Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to the consumer of Ofgem's creation of Customer Engagement Groups in each energy network; and if he will make a statement.
Network regulation, including the creation of stakeholder groups as part of price control planning, is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator. By law, Government has no role in this process. As network charges make up approximately 25% of the average dual fuel bill (i.e. both gas and electricity) it is right that Ofgem, in line with its principal duty to protect consumers, increases efforts to engage consumers as it plans for the next energy network price control and Government is supportive of the work of the regulator in this area.