HOME ENERGY & LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT LTD) HELMS

I participated in a debate about central heating installations and consumer protection in order to take this opportunity to raise the issue of the Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd) HELMS issue which has seen many of my constituents across North Ayrshire & Arran feeling let down and conned.

I spoke about how those caught up in this matter continue to campaign for the UK Government to intervene. Many of my constituents are left unable to sell their homes as a consequence of the HELMS mis-selling consumers had solar panels fitted but found they were not in the feed-in tariff and could not register for it, were were mis-sold credit deals, are paying more for their electricity, and they are tied into payment contracts with energy suppliers for two decades. I urged the Minister to consider a review of green deal loans, given the high volume of loans have a payback period exceeding 20 years.

In what appears to be a slight change of tone, the Minister of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Claire Perry, indicated that whilst currently, all contracts are covered by existing consumer protection, but as a second action point she would undertake to go away and review this specific company and would write to me with the state of progress on those conversations.

Click below to hear these exchanges: