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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure energy providers consider the personal circumstances of customers prior to switching them on to a prepayment (a) tariffs and (b) meters.

Ofgem has rules in place that restrict the force-fitting of a prepayment meter on customers who are in debt, except as a last resort. This includes considerations of whether a consumer’s vulnerability makes a prepayment meter a poor choice, for example where medical equipment is required, there is a child under five, or someone in the household has a disability. Suppliers are required to follow specific processes before switching a customer to a prepayment tariff or meter, which are monitored by Ofgem.