Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

Whether he plans to extend the Warm Home Discount beyond 2026.

The current Warm Home Discount scheme period comes to an end in March 2026. Since the scheme began in 2011, over £4 billion has been provided in support to eligible households. The Warm Home Discount is expected to support over 3 million households in Great Britain over winter 2024/25, funded through a levy on all domestic gas and electricity customers. It remains an important support mechanism as energy bills remain high. We will consult later this year on the future of the scheme beyond 2026.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Warm Home Discount to include all disabled members of an eligible household.

The Warm Home Discount currently focuses support towards those on lowest incomes who receive means-tested benefits and living in a property estimated to be relatively high cost to heat. The eligibility criteria are set to make best use of the data available to identify households at greatest risk of fuel poverty. This winter's scheme opened on 14 October, and we expect it to support over three million households. We are exploring options to improve the design of the scheme beyond the current regulations which expire in 2026.

If he will make it his policy to abolish standing charges on energy bills.

Standing charges cover the costs energy suppliers take on to provide consumers with electricity. Although they are a commercial matter for suppliers, and are regulated by Ofgem, we know that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them. Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving some supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated. We will continue to support Ofgem in this work and ensure that standing charges are reduced.

If he will make it his policy to introduce a permanent ban on the forced installation of prepayment meters.

Last year, Ofgem introduced stringent rules for the involuntary installation of prepayment meters. Under these new rules, energy suppliers are required to make at least 10 attempts to contact an indebted customer, carry out a site visit prior to involuntary installation, and refrain from installations in households where a vulnerable person is present. Energy suppliers are only able to restart involuntary prepayment meter installation when they can demonstrate to Ofgem that they are able to comply with the new rules. We are working with Ofgem to actively monitor the impact of these changes to involuntary installations and will continue to engage with them closely on this.

How much funding he plans to provide for home insulation in each of the next three years; and if he will make it his policy (a) for all homes to have an efficiency rating of band C or higher by 2035 and (b) to publish the Warm Homes Plan by the end of 2024.

Funding announcements will be confirmed at the upcoming Spending Review.The government is considering options to ensure a fair, proportionate and affordable approach to improving the energy performance of owner-occupied homes. We will consult this year on proposals for private and social rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. The Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in insulation and other home improvements. We will set out further detail on delivering our Warm Homes Plan next Spring.