My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for that considered reply and the recognition in her remarks that there is still a serious problem. She referred to Ofgem coming up with something in relation to the way in which prepayment meters operate. In this new era, with a new structure following the Bill, it would be useful if Ofgem and the Government looked at the totality of structures for all forms of supply of energy, and particularly at the impact on more vulnerable consumers—Ofgem would need to take the lead, I guess. I hope the issues that I raised on the structure of tariffs in relation to the priority service register and the impact on vulnerable consumers would be included. I am watching this space. The noble Baroness has moved some way towards recognising that there is an issue.
I refrained from commenting in detail on heat networks because my voice was going. There is a problem. I very much welcome the fact that this is one bit of consumer protection in the Bill; it has been extended to the users of district heating. District heating has been convenient and is usually quite cheap but is now faced with real problems. I hope that the consultation will cover it.
4.15 pm
Hitherto, if you are a consumer of a heat network, you have been dealt with by a monopoly, you have had no regulation until this Bill and, in some cases, you have also been faced with bills for the non-heating parts of your home—at least gas for cooking. You are faced with three bills. When the price of gas goes up, the price of everything goes up, and these consumers are triply hit. Because a large proportion of people on district heating are in social housing, this particularly hits more vulnerable groups. I would hope that, in the constructive way in which the Minister approached this, her consultation will cover that which I have mentioned—in particular, that the ability of district heating to avoid some of the consumer protections and tariff structures for other consumers is changed. My amendment’s principal aim was that they would have at least the same protection as other consumers of electricity.
I have one other point on district heating. At some time in the next five or 10 years, most of those district heating systems, which are based on gas, are going to have to change the fuel on which they are based. How they capitalise that, how they raise the money and what kind of hit goes to their consumers is a very real issue and one which is already beginning to raise anxieties. I hope that will be covered as well.
In the meantime—I am sorry to go on—I will withdraw my amendment, but I promise both Ministers that I will return to the subject in different contexts. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.