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155668

registered interest
date	17/11/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Energy: Prices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the outcomes of the round-table event convened by Ofgem on 29 October on price differences between various payment methods for domestic consumers of electricity and gas, particularly in relation to addressing the higher fuel costs of pre-payment meters.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2014 answer text <p>There was general agreement at the workshop that payment differentials was a complex issue and that any changes to the rules would create winners or losers with no clear benefit to vulnerable groups. For example, of households who were fuel poor in England in 2012, around 48% paid for their electricity and 40% paid for their gas through direct debit and around 27% paid for their electricity and 20% paid for their gas through prepayment meters. Changing rules in favour of pre-payment meter customers would make direct debit customers worse-off.</p><p>Ofgem intend to circulate a note from the event to participants within the next week. As part of their ongoing work programme on vulnerability, they are planning a series of workshops to focus on other important issues in the future.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 27/11/2014 12:31:23 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

93733

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Energy: Prices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the outcomes of the round-table discussions convened by Ofgem over the summer with suppliers, consumer representatives, parliamentarians and the Government, particularly in relation to addressing the higher fuel costs imposed by pre-payment meters.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>Ofgem will host a round-table event on the afternoon of 29 October on price differences between various payment methods for domestic consumers of electricity and gas. The event follows an open letter published by Ofgem on 20 May that set out the findings to a request for information to suppliers on the prices they charge consumers for different payment methods, including prepayment:</p><p><a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/87924/openletterfinalrepublished.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/87924/openletterfinalrepublished.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 23/10/2014 16:22:38 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

89914

registered interest
date	01/09/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Energy: Meters
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to encouraging the six largest energy companies to develop and use their own vulnerability checklist as part of a comprehensive assessment process to help determine a household's circumstances before any new pre-payment meters are installed, in accordance with the voluntary code agreed with Consumer Focus in March 2011.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL1756
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2014 answer text <p>All the large suppliers have agreed to the 5 key principles set out by Consumer Focus in March 2011. This includes a check of whether a customer is vulnerable before installation of a prepayment meter and offering a different payment method if appropriate. In the 2012 report “Making Progress” Consumer Focus found that most large suppliers use a checklist to help staff identify the best approach. This report is available at this link: <a href="http://www.consumerfutures.org.uk/files/2013/07/Making-progress.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.consumerfutures.org.uk/files/2013/07/Making-progress.pdf</a></p><p>Government supports initiatives to ensure that vulnerable pre-payment customers are being treated fairly and receiving appropriate support and is considering areas where Government action could further improve the consumer experience of pre-payment customers.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 15/09/2014 11:48:30 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

89915

registered interest
date	01/09/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Energy: Prices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to encouraging energy companies to use income-differentiated tariffs as a means of addressing fuel poverty.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL1757
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2014 answer text <p>Energy suppliers provide direct bill support for low income households through the Government’s Warm Home Discount scheme. <del class="ministerial">As the original impact assessment for the scheme made clear, the scheme grew in part out of a concern about affordability of energy bills and accessibility of appropriate tariffs for those on low incomes. The scheme is now hugely successful.</del> <del class="ministerial">This year the</del> <ins class="ministerial">The </ins>Warm Home<ins class="ministerial">s</ins> Discount will<ins class="ministerial"> increase to</ins> give eligible low-income bill payers £140 money off their energy bills, helping over 2 million people including 1.4 million of Britain’s most vulnerable pensioners.</p><p>There has been consideration of the role of differentiated tariffs as part of the Hills Review of Fuel Poverty, and in the development of Fuel Poverty: Framework for future action and Cutting the cost of keeping warm, the consultation to prepare for a new fuel poverty strategy.</p><p>We continue to monitor the impacts of the Ofgem’s Retail Market Review and wider Government action to ensure consumers are treated fairly in the energy market and are better able to the choose a deal that suits them. We expect to keep the case for further action under review as part of this.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 08/09/2014 08:09:35 question first ministerially corrected 15/09/2014 12:14:23 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma previous answer version 18278 answering member printed Baroness Verma answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

89916

registered interest
date	01/09/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Energy: Meters
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will work with energy companies to ensure that those using pre-payment meters pay the equivalent tariffs to those paying by direct debit, irrespective of whether smart meters are installed.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL1758
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2014 answer text <p>Energy supplier licence conditions, set by Ofgem, allow suppliers to apply different charges to different payment methods providing the differentials reflect the costs to the supplier of the form of payment. This allowance is made in recognition of the fact that some payment methods are more expensive to administer than others. In May 2014, Ofgem published the results of analysis on this issue which showed that across the market the price on different payment methods reflects the varying costs suppliers face in providing them. This is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/price-differences-between-payment-methods-&amp;ndash;-open-letter" target="_blank">https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/price-differences-between-payment-methods-–-open-letter</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 15/09/2014 11:47:31 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma attachment 1 file name QWA HL1758 - Open letter from Ofgem 20.05.14.pdf title Ofgem open letter 20.05.14 - Price differences
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

61939

registered interest
date	16/06/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Energy Supply
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress was made towards improving the security and affordability of off-grid fuel supply at the third ministerial roundtable meeting on heating oil and liquid petroleum gas supply on 21 May.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL357
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2014 answer text <p>My rt. hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy chaired the third Ministerial Roundtable meeting on heating oil and LPG supply on 21 May. My rt. hon Friend the Minister of State for Climate Change joined the roundtable discussion on off gas grid fuel poor households and support for off gas grid consumers. This continued the useful discussions government has had at the previous two Roundtables with representatives from industry, consumer groups, oil buying groups and others on how to improve heating oil and LPG supply to UK consumers.</p><p>Issues covered at the third roundtable included the promotion of the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers' Customer Charter, the messaging to consumers on buying oil early ahead of the winter and an update on the action government is taking more broadly to help fuel poor off-grid households. Full details of the meeting can be found in the minutes of the meeting which has been placed in the Library of the House.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 24/06/2014 16:17:48 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

58577

registered interest
date	05/06/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Climate Change
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in securing a deal on the European Union's 2030 climate change reduction package, in advance of the United Nations Secretary-General's Climate Summit in September.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL102
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p>The European Council in March 2014 discussed the 2030 climate and energy framework and agreed to make a final decision on the Framework no later than October this year.</p><p>The UK believes that the EU should urgently adopt a domestic emissions reduction target for 2030 of at least 40% on 1990 levels, moving to 50% in the context of an ambitious global climate agreement.</p><p>I am determined to continue working closely and intensively with all my colleagues in Europe to ensure that the EU is in a position to play a leading role at the Ban Ki-Moon Climate Summit in September.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 17/06/2014 13:14:55 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

49808

registered interest
date	06/05/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure the continuing affordability of liquid petroleum gas and oil for those households which are not on mains gas supply.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL6826
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>Her Majesty's Government is acutely aware of the difficulties people have experienced with the price of liquid petroleum gas and heating oil. The price of LPG and oil is influenced by a range of factors, including crude oil prices (the major factor), refinery capacity, stock levels, distribution costs and retail margins.</p><p> </p><p>We believe that the consumer is best served by open competition between companies. The Office of Fair Trading studied the heating oil market in 2011 and found few competition concerns. Most areas of the UK are supplied by a variety of heating oil suppliers and there are low barriers to entry for new businesses who may want to compete. The OFT study also commented on the generally positive initial impact of the Competition Commission Orders from 2009 to make it easier for domestic bulk LPG consumers to switch supplier, and there is a statutory duty to keep under review the effectiveness of and compliance with these Orders.</p><p> </p><p>My Rt. Hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy will chair a third Ministerial Roundtable meeting on heating oil and LPG supply on 21 May. The Roundtable brings together a wide range of interests including Government, regulators, advisory and charitable bodies, the fuel supply industry and others to work together to improve the security and affordability of off-grid fuel supply.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

49809

registered interest
date	06/05/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will act to reduce the unit price paid by those consumers who are able to purchase electricity only from a supplier because they are not on mains gas supply and so cannot benefit from a dual fuel tariff.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL6827
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2014 answer text <p>The decision to offer a dual fuel discount to customers who take a gas and electricity supply from one supplier is a commercial matter for the companies concerned. The discount reflects savings made by the company by combining administrative costs of providing the two separate supplies. Dual fuel discounts typically range from £10 to £25 per year. It would not be appropriate for Government to intervene by requiring suppliers to reduce electricity prices for just one specific segment of customers.</p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 09/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans