Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential financial impact of rising fuel costs on households in England.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that families and businesses will be worried about the impact of conflict in the Middle East here at home and that increases in fuel prices can put strain on household budgets, particularly those that rely heavily on road transport and heating oil.
The Government monitors road fuel and heating oil prices and considers their impact on household budgets, using published fuel price data and wider evidence on household affordability.
The burden of higher fuel costs falls disproportionately on lower-income households, with those in the lowest income decile spending the highest proportion of their disposable income on fuel.
As of 12th October, the average cost to fill a 50-litre car with diesel is £100, £29 higher than pre-conflict, while for petrol it is £88, £22 higher.[1]
As of June, 38% of those who use oil as the main heating source in their home said they have difficultly affording heating oil.[2]
[1] Weekly road fuel prices (DESNZ, 2026)
[2] Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: personal experiences of shortages of goods - Office for National Statistics (ONS, June 2026)
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle rising fuel costs.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that rising fuel prices can place pressure on households and businesses.
While we continue to monitor developments in fuel markets and their impact on households and businesses we have put in place measures to help consumers.
To help keep costs down, the Government has frozen fuel duty since taking office and extended the temporary 5 pence per litre fuel duty cut until 31 December.
Additionally, drivers can use the Fuel Finder scheme to compare local pump prices and identify the cheapest fuel available in their area.
In response to the surge in heating oil costs earlier this year, the Government announced over £50 million of support across the UK for low-income households that rely on heating oil.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help support (a) drivers and (b) businesses with increases in fuel costs caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that increases in fuel prices can put strain on household budgets and businesses. We are closely monitoring the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on global oil prices.
To support drivers, the Government has frozen fuel duty since taking office and extended the temporary 5 pence per litre fuel duty cut until 31 December.
Motorists can also use the Fuel Finder scheme to compare local pump prices and identify cheaper forecourts in their area.
Businesses continue to benefit from these measures, while eligible sectors including agriculture retain access to rebated red diesel.
The Government recently reduced the duty rate on red diesel further from 10.18p to 6.48p per litre until 31 December.
We continue to keep the impact of fuel prices on households and businesses under review.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made on the impact of rising energy costs on the number of people in energy debt.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Monitoring levels of debt in the domestic energy supply sector is the responsibility of Ofgem.
Ofgem regularly provides updates on this which are published on its website here: Debt and arrears indicators | Ofgem
The Government is working closely with Ofgem on a range of measures to deal with energy consumer debt and understand the impacts of different approaches on consumers.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent conversations her department has had with charities about the impact of rising energy bills on vulnerable households.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with charities on a range of subjects including the impact of high energy bills. Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
The Government recognises that any price rise is a concern for households. The latest increase in energy bills is driven by increased wholesale energy costs, particularly gas, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East. This means families and businesses are still experiencing the effects of global fossil fuel markets and is why we are so focused on getting onto clean, homegrown power that we control.
The Government has already intervened to give households breathing space with the cost of living by cutting VAT on electricity bills.
In addition, this Government took an average £150 of costs off bills at the Autumn budget, which will be factored into bills for years to come.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment her department has made of the impact of rising energy costs on (a) working families, (b) single person households and (c) pensioners.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that any price rise is a concern for households. The latest increase in energy bills is driven by increased wholesale energy costs, particularly gas, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East. This means families and businesses are still experiencing the effects of global fossil fuel markets and is why we are so focused on getting onto clean, homegrown power that we control.
The Government has already intervened to give households breathing space with the cost of living by cutting VAT on electricity bills.
In addition, this Government took an average £150 of costs off bills at the Autumn budget, which will be factored into bills for years to come.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment her department has made of the impact of rising wholesale costs on energy bills.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that any price rise is a concern for households. The latest increase in energy bills is driven by increased wholesale energy costs, particularly gas, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East. This means families and businesses are still experiencing the effects of global fossil fuel markets and is why we are so focused on getting onto clean, homegrown power that we control.
The Government has already intervened to give households breathing space with the cost of living by cutting VAT on electricity bills.
In addition, this Government took an average £150 of costs off bills at the Autumn budget, which will be factored into bills for years to come.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps her department is taking to support people with rising energy costs.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that any price rise is a concern for households. The latest increase in energy bills is driven by increased wholesale energy costs, particularly gas, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East. This means families and businesses are still experiencing the effects of global fossil fuel markets and is why we are so focused on getting onto clean, homegrown power that we control.
The Government has already intervened to give households breathing space with the cost of living by cutting VAT on electricity bills.
In addition, this Government took an average £150 of costs off bills at the Autumn budget, which will be factored into bills for years to come.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent conversations her department has had with energy suppliers on increasing energy debt.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has regular discussions with energy suppliers on a range of important issues, including energy debt.
The Government is working closely with Ofgem on a range of measures to deal with energy consumer debt and understand the impacts of different approaches on consumers.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions her Department has had with National Energy System Operator about the risk of blackouts.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great Britain has a highly resilient energy system. Maintaining a secure electricity supply is a key priority for the Government.
Government works closely with industry and regulators to improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure and is confident the likelihood of a large-scale power outage remains low.
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) has tools available to manage the system under a wide range of scenarios. The Government regularly engages with NESO and industry to understand risks to the energy system and ensure robust plans are in place to mitigate the impacts of electricity disruption.