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Energy Prices

In the brief time available I just want to make a few comments. Rising energy prices are obviously causing huge problems for many families. Every 5% rise puts a further 46,000 households into fuel poverty. It is not a completely grim picture. For once, there is some good news in Scotland. The Scottish house condition survey, which measures fuel poverty, published in November, shows a reduction in the number of homes in fuel poverty in 2010, although, like the rest of the UK, the figure remains far too high. The current average dual fuel bill is now £1,345 a year, an increase of almost 50% over the past four years. Today, EDF trumpeted the decision to reduce gas prices by 5%, but that comes on top of an increase only a couple a months ago of 15.4%. There are other related issues. I raised with the Secretary of State in an intervention the issue of prepayment meters. There is great concern about the huge increase in the number of people moving over to prepayment meters—presumably, people who are unable to meet their energy bills—and there is a real danger of self-disconnection when that happens. We do not always know when some of these people are doing this. That is a real worry and we need to do something about it. The mantra of switching simply does not work. The energy companies appear to be doing a ““follow my lead”” on rising prices; I very much doubt whether that will necessarily occur when prices start to go down. I note that Labour's motion suggests that we should"““require energy companies to provide the lowest tariff to over 75s””." That, in itself, is a good idea, but the problem is that it will work only if the tariffs are lower; there is no point putting people on the lowest tariff if all the tariffs are high, which tends to be the position at the moment. At the Scottish Government's energy summit last November, Scotland's six largest energy providers pledged to help vulnerable customers transfer to their most efficient tariff, so there has been some movement on this issue and it should be encouraged. However, the previous system of higher winter fuel allowances for elderly people is a much better option, because it reduces the amount they have to pay out, irrespective of what bill they are on, and I am slightly disappointed that Labour seems to be moving away from that approach. I wish to make the point about off-grid customers, of whom my constituency has many and about which other hon. Members have spoken. I have previously raised this prospect, but the Government should consider, at the very least, making the winter fuel payment earlier to vulnerable people who are off-grid, as that would allow them to fill up their tanks in the summer or early autumn, when the price tends to be lower, although it is not always. That is a no-cost and positive option, so I urge the Minister at least to consider it again.