Energy Bill

It is absolutely obscene, and our Government must do something about it. What message does it send to the families in Halifax and other constituencies who are spending 15 per cent. of their incomes on energy? What message does it send to the parents who have said that their children must do without basic items such as food, clothes and a warm home in winter? I must say, with regret, that this energy strategy appears to be paying lip service to the poor, the vulnerable and the environment. My party in government has done many good things to help families out of fuel poverty. During the last 10 years, many of my constituents have benefited from its policies. However, the message that I am now receiving loud and clear from my postbag is that more needs to be done. At a time when a Labour Government's intervention in failing markets does not seem to be out of fashion, I call for a radical look at how energy markets operate before we condemn thousands more to fuel poverty. Winter fuel payments, tax credits and many other policies of this Labour Government have helped to lift people out of poverty in the last 10 years. It would be very regrettable if we sat back and allowed the greed of private utilities that put profit before people to condemn a generation to the trauma of fuel poverty.