Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill

I disagree with the hon. Gentleman. As I will go on to explain, part of the problem that we are a...

My right hon. Friend is making a very important point about regulation, but is not part of the co...

I agree with my right hon. Friend, and I was making the point that we have long been a pioneer in...

I find myself in agreement with the Secretary of State and shall support the Bill. Indeed, I am i...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman, and I was saying in response to my right hon. Friend the Member ...

The Secretary of State is making a valid case for the Bill, which, after all, is all about fairne...

I quite agree with my hon. Friend. In fact, the Competition and Markets Authority found that, in ...

As someone who has benefited significantly from changing my supplier a number of occasions, my co...

My right hon. Friend personifies engagement and activity, so it does not surprise me that he has ...

I want to make a bit of progress, but I will give way to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Fr...

On protecting the vulnerable, we know that the most vulnerable do not move around, despite having...

The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point. That is not within the scope of the Bill, whic...

I am pushing the Secretary of State on this, but even if we cannot get an amendment because the l...

There already is a cap for those on prepayment meters, and that is being extended to some of thos...

I thank the Secretary of State for giving way and I welcome the Bill, which will do a great deal ...

The hon. Lady makes a very important point. The statutory instrument that will allow that data sh...

I agree with the report that the march of technology was not correcting the market quickly enough...

My hon. Friend has captured the position very succinctly. That is exactly the point. These remedi...

I support the Bill, but does the Secretary of State not agree that, while it may tackle the so-ca...

The Bill focuses narrowly on a problem that the independent inquiry has exposed as being very sig...

I fully support the Bill, but I have a question about Ofgem. The Secretary of State has mentioned...

I too would like to see greater agility on the part of the regulator. It seems to me that its pow...

Do the Government not already have powers, under section 26 of the Energy Act 2010, to introduce ...

It is true that Ofgem has said that it might be challenged in the courts. I do not think we shoul...

I fully support the effort to lower energy prices, and competitive markets should be able to do t...

The capacity auction arrangements that have been pursued over the last few years have been very s...

My right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (John Redwood) made a good point, but does the Secr...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We have already had the pleasure of debating that issue. The ...

The Secretary of State talks about the setting of the cap, and setting it at the right level in t...

I am. There has been recognition from Ofgem that this role is perhaps more important than was sug...

Can my right hon. Friend assure me that any changes to the price cap will also take into account ...

The arrangements for prepayment meters will continue separately from these provisions, not least ...

The whole House wants to help those in vulnerable circumstances in particular. My right hon. Frie...

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, and my Department will work closely with Ofgem to ensure...

The regulator will need time to consult before the Bill’s provisions are enacted. Is the right ho...

I am indeed confident of that, and it is one of the reasons why I am so grateful for the swift at...

I am pleased that the Bill is before the House today, but I must express my exasperation that it ...

The hon. Lady underlines the fact that the harshness of the recent weather will have increased en...

The emergency payments were certainly welcome—I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comment—but the ...

Given that electricity prices rose by 44% between 2003 and 2007, will the hon. Lady outline what ...

The hon. Lady makes an interesting point. I think that both sides of the House have reached somet...

With respect, I dispute the hon. Lady’s claim that we are in accord on energy policy. The Opposit...

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Labour party’s manifesto, which clearly states that we wish to ...

The hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Mr Clarke) deliberately misinterprets...

I wholeheartedly support my hon. Friend’s fantastic point. I think that our manifesto commitments...

Does the hon. Lady support the sunset clause, which means that this legislation will not apply in...

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point, and I will refer to this later in my submission. The...

The shadow Secretary of State is kind to give way to me a second time. Does she agree that anothe...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that very helpful comment. I have not opposed the Bill in any of m...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way a second time. Is it not a problem—and deeply iron...

My hon. Friend makes a fantastic point. Many people across Britain find the situation absurd.

The hon. Lady is making suggestions to improve the Bill, so what role does she see for the Compet...

The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point. We would expect all stakeholders to be engaged in ...

In answer to the question asked by the hon. Member for Fylde (Mark Menzies), the regulator is sup...

My hon. Friend makes a fantastic point about the need for a fundamental root-and-branch look into...

Order. As Members can see, many colleagues are trying to get in on this debate. If Members could ...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker; I will try to edit as I go.

Today is a great day. To those...

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his hard work in ensuring that the Bill was brought forward. ...

My right hon. Friend is a co-signatory to the letter, for which I thank him, and he makes an impo...

Some 5 million people are already benefiting from the price cap for those on pre-payment meters o...

The right hon. Lady is one of the co-organisers of the letter, and I thank her again for her help...

My hon. Friend knows a great deal about this issue. Is not the point that this is not a price fre...

I agree that there is a difference between a freeze and a cap, but there are a couple of things t...

As my hon. Friend knows, I have some sympathy with his arguments. Does he recognise that, as draf...

I wish I shared my right hon. Friend’s confidence in Ofgem. All the discussion of the Bill so far...

Looking at clause 2(1)(b), as drafted, it seems perfectly clear to me that Ofgem will have to set...

But as my right hon. Friend will know, it is also stated elsewhere, particularly in the guidance ...

rose—

I will give way one more time and then I will have to make some progress, because Madam Deputy Sp...

I certainly will not press the point beyond this. Does my hon. Friend not need to distinguish bet...

We will need to come back to this matter, but it would be tremendously helpful if Ofgem came up w...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (John Penrose). He has clearly d...

I apologise for having to leave soon after I have spoken, but I am hosting another event elsewher...

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

I would normally be pleased to take interventions but, if the hon. Gentleman does not mind, I wil...

It is an honour to follow the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon).

I welcome the B...

I thank the hon. Lady for giving way; I will try to keep this brief. Does she accept that that cr...

When we took evidence from the big six companies and probed them on where their profits came from...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I give way to the fellow member of my Committee.

We heard a lot of evidence from the challenger companies. There are 60 suppliers in the energy ma...

I hope that does not happen. Ofgem and the Competition and Markets Authority are putting the cap ...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Sorry, I am not going to give way again, otherwise I am going to get into trouble with Madam Depu...

For the time being.

Indeed.

There are two areas where the Government need to take action to ensure that, once t...

In the interests of brevity, I want to make one point about the rationale for the cap that I do n...

I seek a little further reassurance from my right hon. Friend. He seems to be coming up with an e...

Who knows? The point I was just about to make is that the Bill will hand the whole thing over to ...

I agree with the right hon. Member for West Dorset (Sir Oliver Letwin) that we collectively owe p...

I am sure the author of the Bill would agree with me that one model is the not-for-profit Welsh W...

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. If I may, I commend to him and the whole House the Co-ope...

I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial ...

Judicial review provides a remedy when Ofgem is acting unreasonably. If it is acting reasonably, ...

My hon. Friend makes a valid point. We would not want a situation in which energy companies, espe...

My hon. Friend raises reasonable questions about whether the approach that is taken will be fair....

I thank the Secretary of State for his intervention. Steps like that seek to reassure me. As the ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not, as I want to make a bit more progress.

I would struggle to support a Bill that ...

Today is a political lesson in never giving up. Despite all the lobbying noise of vested interest...

I am listening fascinated to my right hon. Friend’s speech. She is aware that there has been a hi...

Absolutely, and I am going to come on to renewables. Ministers should beware of any proposal to e...

I am listening with increasing admiration to the right hon. Lady’s speech, which reminds me of wh...

I welcome the cross-party support that continues to blossom on this issue.

I urge Ministers...

This is an important Bill that comes from a very good manifesto commitment. Our energy market is ...

Does not the Bill show the Government’s general approach to intervention in markets, which we hav...

My hon. Friend is indeed right. To resort to my former career as a soldier, I hope that the Gover...

My hon. Friend has great knowledge of this subject. Will he comment on the fact that we need to c...

I very much agree. Let us be clear that energy efficiency measures are no longer simply barrier t...

I have lived my whole adult life under the liberal energy market —an oligopoly—that was created b...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Leeds North West (Alex Sobel). Unlike him, I do re...

Would the hon. Gentleman be surprised to learn that it was only in 1998 that people were first ab...

That is a concern, but let us not forget who owned these businesses at the time. In many instance...

I have long expressed concern and alarm at the way the energy market simply does not seem to work...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Patricia Gibson). I agre...

I accept that we are talking about decades—I do not think that the market we ended up with was on...

I agree that transparency is key, but I do not think that the price rises would have been hidden ...

The hon. Lady is making an important point. Does she agree that it worth looking at how we could ...

We are already seeing those kinds of mechanisms with MoneySuperMarket.com and other organisations...

I am cautious not to make too many interventions because Members are making great speeches, but I...

We have seen that the cap works for the vulnerable customers who have had their energy prices cap...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I must sit down soon; I have taken many interventions.

We must make data far more available...

It is a pleasure to follow my Select Committee colleague, the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Antoinet...

rose—

I am happy to give way.

I am very grateful—

Order. Can I just help a little bit? We have asked Members if they can do up to eight minutes, an...

I will keep it brief, Mr Deputy Speaker. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that energy efficiency mea...

Yes, absolutely. There needs to be an acceptance that this is just one measure and there are many...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Yes.

I will make a very brief intervention if I may, Mr Deputy Speaker. As I said in my speech, we are...

I absolutely agree. To assist, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will take no more interventions during the re...

I am pleased to follow so many eloquent speakers, almost all of whom agree that this is a very se...

Yes—very good.

I believe the Minister opened the event. This gadget listens to the amount of gas in one’s meter ...

The hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Rebecca Pow) is right to say that we have heard many good spee...

The hon. Gentleman is making an important point about rural consumers who rely on off-grid gas an...

No. I think more has to be done. I hope that the energy cap sunset clause will enable us, working...

Order. There are 10 speakers left, so I suggest that they speak for six minutes each.

5.39 ...

It would be prudent at this time for me to thank the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Com...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (Bill Grant). I...

I am grateful for the opportunity to make a few brief remarks in a debate that has been, perhaps,...

As a number of Members have said, the issue of domestic gas and electricity supply is particularl...

What a pleasure it is to contribute to the debate, because there is so much to respect about the ...

Going through the briefings that I have received from various organisations representing both con...

For too long many of my constituents and people living across the UK have been trying to manage o...

I am very grateful to be called to say a few words in support of this useful piece of legislation...

I rise to make a short contribution to the debate on this important Bill. I pay particular tribut...

Order. I was rather hoping that the hon. Gentleman was going to furnish us with the page referenc...

I am unable to furnish you with the page number in “The Wealth of Nations”, Mr Speaker, but you a...

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for this opportunity to speak. It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend t...

This afternoon we have witnessed the House at its best. I think it is fair to say that we have ha...

I thank my opposite number, the hon. Member for Southampton, Test (Dr Whitehead), for his charact...

I thank the Minister for the way in which she has engaged with me and other colleagues who had co...

I thank my hon. Friend. I would also like to put on record my thanks to the hon. Member for North...

I pay tribute to the Minister and the Secretary of State for honouring their commitment to take t...

The hon. Gentleman anticipates a point I was going to make about many contributions about the cal...