heylings Lib Dem South Cambridgeshire
Energy Environment
Context

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson raised concerns about the Government's decision to cut the energy company obligation without providing details on what will replace it, leaving businesses and supply chains in uncertainty.

Question

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and happy new year. It is freezing outside and, tragically, more than 4,000 households in my constituency are living in fuel poverty. The Government’s decision to cut the energy company obligation, which was the key mechanism for delivering home insulation and energy efficiency, without any details about what will replace it, risks pushing more families into fuel poverty. The businesses and supply chains that have fulfilled ECO contracts for more than a decade have been left in limbo. Again, we have heard no date for the plan. Will the Secretary of State or the Minister finally say when it will be released, thus ending uncertainty for businesses and the suffering of households?

Answer from Martin McCluskey

The warm homes plan will be published soon and I look forward to conversations with the hon. Member about how we roll out its ambitious measures. ECO did not target those in fuel poverty successfully enough—we spent far too much on something that did not deliver the right results. Instead, the warm homes plan will provide £1.5 billion of additional capital support, targeted at people on low incomes. That is in addition to, for example, local authority grants, which target billions of pounds at low-income households.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked about a concrete release date, but the answer did not provide one and instead justified changes to the ECO scheme without specifics on timing.

How: Warm Homes Plan Will Be Published Soon, Eco Was Not Effective

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