Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what additional steps her Department will take to support households in West Berkshire that rely on heating oil to heat their homes.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government is determined to ensure that consumers who are reliant on heating oil are treated fairly and better protected, including during times of international volatility.
The CMA found that recent increases in heating oil prices were largely driven by higher wholesale costs rather than a lack of competition or excessive profits.
The Government published its formal response to the CMA heating oil report on 13 October, confirming it will take forward proposals to introduce stronger regulations for the first time, and agreeing with the CMA that we will not be replicating the gas and electricity price cap. Instead, we will focus on a programme of reform to strengthening consumer protections.
A Written Ministerial Statement can be found here: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
The full response can be found here: Government response to the CMA heating oil market study - GOV.UK
The Government does recognise the impact that heating oil price increases has had on households, which is why we took action to introduce over £50m of support to help with costs. Households can access immediate support from their local authority through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
For those considering alternatives to oil heating, the Government is supporting the installation of low-carbon heating through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. A time-limited higher grant of £9,000 is available to the end of March 2027 for eligible off-gas-grid properties replacing oil or LPG heating systems, helping households and small businesses most exposed to volatile fossil fuel prices to switch to low-carbon heating.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme on the target to deliver over 450,000 heat pump installations per year by 2030.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Decarbonising the way we heat our buildings is a key pillar of the Government’s Warm Homes Plan. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is critical component of that Plan and has a budget of £400 million for this year (2026/27).
The Government does not comment on speculation ahead of fiscal events. Future Warm Homes Plan funding, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, is subject to decisions at future Budgets and Spending Reviews. The Chancellor will set out further details on spending later this month.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to maintain the funding allocated to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in full; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing funding on household energy affordability and investment in the domestic clean heat supply chain.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s Warm Homes Plan sets out a range of measures to support households and investment in the clean heat supply chain. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is one part of that plan and has a budget of £400 million for this financial year (2026/27).
The Government does not comment on speculation ahead of fiscal events. Future Warm Homes Plan funding, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, is subject to decisions at future Budgets and Spending Reviews. The Chancellor will set out further details on spending later this month.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made towards implementing the Debt Relief Scheme for eligible energy customers who accrued debt between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2024.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is working with Ofgem, which is considering a range of options to reduce energy debt. It is important that any intervention provides effective and fair support, is deliverable, and does not impose disproportionate costs on other consumers. The Government and Ofgem are therefore undertaking further work to develop the best approach to tackling both the stock of existing energy debt and the flow of new debt.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the treatment of residential management companies as business energy customers; and whether she has considered extending domestic energy protections to such companies.
Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The classification of an energy supply as domestic or non-domestic is determined in accordance with supplier licence conditions and guidance issued by Ofgem, the independent energy regulator. Suppliers are responsible for ensuring that premises are correctly classified, and whether a particular supply is treated as domestic or non-domestic depends on the specific circumstances of the case.
The Government and Ofgem recognise that indirect domestic energy consumers may not always benefit from the same protections as consumers who contract directly with suppliers.
Ofgem has started work on adopting a more consumer outcomes-based approach to regulating both the domestic and non-domestic energy suppliers, with their first consultation having closed over the summer. Stakeholders will have further opportunities to contribute their views to this work as it progresses, and the Government will continue to work closely with Ofgem to ensure all consumers get appropriate protections in the retail market.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help protect homeowners from exploitative firms offering spray foam insulation removal services.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I convened a roundtable in Spring with lenders, consumer bodies and the insulation industry on spray foam, and agreed for attendees to continue working with officials on public communications.
Tools are available online to find independent surveyors experienced with spray foam who can provide an assessment.
Homeowners receiving cold calls in relation to spray foam removals may wish to report these to Trading Standards or The Information Commissioners Office.
The department has launched a consultation seeking views on how the consumer protection system for home upgrades should be reformed to support delivery of the Warm Homes Plan.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help improve public awareness of the risks associated with spray foam insulation, including the circumstances in which it may affect mortgage lending or insurance.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I convened a roundtable in Spring with lenders, consumer bodies and the insulation industry and I agreed with attendees to continue working with my officials on public awareness around spray foam.
While most lenders now consider applications, it is important that banks, surveyors and homeowners use the information now available so they can make informed decisions and that homes are treated on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what redress is available to homeowners whose spray foam insulation was incorrectly installed by TrustMark-approved companies that have since ceased trading.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
If the installer is no longer trading, consumers should contact the guarantee provider associated with the installation. TrustMark registered installers are required to provide financial protection through approved guarantee arrangements, subject to the policy terms and conditions.
Installers should provide consumers with a copy of the guarantee after installation is complete. Where consumers do not have a copy of a guarantee, they should contact the installer's scheme provider in the first instance or alternatively get in touch with TrustMark directly.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support is available to homeowners with incorrectly installed spray foam insulation through TrustMark-approved schemes outside the ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to supporting homeowners that have had poor quality installations obtain redress.
Where products, including spray foam, have not been installed correctly installers are required to remedy the work. Where installed by a TrustMark registered business, customers should follow the TrustMark dispute resolution process. The TrustMark website contains further guidance on how consumers can complain if things go wrong and the dispute resolution process: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowners/if-things-go-wrong.
Consumers can also contact their respective guarantee provider to make a claim, subject to the policy's terms and conditions.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 adequacy of Ofgem's compensation guidelines for consumers experiencing disruption or incurring fees as a result of service errors by energy suppliers.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOP) framework outlines the minimum levels of performance consumers can expect from suppliers, with automatic compensation provided if these standards are not met. The level of GSOP payments was recently increased in 2025 from £30 to £40 to account for inflation since the £30 payment level was set in 2015.
Ofgem is currently reviewing the GSOP framework to assess their adequacy in line with a wider consultation on consumer outcomes, launched on 23 June.
In addition, on 17 June 2026, the Government published its consultation response outlining measures that will be taken to strengthen the powers of the Energy Ombudsman to ensure consumers receive fairer and faster redress where they have not been able to resolve a dispute with their supplier.