Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2026 to Question 13862 on Prices, in how many regulated areas income-based pricing is used for consumer goods and services.

The Department is not responsible for determining where income-based pricing is appropriate for consumer goods and services in regulated sectors.

However, regulators are able to oversee targeted social tariffs or assistance packages for low-income or vulnerable groups, for example, in broadband, water and energy.

More broadly, the Department focuses on protecting consumers through legislation such as the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to maintain broad price transparency and curb deceptive pricing practices across all income tiers. This includes cracking down on drip pricing, misleading online countdown timers, and hidden booking fees.