We have taken decisive steps to protect consumers and businesses from fuel price shocks, but the only way to protect ourselves from these price spikes is to get off the rollercoaster of the fossil fuel markets.

We are supporting drivers through extension of the 5p cut in fuel duty until the 31 December saving drivers £120 compared to plans inherited from the previous government. We are also improving transparency and competition through the CMA enforced Fuel Finder that will help drivers find the cheapest fuel.

We are also supporting key sectors such as agriculture, rail and freight by cutting red diesel duty by over a third and supporting the haulage sector with a 12‑month HGV Vehicle Excise Duty holiday.

As part of the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, NHS England committed to undertake two consultations on amendments to the NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines. The first of these was launched on 31 July 2024 and ran for eight weeks. The proposed amendments would make the framework more explicit about the circumstances in which NHS England will consider indication specific pricing mechanisms. They would also align the framework with the Competition and Markets Authority statement on combination medicines.

NHS England and the Department engaged with key stakeholders throughout the consultation period, and NHS England intends to publish an updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines by the end of 2024.

The price cap has fallen by 60% since the start of last year, and the Government are taking a comprehensive approach to bring down future energy bills for consumers. That includes reforming electricity markets to make them more effective, investing across the energy system to make it smarter, and investing in energy efficiency to reduce costs for households.

That is certainly one of the Department’s aims. We are very conscious that we must get that energy security while also helping all the vulnerable households—and non-domestic businesses—that need our support.

Interconnectors are built to share energy with some of our closest European allies, who are also generating renewable, clean energy at affordable prices, enabling access to lower-cost electricity for GB consumers. Analysis supporting the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan ^[1] showed that increasing the level of interconnection could reduce system costs by over £1bn annually (based on 2012 prices).

New interconnectors are subject to an independent and robust regulatory process run by Ofgem, ensuring that only projects which bring benefits to GB consumers are built.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transitioning-to-a-net-zero-energy-system-smart-systems-and-flexibility-plan-2021

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the challenge that high energy bills have posed not just to his constituents in Romford but to constituents across the country. That is why we stepped in with a significant package of support that paid around half of a typical household energy bill when prices were at their highest.

I know my hon. Friend will join me in welcoming the fact that the energy price cap is set to fall by almost £250 in April, which will bring relief to many families, but we must hold companies to account. That is why we introduced the energy profits levy on the windfall profits caused by an unexpected increase in energy prices. We are going further to cut people’s costs by cutting their taxes and putting more money into their family bank accounts.

Since November, due to Houthi attacks, 12 international shipping companies have been forced to suspend passage through the Red Sed, causing lengthy delays and disruption to global supply chains. This has included causing insurance premiums for Red Sea shipping to increase ten-fold; although, this only contributes a small fraction of total costs passed onto the end-consumer.

These attacks therefore present a risk of increased prices for consumer goods and energy. Be assured that the Government is working closely with shipping operators to mitigate any potential impact on consumers, and the shipping and supply chain sectors are well practiced at putting contingencies in place to continue to meet their customer needs. The government continues to monitor the situation closely.

Freedom of navigation across international shipping lanes in the Red Sea must be protected. These illegal Houthi attacks are putting innocent lives at risk, threatening regional security, and harming the global economy. In all, we have seen more than 25 attacks against ships since the middle of November. This is why the UK and the US, with support from the Netherlands, Canada, Bahrain, and Australia, carried out targeted strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen. This action was necessary, legal, proportionate and right.

Aviation is a competitive private sector business. I see no need to try to tell them how to price their products.

The Government is committed to supporting people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save, and to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible.

Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers is below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for Inner London, where the average price paid is affected by Boroughs with very high property values.

The Government keeps all aspects of the savings tax regime under review.

No assessment has been made. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.

Following a HM Treasury-led review into the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme will run from April 2023 until March 2024 and continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including hospices. At a national level, NHS England has released £1.5 billion of additional funding to ICBs to provide support for inflation, with ICBs deciding how best to distribute this funding within their systems.

Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that remain free to set salary rates along with other terms and conditions at a level that reflects the skills and experience of their staff.

We engage regularly with international partners, including non-Russian OPEC+ countries, on the importance of maintaining stability in global energy markets. We encourage others, where they can, to backfill Russian production in the short-term, and to scale up investment and international co-operation in clean energy to reduce longer-term dependence. It is vital that we combat high energy prices and inflation.

The Government has introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which will protect schools from high energy costs and give them greater certainty over their budgets during the winter months. The details of the scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers.

Schools are also being supported by the cash increases to the core schools budget, which increased by £4 billion this financial year. Schools in Romford are attracting £76.8 million in total this year through the National Funding Formula (NFF), a 5.3% cash increase. This reflects 2.9% more per pupil in their pupil led funding compared to the 2021/22 financial year.  Schools’ actual allocations in 2022/23 financial year are based on local authorities’ local funding formulae. On top of this funding through the NFF, schools in Romford are seeing a further £2.3 million through the schools supplementary grant.

The Department knows that every school’s circumstances are different. Schools in serious financial difficulty should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen as a result of global events this year and that have impacted students. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.

To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help, the department confirmed in guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.

Maximum loans for living costs and grants have been increased this academic year, 2022/23. The government is reviewing options for uprating maximum loans and grants for the 2023/24 academic year. An announcement will follow in due course.

In addition, maximum tuition fees have been capped at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses. The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.

As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.

All households will save money on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee. This is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.

The Energy Prices Bill introduced on 12 October includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this legislation will be set out in regulations.

Dual fuel heated homes will benefit from the support offered through the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which limits the price households pay per unit of gas and electricity they use, and the Energy Bills Support (EBSS) scheme which provides a £400 non-repayable Government discount to help 29 million households with energy bills over the winter. No support beyond EPG and EBSS is planned for dual fuel heated homes.

The department recognises that schools will be facing financial pressures in the coming months, particularly due to the increase in energy prices. We are looking carefully at how this will impact schools and considering what additional support could be offered.

The department is contacting all schools in England, asking them to complete a survey, to get basic data on their current and future energy tariffs. We hope to better understand how they have been affected by recent energy price increases, and to inform considerations of additional support that could be offered. The survey is open until 2 June 2022, and all schools are encouraged to respond, and can be accessed via the following link: https://bit.ly/DfEEnergysurvey.

Cost increases should be considered in the wider context of funding for schools. The government is delivering a £4 billion cash increase in the core schools budget next year, taking total funding to £53.8 billion. This includes an additional £1.2 billion for schools in the new schools supplementary grant for the 2022/23 financial year. Overall, this represents a 7% cash terms per pupil boost, which will help schools meet the pressures we know they are facing, particularly around energy costs.

Through the Dedicated Schools Grant and the indicative figures for the Schools Supplementary Grant for mainstream schools combined, funding in Havering is forecast to see an extra £14.3 million for schools in 2022/23, taking total funding for 2022/23 in Havering to over £211.7 million. This is an average increase of 5.7% per pupil (this per pupil funding increase excludes growth funding, which is additional funding, provided for schools seeing significant increases in pupil numbers).

All schools can access a range of school resource management (SRM) tools to help them get the best value from their resources, save on regular purchases, and reduce non-teaching costs. The department’s SRM tools include recommended deals for energy costs and ancillary services relating to energy. The Get Help Buying for Schools service will be able to offer support to schools in switching and entering new contracts. Guidance will be updated on a regular basis to inform schools of the market and commercial position, with practical advice on exiting existing and entering new contracts. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buying-for-schools.

The department understands that every school’s circumstances are different, and where schools are in serious financial difficulty, they should contact their local authority or the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

According to Ofgem, environmental and social policy costs have totalled 25.48 percent on electricity bills and 2.46 percent on gas bills in 2020. However, over the past 10 years their net effect has been to reduce consumer energy bills.

These levies fund vital support schemes and energy efficiency measures which benefit low income and vulnerable households, as well as investing in the UK’s home-grown renewable energy sector.

According to Ofgem, environmental and social policy costs have totalled 25.48 percent on electricity bills and 2.46 percent on gas bills in 2020. However, over the past 10 years their net effect has been to reduce consumer energy bills.

These levies fund vital support schemes and energy efficiency measures which benefit low income and vulnerable households, as well as investing in the UK’s home-grown renewable energy sector.

The Government is conscious of the impact of fuel prices on households across the country and has therefore decided to keep fuel duty frozen for the twelfth consecutive year.

The Department does not plan to make an assessment of the impact on individual house prices in 2021 of net international migration.

The Government is monitoring the significant increases in wholesale energy prices closely, and meeting regularly with Ofgem, suppliers and consumer groups to understand the future impact on consumers as well as to discuss potential mitigations.

The Government is committed to protecting energy customers, especially the most vulnerable. The Energy Price Cap will continue to protect consumers, ensuring they pay a fair price for their energy this winter. Low income and fuel poor households will continue to be supported with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with a £140 discount. Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments will ensure that the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes through the winter. Additionally, the Government announced an additional £500 million for local authorities through the new Household Support Fund to support vulnerable households meet daily needs such as utility bills.