§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what analysis she has made of the merits of the programmes run by energy companies with the aim of helping to end fuel poverty. [86982]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Department has piloted a survey to monitor the impacts of company schemes aimed at tackling fuel poverty. The main objectives of the survey are to assess:
The data collected via this survey are currently being finalised, but preliminary analyses suggest that about 1.5 million households have benefited from these schemes. About 0.5 million of these are from schemes that are not EEC (or EESoPs) related. A more complete analysis will be included as part of the Government's UK Fuel Poverty Strategy progress report.
- 1. the number of households helped;
- 2. to what extent the households have benefited;
- 3. the extent to which they are schemes which operate under the energy supplier's mandatory Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC—formerly EESoP); and
- 4. whether these schemes are an important contribution to fuel poverty alleviation and whether they harness company creativity.