Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what means of redress are available to park home residents who have a complaint about the management of a park home site.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
If a site owner breaches any of their obligations set out in the resident’s written agreement, the resident can seek redress through the First Tier Tribunal.
If a park home resident has concerns about the suitability of a site owner to manage a site, or the maintenance and safety of the site, they should contact the relevant local authority.
Residents can get free independent advice about their rights from the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE).
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2023 to Question 137949 on Energy Bills Rebate: Park Homes, if he will clarify the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding eligibility criteria for park home residents, in the context of those people being likely to be eligible.
Answered by Graham Stuart
If a park home resident receives their electricity via a park site owner with a commercial contract, the park home resident should be eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding. If the park home site owner holds a domestic energy contract, the owner will have received the Energy Bills Support Scheme support automatically in six instalments, and must ensure this is passed onto park home residents in a just and reasonable manner.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 124129 on Energy Bills Rebate: Standards and to the Answer of 3 February 2023 to Question 135481 on Energy Bills Rebate: Park Homes, for what reason the opening of the application portal was delayed.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is still working through several aspects of the scheme that are vital for its successful delivery. There are significant complexities in delivering a novel scheme with a wide variety of eligible groups with different energy arrangements. In addition, the Government must always ensure consumers are protected, public money is well spent, including robust verification and anti-fraud checks, and that local authorities are suitably prepared to deliver the support. The online application portal, and accompanying contact centre helpline for those without online access, will be launched by 27 February.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 124129 on Energy Bills Rebate: Standards and to the Answer of 3 February 2023 to Question 135481 on Energy Bills Rebate: Park Homes, what steps his Department is taking to roll-out financial programmes in a timely manner.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) is currently in its pilot phase and is accepting live applications in some pilot local authority areas, which is helping the government and local authorities to refine the end-to-end user journey before full scheme launch. The online application portal, and accompanying contact centre helpline, will be open to all eligible households by 27 February, and the Government is working closely with local authorities to ensure they are suitably prepared to provide this support by this date.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of installers who are registered to undertake ECO4 measures accept applications for support from park home households.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme is a requirement placed on larger energy suppliers, and is fully focussed on supporting low income and vulnerable households in receiving energy efficiency measures.
Under ECO, suppliers/installers decide where to install measures based on property suitability and the cost-effectiveness of installing there. Government estimates that under ECO4, around 800,000 measures may be installed in around 450,000 households.
While park home households are within scope for ECO4, the Government does not become involved with the private contractual decisions of suppliers and installers, nor does it collect data on the number of accepted park home applications by these parties.
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 park home residents who pay for their energy usage through an intermediary such as a park home owner will be eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme discount where the intermediary has benefited from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) will provide £400 support to those households who do not have a direct relationship with a domestic electricity supplier in England, Scotland, and Wales, with the application portal due to open by 27 February. Park home residents, where the park home owner procures their electricity through a commercial contract and is therefore eligible for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, are likely to be eligible for the EBSS AF.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward the £400 energy support payment for residents of Park Homes to a date before 27 February 2023.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Developing and delivering the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) is a complex task, and it is critical that the Government gets it right. There are significant complexities in delivering EBSS AF, which is a novel scheme with a wide variety of eligible groups with different energy arrangements. The Government remains committed to delivering for those households, including park home residents, without a direct relationship to a domestic energy supplier as soon as possible, but we need to ensure consumers are protected, and public money is well spent, including robust verification and anti-fraud checks.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the application portal will open for the extension to the Energy Bills Support Scheme for people living in park homes.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The application portal for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding is scheduled to open by 27 February. In addition to this portal, a dedicated customer helpline will be available to assist customers who do not have online access with further details to be released in February.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date people who live in (a) park homes and (b) marinas will be able to apply online for the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is finalising several elements of the scheme that are critical to delivery. There are significant complexities in delivering a novel scheme with a wide variety of eligible groups with different energy arrangements. The Government must ensure consumers are protected; public money is well spent with robust verification and anti-fraud checks; and that local authorities are prepared to deliver support to eligible households.
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 (a) park home residents who pay for their energy usage through the park home owner and (b) other domestic energy users who do not have a domestic electricity meter or direct contract with an electricity supplier will receive support through the Energy Bills Support Scheme discount when applications open at the end of February.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) will provide £400 support to those households that do not have a direct relationship with a domestic electricity supplier in England, Scotland, and Wales, with the application portal due to open by 27 February. However, where a park home site manager or landlord has a domestic energy contract, they will already be receiving EBSS support automatically, and this support needs to be passed on to the end user in a just and reasonable way.