The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Committee has today published the evidence submissions for
the Government’s Draft Energy Price Cap Bill.
The submissions (attached) have been published ahead of
a public evidence session on Tuesday 12
December when the Committee will be questioning
witnesses from consumer bodies (Scope, National Energy Action,
Citizens Advice, Which?), the Competition and Markets Authority
and former energy regulators Stephen Littlechild and Steve Smith.
The Committee has received written evidence submissions (44 in
total) from the “Big Six” energy companies, small and medium
suppliers such as OVO Energy and Bristol Energy, Ofgem and the
CMA, energy charities and consumer groups, as well as companies
and organisations such as the CBI, Institute of Economic Affairs,
MoneySuperMarket.com and Taxpayers Alliance as well as from MPs
and individuals [full list below].
The BEIS Committee’s pre-legislative scrutiny of
the Government’s Draft Domestic Gas and
Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill involves examining the
objective, provisions, and likely impact of the legislation. The
Committee will be holding public evidence sessions in December
and January as part of this inquiry.
MP, Chair of the Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee,
said: “The energy market is broken. The Government needs
to act to stamp out energy companies exploiting loyal customers
and leaving these consumers stuck on overinflated energy tariffs.
It will come as little surprise to these customers that the Big
Six energy companies oppose a price cap which could reduce
consumer bills. As a Committee, we will be taking a close eye to
the Government’s energy price cap proposals in the evidence
sessions ahead and we will then report with recommendations to
ensure this draft legislation can deliver on the Government’s
promise to deliver lower bills for consumers”.
The Committee received evidence submissions from
the following: Utilita Energy Ltd, Bristol Energy, First
Utility, Hudson Energy Supply UK Limited, OVO Energy, TaxPayers'
Alliance, Citizens Advice, EDF Energy, Smart Energy GB, E.ON,
Ecotricity, Which?, Institute of Economic Affairs, Utility
Warehouse Ltd, Centrica plc, MoneySuperMarket.com, Scope, Adam
Smith Institute, Cornwall Insight, Energy UK, Confederation of
British Industries, Co-op Energy, npower, uSwitch.com, Scottish
Power, Octopus Energy, Energy Policy Group, National Energy
Action, Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy,
Care & Repair Cymru, Competition and Markets Authority,
Martin Cave, Ofgem, Good Energy, Consumer Council, Centre for
Competition Policy (University of East Anglia), Dr Timothy
Dodsworth, David Osmon, Professor Stephen Littlechild et al.,
MP, MP, MP.
Public evidence session - Pre-legislative scrutiny of
the draft domestic gas and electricity (tariff cap)
bill
The public evidence session at 9:15am on Tuesday 12
December is likely to examine the views of consumer
bodies about the Tariff Cap Bill, its potential to solve
long-term consumer issues and the improvements needed to it. It
is also likely to go over the majority and minority CMA opinions
about market-wide price caps and some of the controversies around
the CMA’s consumer detriment figure.
Watch live and on-demand on Parliament
TV
Tuesday 12 December 2017, Committee Room TBC
At 9.15
Panel 1 – Part One. Majority and minority CMA opinions about
market-wide price caps and some of the controversies around the
CMA’s consumer detriment figure.
Stephen Littlechild, Fellow, Judge Business School, University of
Cambridge
Stephen Smith, Former Ofgem Board Member, Flipper and Lloyds
Banking Group
Panel 1 – Part Two. Majority and minority CMA opinions about
market-wide price caps and some of the controversies around the
CMA’s consumer detriment figure.
Martin Cave, Group Member, Energy Market Investigation, CMA
Simeon Thornton, Project Director, Energy Market Investigation,
CMA
Lesley Ainsworth, Group Member, Energy Market Investigation, CMA
Panel 2 - consumer bodies
Victoria MacGregor, Director of Energy, Citizens Advice
Pete Moorey, Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs, Which?
, Head of Policy,
Campaigns and Public Affairs, Scope
, Director of Policy and
Research, National Energy Action
