Powers of Entry: Meters

(asked on 20th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the burden of proof required by an energy supplier is to demonstrate they are acting as a last resort in seeking a warrant to install a prepayment meter.


Answered by
Mike Freer Portrait
Mike Freer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 11th January 2023

Under the applicable statutory framework, in order to grant an application to enforce a right of entry, a justice must be satisfied that:

  • There is a right of entry;
  • Admission is reasonably required; and
  • The requirements of the Gas Act or Electricity Act have been complied with (this relates principally to the giving of notice).

The justice must be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that these grounds apply. The legislation, which the Justice of the Peace must apply, does not require the energy supplier to demonstrate they are acting as a last resort in seeking a warrant to install a prepayment meter to avoid disconnecting the customer’s supply.

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