Martin McCluskey
MP for Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West · Labour · United Kingdom
“I am disappointed at the hon. Gentleman’s statement. We are making the case strongly and our pledge to reduce energy bills still stands. He will know that renewables are the quickest way to reduce our energy bills. He will also know that the warm home discount is providing significant support to people in his constituency right now.”
“We are preparing for every contingency and looking at the support that may be required in the autumn and winter. The significant increase in the warm home discount has obviously benefited households right across the country, not least in my hon. Friend’s constituency.”
“The hon. Gentleman will know that tackling the cost of living is this Government’s priority. We have already taken action at the Budget, and we have also expanded the warm home discount to nearly 6 million households.”
“My hon. Friend makes a really important point. If we are to reach our clean power targets, we need heat networks on the system to be providing significant levels of clean heat.”
“This is nonsense. That was set up by an arm’s length organisation set up by the previous Government. It is not something that the Government are funding.”
“I pay tribute to the work my hon. Friend is doing for her constituents on this issue. The most effective way to decouple our electricity prices from gas is to expand our renewable generation. Every wind turbine we turn on and every solar panel that we deploy helps to push gas off as the price-setter. We will continue to work in this way.”
The complete record
Every one of 511 lines we hold for Martin McCluskey, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 11.
“Abandoning the RO would not just send a signal to industry that we are not a reliable partner for investment but potentially put at risk our electricity generation, which would be deeply irresponsible. We will take responsible action to move this on to general taxation, while at the same time reducing the burden on bill payers, as people would expect the Government to do, not just because of the situation in the middle east but because of the situation that we faced before that with the rising cost of living. I deeply admire the work that my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central does to advocate for his constituents. I am not aware of him having requested a meeting with me. He may have requested a meeting with either the Minister for Industry or the Minister for Energy.”
“I will turn first to the comments made by the official Opposition, and the call to scrap the renewables obligation scheme. I want to put it on the record that it is simply not realistic to scrap that scheme. We took a deliberate decision to remove 75% of the RO from bills and to move that on to general taxation. The shadow Minister may oppose that move, but it is a principled decision that we have taken in order to spread the burden of those renewables obligations more widely, to make sure that those with the broadest shoulders are paying more, rather than it falling just on bill payers, and to maintain the incentive for renewable generators in the scheme at the same time. The shadow Minister will know that the RO supports 25,000 generation stations, which accounts for approximately 30% of UK electricity generation.”
“The Government know that energy bills in Scotland remain too high. That is why we are fighting the consumer’s corner. The action we took at the Budget will ensure that from April the price cap will fall by 7%, or £117, which is fixed until the end of June. That is in addition to support offered to vulnerable heating oil customers in Scotland and the expansion of the warm home discount, which means £92 million in annual funding for Scottish consumers.”
“Bills are going down by 7% from next week. We do not need to imagine a future with independence and what would happen with the SNP in power. Let us look at the record. The hon. Member’s party promised a publicly owned energy company six years ago; we delivered Great British Energy within 18 months. His party scrapped fuel poverty targets; we are lifting 1 million households out of fuel poverty by the end of this Parliament. While his party in government in Scotland abandoned the heat in buildings Bill, this Government are making the biggest ever upgrade to home efficiency through the warm homes plan, with £15 billion of spending.”
“My hon. Friend makes a crucial point. I know that he is an advocate for nuclear in Scotland, as am I. We are missing out on the opportunities of nuclear, and it is a disgrace that 1,300 Scottish nuclear workers have to move south every week just to get employment in the nuclear industry. I hope that the Scottish National party reverses its ideological ban on nuclear power as soon as possible.”
“We understand that many households, particularly in rural and off-gas grid areas, rely on heating oil as their primary source of heat. That is why my right hon. Friend the Chancellor has announced £53 million of support for those who heat their homes with heating oil, and £4.6 million will be delivered by the Scottish Government. Obviously, we continue to monitor the situation closely and will keep measures under review.”
“The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. I visited the Western Isles last week to speak directly to people who have been affected by the energy crisis, and I heard about the pressures people there are under. It is why we have welcomed the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into heating oil. On his point about people benefiting from local infrastructure, this morning we announced a trial for free wind power for people living near that infrastructure—he will be able to find the details in the Vote Office.”
“I was pleased to join my hon. Friend in Stornoway last week to meet those organisations. It is absolutely crucial—whether it is through the local government schemes that we are running in England or through the centralised scheme that the Scottish Government are running—that we take advantage of local knowledge to ensure that the support reaches the people who need it.”
“I think the hon. Member should be careful not to sow fear about these issues among his constituents, which is precisely what his remarks do. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor provided £4.6 million to the Scottish Government, who have increased the fund to £10 million. It is absolutely imperative that the Scottish Government tell hon. Members and constituents how to access the funding. They are delivering that £10 million scheme, which they have told us will be available from 1 April, so it is up to them to set out how it will get to people.”
“I welcome my hon. Friend’s advocacy for his constituents. It is essential that the Scottish Government scheme, which is running to support people with heating oil costs, finds its way to the people who need it. I am disappointed that the Scottish Government have chosen to centralise the funding rather than work alongside local government, but it is for them to set out how they will ensure that everyone is reached.”
“I think I need to start by correcting some of what the hon. Gentleman said. In my statement last week, I confirmed that LPG was part of the support—perhaps he did not hear that. Our priority, all the way through this crisis, has been to ensure that funding reaches people at speed. That is why we have delivered support in two weeks, not 200 days. On his point about means-testing, the funding is discretionary, so local authorities can decide how to provide it to people. I think he also called for a CMA investigation. We will look and study the results of the investigation to see what needs to happen to regulate the industry, but, as I said from the Dispatch Box a number of times last week, it is clear that the market is not functioning properly.”
“I thank my hon. Friend for his important question. We are taking three additional measures. We are expanding and extending the warm home discount to 2031. We have supported heating oil customers with the £53 million-worth of support that was announced last week, and our £15 billion warm homes plan is the biggest home upgrade plan in British history. All of that is wrapped up in our clean energy mission—clean power 2030—which will ultimately give us control of our energy.”
“We moved swiftly to introduce funding to support people. The £53 million-worth of support, which is being disbursed through the crisis and resilience fund in England and Wales, will provide support for people through this immediate period. We will keep other measures under review, but if hon. Members have examples of unfair pricing practices, it is important that they report them to the CMA so that it can consider them as part of its review.”
“We heard in the responses to our 2024 consultation the concerns about the continued risk to consumers arising from some of these TPIs. The Government plan to bring in new regulation of TPIs and will appoint Ofgem as the regulator, which will be empowered to put in place rules to protect small and medium-sized enterprises and other TPI customers.”
“The support on offer is not means-tested; it is at the discretion of local authorities to decide the criteria for those applications. That is the first point. The second point is that the CMA is investigating this in detail. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said earlier, if there are any examples, please bring them to my attention and to the CMA’s attention, so that they can be considered as part of that review.”
“I welcome my hon. Friend’s advocacy for those people. No one with a terminal illness should have to face concerns about their energy bills. I will soon be meeting the Minister for Health Innovation and Safety, my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow South West (Dr Ahmed), to discuss how Government can better share data in order to target support at vulnerable people and those with health conditions.”
“We have supplied £17 million to the Northern Ireland Executive, and I had a constructive conversation last week with Minister Archibald about how that is deployed. We will keep other measures under review as the situation develops.”
“We are proud of the role that the North sea’s workers and communities have played in helping to power our country and the world for decades, and we recognise the role that oil and gas will play in our energy mix for decades to come, as well as the vast skills and experience of our offshore workforce. However, as a Government we also have a duty to be honest about the challenges we face, and the reality is that more domestic oil and gas production will not make us more energy secure and will not take a penny off bills. There is a lot of debate when it comes to this issue, so it is important to focus on the facts.”
“I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from “House” to the end of the Question and add: “welcomes the Government’s approach to the future of the North Sea, which maintains existing oil and gas fields for their lifetime, as well as introducing Transitional Energy Certificates while accelerating the transition to clean energy; notes that new licences to explore new fields would take many years to come online and would make no difference to energy bills; recognises that oil and gas prices are set on international markets; and further welcomes the measures announced by the Government to go further and faster on national energy security by reducing reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets and expanding secure, home grown clean energy.” As I have said many times in this House, the North sea oil and gas sector is one of our great industrial success stories.”
“As the hon. Member will know, the price of gas and oil is set on an international market and, as I have said, extracting more from the North sea would not make a penny’s difference to the price in this country. The North sea is a super-mature basin that accounts for around 0.7% of global oil and gas production. Production has been naturally falling for more than 20 years, which means that our North sea no longer has the reserves available to support domestic energy demand. Crucially, any new licences now would not make any difference to people’s energy bills because, regardless of where it comes from, oil and gas is sold on international markets, where we are price takers, not price makers.”
“The Conservatives want us to remove a tax that is contributing £12 billion to the Exchequer, funding our public services and allowing us to invest in our schools, hospitals and other public services. If they oppose that funding, they need to come forward with their own proposals. The only route to energy security and lower bills is to get off our dependence on fossil fuel markets over which we have no control, and on to clean home-grown power over which we do.”
“We have been importers of gas since 2004, and the Conservatives will know—because they presided over the period of decline—that it has been declining for some time. Recent events in the middle east are yet another reminder of the need to speed up the transition and protect British people from price shocks. Thanks to our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower, we have already seen £90 billion of investment announced for clean British energy, but we are now determined to go even further and faster in pursuit of national energy security.”
“As I said earlier, this revenue supports vital public services. As the Chancellor noted at the recent spring forecast, the energy profits levy will be replaced by the new oil and gas price mechanism in 2030, or sooner if average oil and gas prices over six months fall below the thresholds of the energy security investment mechanism. The Chancellor recognises industry’s calls for the EPL to be replaced by the mechanism, and wants to work with industry to provide certainty on the future fiscal regime while taxing the windfall profits of energy companies.”
“My hon. Friend is a real advocate for the industries in his constituency. The Minister for Industry is looking in detail at this and coming forward with proposals for industry to take us through this moment, as we deal with the situation in the middle east. We are bringing forward the next renewables auction months after our most successful auction ever secured enough power for the equivalent of 16 million homes. Just today, we set out plans to make plug-in solar available in supermarkets so that more people can put a panel on their balcony or outdoor space and begin saving energy. We are also ensuring that heat pumps and solar panels will be standard in new-build homes. The energy profits levy has been mentioned by a number of hon. Members across the House. Since its introduction in 2022, the levy has raised around £12 billion.”
“The hon. Lady will know that this is a windfall tax on windfall profits. If there are no windfall profits, there will not be a windfall tax. The motion calls for an end to the ban on oil and gas licensing. The Government have been clear that we will support the management of existing fields for their lifespan. That is why we have committed to introducing transitional energy certificates, which will enable some offshore oil and gas production in areas adjacent to already licensed fields linked via a tieback or in areas that are already part of an existing field. New licences to explore new fields would make no material difference to overall production and would run contrary to the science on tackling the climate crisis.”
“The guidance on the assessment of scope 3 emissions, published last year in response to the Supreme Court’s judgment, is the first of its kind, and it is therefore crucial that we take the time to apply it properly. [ Interruption. ] It serves no one’s interest for decisions to be rushed—it certainly does not serve the industry or the constituents of the right hon. Member for Beverley and Holderness (Graham Stuart), who is chuntering from a sedentary position—only for it to be overturned later by the courts, which was the mess that the previous Government got into.”
“In both the Jackdaw and Rosebank cases, the Secretary of State will make a decision on whether to agree to these being consented in due course. It is imperative that all relevant material is properly considered so that decisions are sound, defensible and robust. When reaching a view, the Secretary of State will assess the overall balance between any potential significant environmental effects and the wider benefits to the interests of the country. As Members would expect, that assessment will involve considering a range of factors, which may include energy security, alongside environmental considerations. Some have asked why the decisions are taking time. The answer is straightforward: these are planning-type decisions that must be taken in full knowledge of the facts.”
“Norway has managed its fields in a very different way from the way this country has over the course of 40 or 50 years. Every country will take its own decisions on how best to secure its own energy supply, and many other countries are taking a similar approach to the United Kingdom. Let me turn to Jackdaw and Rosebank, which are addressed in the Opposition motion. At the outset, I should say that it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the merits of individual cases because doing so could prejudice the decision-making process. As with planning decisions, which are comparable in nature, offshore oil and gas projects are subject to a robust and legally-grounded regulatory framework under which information submitted by developers must be carefully assessed.”
“My hon. Friend makes an important point that gets to the heart of this debate. We are not going to learn the wrong lessons from the current situation in the middle east. We will not make ourselves more reliant on fossil fuels, at a time when we can see playing out day after day in all our constituencies the effect—rising prices—of being overly reliant and exposed to gas and fossil fuels. We are incredibly fortunate to have the North sea on our doorstep. For almost half a century, the oil and gas buried there has fuelled development and charged our economy. But for too long, Governments have ignored the transition happening before their eyes. We owe it to the North sea’s workers and communities, which have done so much for our country, to set out a proper plan for their future and to seize the immense potential in clean energy.”
“Following a consultation with businesses and communities last autumn, we set out the steps we are taking to unleash the North sea’s clean energy future. That plan recognises our world-class energy workers and supply chains and the importance of supporting them through that transition.”
“The Chancellor has had discussions with industry and will continue to do so, and that is the right and appropriate way to conduct these decisions. I was pleased to be in Aberdeen a couple of weeks ago talking to the same workers that the right hon. Member mentions. Of course, we need to do as much as possible to ensure that oil and gas workers are properly protected through this transition, but we must not lose sight of the great potential, for example, in floating offshore wind, which will also provide a significant future for his constituents and people across Scotland. As I was saying, the transition that is under way is the only way to get off the rollercoaster of fossil fuels and build a more secure energy system.”
“I am more than capable of forming my own conclusions, and what is in this speech are my own conclusions. I encourage the right hon. Gentleman to listen to what I have had to say throughout this speech. Harbour Energy is continuing to operate. He talks about dependence. The dependence that we see at the moment is dependence on fossil fuels and on oil and gas, which has left every single one of our constituents across this House exposed to volatile oil and gas prices and to higher prices. As I said in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Peter Swallow), the only way out of that is to get off this rollercoaster of fossil fuels and on to home-grown energy where we can control the price. That is a responsible action from a Government who are focused on the long term and not the short term.”
“I will say to the right hon. Gentleman what I said to his Front Benchers last week: the Conservatives need to stop talking down the North sea. With 1.1 million barrels a day being extracted, that is not an industry being shut down; that is an industry continuing to produce. Just last week, the Minister for Energy met our North Sea future board in Aberdeen with representatives from industry, unions and local groups to discuss how we can drive a fair, orderly and prosperous transition. Net zero is the economic opportunity of the century—”
“That is despite what the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice) might say. This Government will ensure that our oil and gas workers can take advantage of that opportunity while driving for energy sovereignty and abundance with clean home-grown power.”
“This instrument will introduce a small and necessary change to the existing scheme by extending the end date of ECO4 from 31 March 2026 to 31 December 2026. The extension provides obligated suppliers with additional time to meet their existing targets, and most importantly allows them time to focus on the remediation of non-compliant installations. The instrument does not change targets, impose new obligations, increase supplier costs or increase consumers’ bills. Finally, the changes made by the draft order are limited but important. By extending ECO4, we are ensuring a stable period of delivery and an orderly closure to the scheme, and we are safeguarding consumers. I commend the draft order to the Committee.”
“We are also bringing forward comprehensive reforms to the retrofit consumer protection system to make it stronger, more transparent and more accountable, so that this cannot happen again. We expect all installers to ensure that households receive timely and high-quality remediation of any non-compliance identified. Given these systemic issues and inflation that is still too high, we have taken the considered decision not to replace ECO4, therefore easing pressure on household energy bills. This, in combination with the Government’s funding 75% of the domestic cost of the legacy renewables obligation, will remove around £117 of costs on average from household energy bills across Great Britain.”
“Of that amount, £5 billion is allocated to support low-income households. The energy company obligation has played a key part in helping households to reduce their energy bills. ECO was launched in 2013, and the current phase, ECO4, which has run since 2022, has delivered more than 1 million energy-saving measures to around 300,000 households. The scheme places an obligation on the larger energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency improvements to vulnerable and fuel-poor households that result in measurable bill savings. Although ECO4 has delivered a significant volume of home energy efficiency improvements, it has not been without challenges. As the National Audit Office recently set out, there have been widespread, systemic issues in the delivery of solid wall insulation, which we have taken urgent steps to tackle.”
“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) (Amendment) (Specified Period) Order 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Barker. The draft order was laid before the House on 26 January this year. This Government remain fully committed to ensuring that households, particularly those on low incomes or at risk of fuel poverty, can live in warmer, more energy efficient homes that are affordable to heat. At the heart of that endeavour lies the warm homes plan, which is a comprehensive and long-term strategy to reduce energy bills, alleviate fuel poverty and enhance energy security. We have committed to investing £15 billion, the biggest ever public investment to upgrade British homes and cut energy bills.”
“Some £5 billion of the £15 billion for the warm homes plan is focused on low-income households. As I said earlier, an additional £295 million is already being funded through those schemes, in addition to what was already budgeted for in these scheme years. Finally, on remediation, which I know has interested and concerned hon. Members across the Chamber when we have discussed this subject before, I want to repeat that it is really important that people come forward for those audits. The supply chain and the system stand ready to remediate homes, but we cannot do that without people coming forward for those audits. I thank all hon. Members for their contributions to this debate. As I said, the instrument before us will ensure that the ECO scheme concludes in an orderly, responsible and consumer-focused manner.”
“Many of the warm homes local grant and warm homes social housing fund projects I have visited in the short time I have been doing this job are benefiting from a combination of insulation alongside modern technology such as heat pumps, batteries and solar. For every building and project, it is about getting the mix of measures correct to deliver warm homes and lower bills. It would be remiss of us to publish a plan in this day and age that did not reflect the technological changes of the 10 years and the efficiency of batteries, heat pumps and solar, which are helping people to drive down their bills today. We intend to consult on the integration of the two schemes shortly. Again, I impress on hon. Members that we will not be left without a scheme for low-income people.”
“The deployment of the new scheme from 2028 will involve integrating those two schemes, which are working right now and are already delivering measures to people’s homes. I have also heard, not just from hon. Members today but more generally, the idea that we are no longer standing behind insulation. I would not want people to leave this Committee with that impression. The warm homes plan has a significant focus on new technology, but also on insulation, and I anticipate that the amount being deployed for insultation will remain. I agree with the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire: there is no point deploying measures onto homes that are leaky and will not keep people warm and dry.”
“First, we have set up a taskforce alongside industry and the Local Government Association to bring together the bodies that procure from small and medium-sized enterprises in the ECO supply chain. That has already borne some fruit; hon. Members may have seen last week that an additional £295 million, announced to run through the warm homes local grant and the warm homes social housing fund, will provide a bridge through to the additional schemes that will come in future. I would like to push back gently on some of the points about the lack of a fuel poverty plan. Significant amounts of money are already being deployed through the warm homes local grant and the warm homes social housing fund.”
“We have already contacted all affected households. We are encouraging everyone to come forward for an audit. If any Committee members have affected households, I encourage them to ensure that their constituents take up the offer of an audit. There is no route to remediation without constituents contacting us to ensure that they get an audit. As I said in the House, I think in October, this will happen at no cost to the consumer. It is backed by guarantees that will ensure that it is paid for through the system and the supply chain, not drawing on any additional funds, at this stage, from the Government. On the supply chain more generally, we recognise the fact that there has been disruption—the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire raised this as well. We have done a number of things to try to combat that.”
“I thank hon. Members for their contributions to the debate. I will turn briefly to each of the points that were raised. The hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire asked about cost. The measure comes at no cost, and there is no additional funding behind the amendment. It is an extension of the obligation largely to ensure that remediation is conducted on those properties that require it. That comes at no additional cost. The bill savings that the Chancellor outlined in the Budget stand, and consumers will see them when they receive their energy bills on 1 April, after which the new price cap will see energy bills reduce by 7% over the price cap period, funded by the move of 75% of the RO to general taxation and the abolition of ECO from bills. On the second point, the remediation programme is moving at pace.”
“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I should say to hon. Members that I have a terrible cold and I can barely hear at the moment, so if I do not answer any questions, it is not because I am avoiding them. The warm home discount scheme has been a key policy in the Government’s approach to tackling fuel poverty and reducing the energy costs of low-income and vulnerable households ever since its inception in 2011.”
“The warm home discount scheme will also continue in Scotland to winter 2030-31 with £92 million a year of funding allocated. Fuel poverty is devolved in Scotland and, under these arrangements, the Scottish Government have determined eligibility for the next scheme period in Scotland within the funding envelope. Separate regulations have been laid in this Parliament to continue the scheme in Scotland, and I look forward to discussing these regulations with the House in due course.”
“The current scheme period ends on 31 March 2026, and new regulations are therefore required to continue the scheme beyond that date. In September, we consulted on continuing the warm home discount scheme up to and including the winter of 2030-31. The consultation respondents, including consumer advocacy groups, charities and industry, strongly supported proposals to continue the scheme and to continue providing rebates to vulnerable households via automatic data matching. Today, we are discussing these regulations, as well as some additional changes to the scheme that will allow eligible households across England and Wales in or at risk of fuel poverty to continue to receive the rebate for the rest of this decade. Members will note that the regulations relate only to the scheme in England and Wales.”
“I know that my hon. Friend is a champion for her constituents in Holbrook and across her constituency. Like many hon. Members, she will have seen the increase in the numbers of people this year who are eligible for the warm home discount because of the decision made by the Government to expand the scheme to 6 million households. Her constituents and the constituents of all hon. Members will benefit from that this year. Last year, the Government expanded the warm home discount scheme, removing the high cost-to-heat threshold to ensure that an additional 2.7 million of the poorest households across Great Britain received the £150 rebate off their energy bills this winter, with nearly 6 million households now eligible overall.”
“We recognise that too many households cannot afford to heat their homes at a reasonable cost. That is why, in January, we published our new fuel poverty strategy alongside our warm homes plan, to ensure that many more fuel-poor households are protected by 2030. The continuation of the warm home discount scheme through these regulations will provide vital support for eligible households each winter, at the coldest time of year when support is most needed. I commend the draft regulations to the Committee.”
“Where a household is deemed unmatched, the Government will continue to notify them to contact the warm home discount helpline to determine their eligibility for that scheme year. The regulations make provisions for a late rebate of £150 to be paid by a scheme supplier if the Secretary of State is satisfied that an eligible household did not receive a rebate in the preceding scheme year due to an administrative error by a scheme electricity supplier, the Secretary of State or Ofgem. In addition, the regulations will replace fixed spending targets with annual estimates based on the number of eligible households expected to benefit from a rebate each winter to predict more accurately scheme costs. Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for the Government.”