Standing charges on energy bills

That this House is deeply concerned about the rising costs of energy bills and the severe financial pressure this is placing on households across the UK; is alarmed that standing charges on energy bills could constitute as much as around one quarter of the entire energy bills of those consumers whose energy consumption is low; is concerned that many energy companies have recently increased their standing charges by more than 100 per cent, with some consumers paying as much as 51p per day standing charge for electricity, a charge applied regardless of the amount of power used; understands this will disproportionately and significantly impact on the poorest households; and urges the Government to introduce single unit pricing and to scrap standing charges on energy bills and instead introduce a system of single unit pricing so that consumers are more easily able to compare costs charged by energy providers in a clear and transparent way.