Written question asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Marland (Conservative) on Monday, 30 April 2012.

Energy: Tariffs

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to tackle unfair energy tariffs.

Answer: Following the recent announcement by my right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister, all the major energy suppliers have committed to help energy consumers get the best deal, including the provision of information for those nearing the end of fixed-term deals and annual communications to all customers telling them what the best tariff is for them and how to get it. In addition, in 2009 Ofgem introduced new rules to prevent unfair price differentials, such as those between different payment methods or groups of customers. Ofgem has reported on the effectiveness of these changes and also proposed further protections for consumers as part of their retail market review. We support Ofgem's actions in tackling unjustified tariff premiums to ensure consumers do not lose out. A copy of the full Ofgem Retail Market Review—Findings and Proposals is available online at: http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/Documents1/RMR_FINAL.pdf.

Secondary information