Josh Newbury

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. I have heard from constituents in the rural parts of Cannock Chase that they often feel forgotten in national discussions about energy, so I am grateful to the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Jamie Stone) for securing this debate. For people many in semi-rural constituencies such as mine, heating oil is often the only realistic means of heating their home. Last month, I held a coffee morning in Prospect Village and spoke to Ian and Linda, who are on oil. They told me that the price they were facing trebled over a single weekend. Although they recognise that the cost of crude oil is outside our control, households on oil are effectively left to the mercy of market forces, which is why we need greater regulation in the market. I very much welcome the Government’s plans to introduce that for the first time. I am glad that minimum delivery quantities are being looked at; as has been said, that will help households to manage the massive up-front costs of heating oil. The present situation underlines why we must accelerate the transition to clean and affordable energy, generated in Britain, to cut our reliance on imports and strengthen our energy security. For rural communities, the transition must be practical, affordable and fair, and we must recognise that not all households are the same, so a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. The enhanced £9,000 heat pump grant for off-grid properties was introduced in recognition of the extra costs that many rural households face when moving away from heating oil. Heat pump uptake is still lower in rural areas, and the subsidy is due to expire at the end of this financial year. I hope the Minister will look carefully at extending it so that rural households have certainty about the help that will be available to them. My constituents Ian and Linda are keen to get off oil, but they need help to do so. To end where I started, we must ensure that the households we represent that are reliant on heating oil are not forgotten. As we make the transition, I hope Ministers will keep rural households at the forefront of their thinking. These families face unique challenges, but they deserve the same protection, certainty and security as every other household in the country.