Speeches by Onn.

“Because they are large.”

“Citizens Advice submitted evidence that energy networks have made excess profits of £3.9 billion since 2021. Is there any element of that figure that could go into reducing bills for individuals? Or do you dispute the figure?”

“Do you think that those profits will go down over the next five or six years?”

“Are you doing enough to explain this to the likes of Citizens Advice which, when it comes to consumer-facing support and messaging, probably has a better route to the general public than the ENA?”

“If the 40p that you just mentioned is not on consumer bills, is the immediate alternative in general taxation?”

“Lawrence, I am interested in the written evidence submitted by the Energy Networks Association. In the subheadings, it says, “How flexibility has helped deliver savings, including reduced customer bills”. It refers to consumers saving £500 million between 2023 and 2024 by using energy more flexibly. We also had some ev…”

“Do you think that those profits will go down over the next five or six years?”

“That is because these are not real savings; they are projected savings of what could have been if it had been worse and we did not have the flexibility.”

“Citizens Advice submitted evidence that energy networks have made excess profits of £3.9 billion since 2021. Is there any element of that figure that could go into reducing bills for individuals? Or do you dispute the figure?”

“Ultimately the Government have said, “We are going to bring down consumer bills.” But when we are discussing this with consumers, we have to say, “Oh well, it could have been an awful lot worse.””

“I want to ask about customer engagement by Ofgem for vulnerable groups in particular. I heard your point, Priya, about the meetings with various consumer groups. Who are those groups?”

“Presumably, vulnerability will include people who do not have access to the internet and will not find it easy to access Ofgem’s website.”

“Do you think the opportunity to become a net exporter of energy will help in the narrative with the general public?”

“Okay. DESNZ has a public attitudes tracker, and the headline findings from summer last year say that in the short term 69% expect the transition to net zero to increase their living expenses, up from 65%, with only 7% saying that they expect a decrease. In the long term, 50% expected an increase in living expenses and …”

“How many consumers do you think go to the Ofgem website?”

“I am old enough to remember when a Conservative Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said that he wanted Grimsby to be the Riyadh of offshore wind. I also remember the shadow Energy Secretary, the right hon. Member for East Surrey (Claire Coutinho), attending offshore wind conferences and championing the sector, so where she…”

“I disagree with that, but I urge the Government to be prepared to open up on some of the process. I understand that there will be commercial sensitivities, but I hope that a route can be found to enable us to scrutinise the information available.”

“We have also had trusted privilege, as a House, in the past; we were able to see secure information and secure documents. All of us were able to go to a room and sign in to read documents on exiting the European Union, for example. There are ways and means of doing these things, and of placing trust in elected represen…”

“On the point about keeping UK oil refineries competitive, what will be the Government’s position at the European Union summit in May, in discussions on the emissions trading scheme? What will they take forward?”

“We’ll get you back when we get 7,000 jobs.”