My Lords, we on our side very much welcome this relief for businesses and commercial operations with regard to energy prices. Again, I very much echo the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh, on the fact that the evaluation does not take place until three months. I understand the issue of how you would evaluate it before that, but there is no obligation to put forward further plans until the end of the scheme, after six months. I would be interested to hear an answer on that.
4.30 pm
I have just two questions for the Minister—and I will keep it just to two, so I get an answer today. The first is on the issue of second homes sometimes masquerading as holiday lets which are often used by the owners as well. I want to understand where they are in this. In a lot of seaside areas where local residents are not necessarily particularly well off, there would be a concern if homeowners who have had their properties registered as businesses for business rates received these payments. That is quite an issue, and I would be interested to understand how the Government will look at that.
My second question is on the issue of fraud. I cannot remember where it was in the Explanatory Memorandum, but I welcome the fact that that is discussed in these papers. It must be relatively easy to police this scheme to make sure that retail energy companies pass on the
money to consumers. I do not see that as a big issue; it is relatively easy. However, the other area that was brought up is where landlords effectively pass on an electricity cost separately to their tenants. As the Minister will know, often for small businesses the balance of power between landlord and tenant is very much in favour of the landlord, and often tenants do not want to have arguments with their landlords. The paper suggests that the department will keep a close eye on that. I do not understand how that can happen. I am not saying that that will be an easy area of policing, but I would be keen to hear the Minister’s opinion on how that would be policed and enforced, given that asymmetric power that often is in that relationship. However, I welcome the secondary legislation.