Speeches by Young.

“T3. In the light of some worrying small-site applications on previously undeveloped green-belt land in my constituency, and of concerns from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, will the Minister undertake to monitor and assess the initial impact of the new grey-belt provisions and look at refining the wording, to av…”

“Vulnerable children spend many weeks each year—during the holidays—not at school. My own Liberal Democrat-Labour partnership local authority provides funding in the form of vouchers during the school holidays. Will the Government take this opportunity to end holiday hunger and provide funding for food during the holida…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Vickers. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire (Ian Sollom) for securing this debate. Like him, I have a deep affection for maths. In fact, I would probably go further and say that I am a maths nerd. And, like him, I believe that it stil…”

“My constituent Olivia is fighting for Archie’s law—new legislation to improve the quality of care for critically ill infants and children—after tragically losing her baby boy Archie. I have raised the matter with the Secretary of State, but the responses so far have failed to specifically address Archie’s law, and I ha…”

“Do you think suppliers are doing enough to support consumers who are in arrears to prevent disconnection and raise awareness of support available to them, or do you feel that that falls on organisations such as Age UK?”

“I asked whether consumers have genuine choice. Do you think that consumers are adequately equipped or supported to make that choice? Obviously your model of your business is about trying to help people to switch to a cheaper tariff, but even if you go beyond the most vulnerable customers, do you think everyone can make…”

“Angus or Merlin, do you have anything to add?”

“Do you believe that supplier-of-last-resort arrangements provide the best deal for consumers? If not, what reforms would you suggest? One thing that is interesting is that when Rebel Energy went bust, consumers were moved to British Gas, which was recently found to have the worst customer service record of any of the e…”

“Dhara, do you have anything to add to that?”

“I asked whether consumers have genuine choice. Do you think that consumers are adequately equipped or supported to make that choice? Obviously your model of your business is about trying to help people to switch to a cheaper tariff, but even if you go beyond the most vulnerable customers, do you think everyone can make…”

“Angus, it sounds as if you are worried about the vitality of the retail market. Do you think that consumers have genuine choice between suppliers and tariffs, or do you think that more could be done to improve the offering? It sounds as if you are keen to deregulate a bit, because you do not think that it is necessary …”

“Merlin, do you have anything to add?”

“Not even Rebel Energy? You think that that is a sort of one-off; it does not change your view and make you think, “Actually, no, we still need the tightness of regulation”?”

“Welcome to the panel. I want to start by asking some questions about the stability and competitiveness of the retail market. Dhara, how effectively has Ofgem responded to the collapse of more than 30 suppliers during the recent price crisis? Does the collapse of Rebel Energy in April give you new concerns about the sta…”

“Do you think that it is possible to resolve the fuel poverty crisis without cutting the overall cost of electricity?”

“Angus, it sounds as if you are worried about the vitality of the retail market. Do you think that consumers have genuine choice between suppliers and tariffs, or do you think that more could be done to improve the offering? It sounds as if you are keen to deregulate a bit, because you do not think that it is necessary …”

“Maria, do you have any thoughts on the energy debt relief scheme proposal?”

“Can I pick up on your point about people not being able to switch? Do you think that consumers in energy debt should be given greater flexibility to switch, either to a fixed rate deal or a cheaper tariff?”

“Do you support Ofgem’s proposals for an energy debt relief scheme? If so, is it feasible for it to be introduced before this winter?”

“Angus or Merlin, do you have anything to add?”