Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure full checks are carried out to corroborate applicants are the occupiers at an address before utilities' contracts are transferred to a new account holder; and if he will take steps to help tackle incidents of fraudulent misrepresentation of utility contract holders.

Gas and electricity supply licences enforced by the independent regulator, Ofgem, require energy suppliers to take all reasonable steps to ensure they have a valid contract with the customer before making a transfer request to switch their energy supply to avoid erroneous transfers.