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Home Insulation
26 November 2025
Lead MP
Anna Dixon
Shipley
Lab
Responding Minister
Martin McCluskey
Tags
TaxationHousingEmployment
Word Count: 4359
Other Contributors: 5
At a Glance
Anna Dixon raised concerns about home insulation in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Government should support home insulation initiatives like the warm homes plan, scrap the Tory energy company obligation scheme, and introduce social tariffs for energy companies to help those in fuel poverty.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Across the country, 12 million households are in fuel poverty, with almost 5 million spending over 20% of their income on energy. In Shipley, data from Friends of the Earth shows there are 17 energy crisis hotspots and 64% of homes have an EPC rating of D or below. Energy debt is soaring to over £4 billion across the UK.
Afzal Khan
Lab
Manchester Rusholme
He agreed with Anna Dixon that home insulation is vital to improve public health alongside tackling fuel poverty, citing research showing nearly three in every 10 children in cold homes at risk of developing health issues.
Paid tribute to local projects such as Saltaire Retrofit Reimagined, which has focused on improving heating and energy efficiency in heritage properties within the Saltaire world heritage site. She also expressed concern about the reduction of energy efficiency installations under the previous Government.
Gareth Snell
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent North
Recalled the importance of the housing market renewal programme that was cut by the previous Tory Government, which had a positive impact on retrofits and community regeneration.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
He highlighted similar issues in Northern Ireland where 65% of dwellings have full cavity wall insulation, and asked for a lower threshold for programmes like the boiler scheme insulation grant to help more households.
Shockat Adam
Ind
Leicester South
Agreed with Anna Dixon that home insulation is essential for tackling rising energy bills and climate change, urging the Minister to confirm the Government’s ambition to upgrade 5 million homes by the end of the current Parliament.
Government Response
Martin McCluskey
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Government Response
Acknowledged the extent of failures under ECO4 and Great British Insulation schemes, confirmed that letters offering free audits will be sent from today. The Government has committed to reforming the system with enhanced checks on contractors and new restrictions for installers. The warm homes plan aims to upgrade millions of homes with £15 billion funding after the Budget announcement. We are not waiting for the plan to get on with delivery. We have already allocated £1.8 billion through the warm homes local grant and warm homes social housing fund. The Government has set out proposals to increase minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector in England and Wales to EPC C or equivalent by 2030, and introduced a minimum standard in the social rented sector. We have doubled the funding for the boiler upgrade scheme to £295 million this year, and it will be increased annually up to 2030. The warm homes discount has been expanded this year to every household where the billpayer is on a means-tested benefit, providing £150-worth of support directly to billpayers this winter.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.