John Baron MP disappointed at Secretary of State’s response to Energy Companies’ inaction to help their Customers

MP highlights failure to meet key BSG recommendation

In the House of Commons today, John Baron MP pressed the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change over energy companies’ failure to help customers reduce their bills. John Baron MP is Chairman of the Billing Stakeholder Group (BSG) – a body tasked by Government to produce recommendations as to how energy suppliers can better help customers with their fuel bills. The recommendations were accepted by Government.

One of the recommendations was that the energy suppliers should inform their customers, by way of a standalone communication, as to the money they could save if they were on that company’s cheapest standard direct debit tariff. This communication is to be sent out in time for the winter months. Yet the energy companies are failing to abide by this recommendation.

In the House of Commons, John asked:

‘The Government accepts the three recommendations from the Billing Stakeholder Group, which I chaired at the behest of this Government. The energy suppliers are not abiding by one of these recommendations – which is for them to communicate to each of their customers how much that customer could save if they were on that company’s cheapest standard direct debit tariff. What is the Government going to do to put this right?”

The Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State, paid tribute to John’s role as Chairman of the BSG, and said that this communication was very much a theme of the recent energy summit that was held in October.

John said afterwards,

“The Secretary of State’s response is disappointing. He is clearly unaware that most of the energy suppliers are failing to meet this recommendation, and winter is fast approaching. This is despite the fact that I have raised this matter with his Department previously. I am now pressing the Government on this issue.”