Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to cap the price of (1) oil, (2) liquefied petroleum gas, and (3) other heating fuels, not currently covered by the energy price cap.

The Government has carefully considered the introduction of a price cap to help domestic fuel customers with high fuel prices, however analysis indicates that a cap would not be in the long-term interests of consumers.

The existing gas and electricity price cap was designed to protect consumers on default tariffs from the loyalty penalty, which the Competitions and Markets Authority warned was causing customers to be overcharged. The structure of the heating oil and LPG markets is different and imposing a price cap below wholesale costs would drive companies out of the market, reducing competition and possibly result in supply shortages.