Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
Prioritise robust customer protection and remediation for all government-funded retrofit schemes
Recommendation
The serious failings to protect consumers on these schemes risk undermining confidence in all the Department’s retrofit schemes. The Department believes it is rebuilding confidence through the steps it has taken to date, such as suspending 38 installer businesses, implementing a “robust” reinstatement process, and requiring retrofit coordinators to visit 7 each site in person. We are extremely sceptical that the changes so far are sufficient, especially given the low level of remediation that has taken place to date. For example, there is still no requirement for the retrofit coordinator to be independent of the installer, so the person who is meant to check the retrofit has been completed to the correct standard can be appointed by the installer they are assessing. The Department needs to make further changes before it can be confident there will be no more faulty installations under the current system. Since we took evidence in November 2025, the government announced that it would not continue ECO after the current schemes end, but that it would continue to invest in tackling fuel poverty through its Warm Homes Plan. It is vital, given the Departments strong statement that in the last resort it will stand by householders to ensure their homes are remediated that high priority is given to this pledge even after the scheme ends. The Department accepts that wholesale reform of the system is ultimately required to ensure customer protection and restore the public’s confidence in retrofits. It intends to deliver this reform in line with three principles: the system must be simpler and clearer; there must be stronger central oversight; and there must be clear accountability, redress and remediation when things go wrong. The public have a right to expect that where work is funded by government grant that the government effectively guarantee the work will be done correctly and put right if not. recommendation a. The Department should give high priority to ensuring—and ind
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, affirming high priority for the find-and-fix programme and committing to wholesale reform of the consumer protection system as outlined in the Warm Homes Plan, including developing new competency frameworks.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. and the retrofit professionals involved in design and installation. The mechanisms for pursuing this independence are through revisions to the BSI owned PAS2035 and PAS2030 standards, the reform of government’s consumer protection system being led by DESNZ in collaboration with MHCLG and the design of any future government retrofit scheme. The department is continuing to sponsor the British Standards Institution (BSI) to facilitate the amendment of PAS 2035 and PAS 2030, including how the PASs should address the need for retrofit professionals to carry out their role in a way free from a conflict of interest and determine the best outcome for the consumer by providing objectivity within all retrofit projects. Decisions on the PAS are taken by the PAS Steering Group and not by government. Previous updates to PAS guidelines have taken c.9-12 months to complete. 7d. PAC recommendation: The Department should ensure that, in all future schemes, those tasked with checking the quality of design and installation are: • …are accountable, The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. consumer protection, which includes oversight and compliance, and the intention is to consult on the design of the future system during summer 2026. 7e. PAC recommendation: The Department should ensure that, in all future schemes, those tasked with checking the quality of design and installation are: • and have the resources and competency to carry out this role. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation capacity and capability as a critical enabler of delivery, quality and consumer protection, and the department has explicitly recognised that recent scheme failures were driven in part by skills shortages, poor training and unstable pipelines of work. In the Warm Homes Plan, the department committed to consider how competence under the PAS Retrofit Standards Framework could be broadened away from requiring specific qualifications to a more holistic assessment of skills, knowledge, experience and behaviour, in line with the approach set out under the Building Regulations. To support this work, the department, working closely with the Retrofit Standards Task Group and the Building Safety Regulator’s Industry Competence Committee. These regulatory and industry experts will support development of competency frameworks, including new skills, knowledge, experience and behaviour statements, for named retrofit roles under the PAS Retrofit Standards Framework. In developing these new frameworks, the department aims to support greater clarity and understanding of the competencies required to carry out named roles, new training routes into the sector, and improved oversight arrangements. The department is also committed to working with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) on their reviews of building professions and the competent person scheme conditions of authorisation as part of a reformed consumer protection system.