Commentary on Sections Part 6: Consumer Protection and Miscellaneous Schedule 14, Part 2 – Electricity Consumers Section 145: Fuel Poverty
619.The purpose of this section is to place a duty on the Secretary of State to set a new objective for addressing fuel poverty in England, replacing the current provisions of section 2 of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 (insofar as they apply to England).
620.Section 145 provides a new section 1A which removes the current fuel poverty target for England from the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and replaces it with a duty on the Secretary of State to set an objective for addressing the situation of persons living in fuel poverty through secondary legislation. The section requires the form of that objective and a target date for achieving it to be specified in secondary legislation, which will be subject to an affirmative resolution procedure.
621.The section provides a new section 1B pursuant to which the Secretary of State is required to prepare and publish a strategy for achieving the new objective that is specified in secondary legislation.
622.If the statutory objective or target date are amended the Secretary of State must revise and republish the strategy where he or she considers the amendments require it.
623.Section 145 removes the requirement to consult with the National Consumer Council in relation to the preparation, publication and revision of the strategy as this body no longer exists.
624.The amendments to the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 will only apply to England. The existing provisions of the Act will continue to apply to Wales.