To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason HMRC levies VAT on cladding repairs by social housing providers without counting them as costs of completing the original building work.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason HMRC levies VAT on cladding repairs by social housing providers without counting them as costs of completing the original building work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of VAT on cladding repairs on the overall cost of remediation for social housing providers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of VAT on cladding repairs on the overall cost of remediation for social housing providers.

My hon. Friend the Minister for Energy Consumers (Martin McCluskey) made the following Statement today:

We are acting today to restore consumer confidence in the energy sector and ensure that failures in government insulation schemes can never happen again.

The 2025 National Audit Office report into the failures of the ECO...

My hon. Friend the Minister for Energy Consumers (Martin McCluskey) made the following Statement today:

We are acting today to restore consumer confidence in the energy sector and ensure that failures in government insulation schemes can never happen again.

The 2025 National Audit Office report into the failures of the ECO...

We are acting today to restore consumer confidence in the energy sector and ensure that failures in government insulation schemes can never happen again.

The 2025 National Audit Office report into the failures of the ECO scheme gave a damning account of the failures of the ECO4 and GBIS schemes...

We are acting today to restore consumer confidence in the energy sector and ensure that failures in government insulation schemes can never happen again.

The 2025 National Audit Office report into the failures of the ECO scheme gave a damning account of the failures of the ECO4 and GBIS schemes...

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the requirement to use an existing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating to determine eligibility for insulation funding where that EPC was produced prior to the subsequent...

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the requirement to use an existing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating to determine eligibility for insulation funding where that EPC was produced prior to the subsequent...

I know that my hon. Friend has been working hard to support his constituents in Newcastle-under-Lyme on these important issues. I am happy to meet him, but let me also reassure him that work to improve the performance of the Building Safety Regulator is ongoing and is bearing fruit.

I know that my hon. Friend has been working hard to support his constituents in Newcastle-under-Lyme on these important issues. I am happy to meet him, but let me also reassure him that work to improve the performance of the Building Safety Regulator is ongoing and is bearing fruit.

Leaseholders at Southend’s Meridien Point are trapped in an unbearable financial situation, as a result of an internal defects bill of £3 million, and a £450,000 fight against the building developer. Their block is 18 metres in height, and they are not entitled to funding for the support that they desperately need. They have been offered just £50,000 towards their legal fees by Homes England. How can we look at existing funding criteria for mid-rise buildings, and encourage Homes England to fully support leaseholders in taking on well-resourced developers?

Leaseholders at Southend’s Meridien Point are trapped in an unbearable financial situation, as a result of an internal defects bill of £3 million, and a £450,000 fight against the building developer. Their block is 18 metres in height, and they are not entitled to funding for the support that they desperately need. They have been offered just £50,000 towards their legal fees by Homes England. How can we look at existing funding criteria for mid-rise buildings, and encourage Homes England to fully support leaseholders in taking on well-resourced developers?

Buildings between 11 and 18 metres may be able to enter the cladding safety scheme, but I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this matter further.

Buildings between 11 and 18 metres may be able to enter the cladding safety scheme, but I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this matter further.

In 2022, my constituents at No. 1 London Road in Newcastle-under-Lyme were told that urgent action was needed due to fire safety concerns over the building’s cladding. It is now 2026 and, four years later, that urgent action is yet to begin. Can the Minister set out what steps she will take to ensure that the Building Safety Regulator functions effectively and does not create greater risk through significant delays—delays that have a huge impact on those directly impacted in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across the country?

In 2022, my constituents at No. 1 London Road in Newcastle-under-Lyme were told that urgent action was needed due to fire safety concerns over the building’s cladding. It is now 2026 and, four years later, that urgent action is yet to begin. Can the Minister set out what steps she will take to ensure that the Building Safety Regulator functions effectively and does not create greater risk through significant delays—delays that have a huge impact on those directly impacted in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across the country?

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to incentivise people to insulate their homes; and if he will set out the support available to help people cover these costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to incentivise people to insulate their homes; and if he will set out the support available to help people cover these costs.

Motion, That this House has considered energy costs. Agreed to on question.

Motion, That this House has considered energy costs. Agreed to on question.

I beg to move,

That this House has considered energy costs.

It is a pleasure to serve with you chairing, Ms McVey, and I am grateful to colleagues who are here today. This is my first speech in Westminster Hall, and we all have a lot to say on this issue, so...

I beg to move,

That this House has considered energy costs.

It is a pleasure to serve with you chairing, Ms McVey, and I am grateful to colleagues who are here today. This is my first speech in Westminster Hall, and we all have a lot to say on this issue, so...

First of all, I commend the hon. Lady: in her short time here, she has made a name for herself as someone who speaks on behalf of her constituents, so well done. Power NI supplies 60% of Northern Ireland homes—a 6.2% increase—and charges £1,093 for credit meters and £1,065 for...

First of all, I commend the hon. Lady: in her short time here, she has made a name for herself as someone who speaks on behalf of her constituents, so well done. Power NI supplies 60% of Northern Ireland homes—a 6.2% increase—and charges £1,093 for credit meters and £1,065 for...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments, and I agree that we have to do something to tackle this immediately.

Before I became an MP, I was a plumber. I spent my days going into people’s homes, and on so many occasions I saw the problem right in front of...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments, and I agree that we have to do something to tackle this immediately.

Before I became an MP, I was a plumber. I spent my days going into people’s homes, and on so many occasions I saw the problem right in front of...

On that point, will the hon. Member give way?

On that point, will the hon. Member give way?

I will continue, if that is okay.

Bills have gone up by 79% since the energy crisis began in 2020. That is an extra £5,000, when our constituents’ hard-earned wages are already stretched to breaking point. Yet, from 1 July our constituents face another increase, of £221, when the next Ofgem...

I will continue, if that is okay.

Bills have gone up by 79% since the energy crisis began in 2020. That is an extra £5,000, when our constituents’ hard-earned wages are already stretched to breaking point. Yet, from 1 July our constituents face another increase, of £221, when the next Ofgem...

Will the hon. lady give way?

Will the hon. lady give way?

I am going to continue.

Fourthly and finally, we must go further and faster on renewables. New fossil fuel extraction will not bring down bills or improve the UK’s energy security—a fact I know the Minister agrees with. Since the start of the war in Iran, wind and solar have saved...

I am going to continue.

Fourthly and finally, we must go further and faster on renewables. New fossil fuel extraction will not bring down bills or improve the UK’s energy security—a fact I know the Minister agrees with. Since the start of the war in Iran, wind and solar have saved...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I am just about to finish.

If we do not do something, this issue will keep happening. We need to act—not in the interests of fossil fuel giants, but in the interests of the very people who sent us to this place to make their lives more liveable.

11.9 am

I am just about to finish.

If we do not do something, this issue will keep happening. We need to act—not in the interests of fossil fuel giants, but in the interests of the very people who sent us to this place to make their lives more liveable.

11.9 am