To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the main outcomes of the pre-consultation stakeholder engagement for the Fuel Poverty Strategy.

The pre-consultation phase of the fuel poverty strategy comprised a series of workshops and focus groups held between April and July 2024. People from a wide range of backgrounds and organisations came together to inform the process, raise issues and concerns, bring forward new ideas, and highlight what has worked and what can be strengthened.

Focus groups were held with vulnerable people and those who are most impacted by fuel poverty. The discussions helped us to capture the real life experiences of vulnerable people and provided real insight into the impact of fuel poverty and the choices people make in their homes.

The main outcomes that arose were:

the lack of capacity of vulnerable people to seek support and the need to provide additional support for them to access help and advice.

the need to enhance referral partnerships across Government to raise awareness and more effectively identify and support people in fuel poverty,

the need to improve housing standards, particularly in the private rented sector and

the need to introduce a more ambitious fuel poverty intervention with appropriate standards and support for vulnerable households.

The Fuel Poverty strategy will launch its public consultation in Autumn 2024 and a summary of the events will be released along with this in a stakeholder engagement report.