Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has any plans to address the loyalty penalty in essential markets.
Answered by Margot James
The Government is committed to addressing penalties for those who are on the poorest value tariffs and the detriment found by the Competition and Markets Authority, which is why we have published the draft Domestic Gas & Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny.
The Government will also issue a Consumer Green Paper in due course that tackles areas where markets are not working for consumers and businesses.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with regulators on the loyalty penalty faced by consumers who don't switch provider.
Answered by Margot James
We want markets that work well for all consumers and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets with Ofgem and other regulators to discuss a range of consumer issues.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with manufacturers of consumer products and electrical appliances about product safety and risk assessments.
Answered by Margot James
On 28 November I met with the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) and others at the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety, to discuss issues of electrical safety including the launch of the new code of practice on recalls.
Senior officials, including the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser, have engaged regularly with AMDEA and a wide variety of manufacturers to ensure they are taking all necessary steps to ensure consumer safety.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on consumer purchasing power of the UK leaving the EU without having agreed a trade deal with the EU.
Answered by Margot James
The Government has undertaken a significant amount of work to assess the economic and fiscal implications of leaving the EU as part of continued rigorous and extensive analytical work on a range of scenarios.
My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has made clear that the UK aims to agree an ambitious and comprehensive economic partnership with the EU that is of far greater scope and ambition than any existing free trade agreement.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on consumer rights of the UK leaving the EU without having agreed a trade deal with the EU.
Answered by Margot James
We are carrying out a full suite of economic analysis.
This Government is committed to strong protections for consumers after EU exit.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to introduce a new duty on energy companies to set out a timetable to reduce the number of people on prepayment meters.
Answered by Margot James
There are no are plans to introduce a new duty on energy companies to set out a timetable to reduce the number of households paying for their energy by prepayment meter.
While data published by Ofgem in its Domestic Suppliers’ Social Obligations annual reports showed prepayment meters have historically been installed to repay debt, the latest report published last year, showed that in 2015 there was evidence of increasing consumer demand for prepayment meters.
This demand appears to be driven by smart meters operating in pay-as-you-go mode, which are transforming consumer experience of pre-payment metering. Topping up a smart meter in pay-as-you-go mode is as easy as topping up a mobile phone, with no need to access the meter. Being able to see an account balance on an easily accessible In Home Display reduces the risk of pre-payment customers accidently self-disconnecting from their energy supply when they run out of credit. This Government is committed to ensuring every home and small business in the country is offered a smart meter by the end of 2020.