Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether strategic and combined authorities receiving Warm Homes Plan funding through devolution deals are required to demonstrate through reporting how their delivery plans will contribute to the achievement of the fuel poverty target for England; and whether delivery requirements for achieving that target are attached to that funding.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Mayoral Strategic Authorities receiving devolved retrofit funding through Integrated Settlements are required to deliver and report against agreed outcomes and targets, including those relating to fuel poverty and household bill savings. These arrangements support the Government’s wider objectives to tackle fuel poverty, while providing authorities with flexibility over how they achieve agreed outcomes locally. The Government’s 2026 Fuel Poverty Strategy committed to consulting on a new fuel poverty target to succeed the current 2030 target and, in line with Rewiring the State, set out its intention to devolve greater power, funding and accountability to local leaders.
Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether previous work on the National Data Library to enable better targeting of energy bills support will continue following the machinery of government changes affecting the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The National Data Library is a valuable addition to the work the Government is undertaking to provide more targeted support to households who need it. DESNZ is committed to improving how it uses existing government data in the delivery of public services.
The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport lead the work on the National Data Library Kickstarter projects. DESNZ is the principle initial customer for the Household Income Kickstarter work and DESNZ is in full support of this work.
Asked by: Hannah Spencer (Green Party - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards in the private rented sector on private rent inflation.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government published a response to the consultation on improving the energy performance of privately rented homes on 21 January 2026. The government response is accompanied by the Department’s Impact Assessment which provides an estimated impact of the final policy and can be found on GOV.UK.
Rental prices are not determined by a single factor, and as outlined in the final impact assessment, wider market factors alongside this regulation may affect the rental prices of properties whether or not they are required to make upgrades under the MEES regulations. The government’s priority is to give landlords the regulatory certainty and advice they need to plan efficiency upgrades over the coming years, in consultation with tenants. More broadly, we are committed to protecting tenants’ rights by giving them the right to challenge unreasonable rent increases under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025