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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will launch a formal inquiry into the practice of forced prepayment meter installations, including (a) evidence used by energy suppliers to assess vulnerability and (b) the role of magistrates.

The Government will continue to do all it can to ensure families and households stay warm this winter. The Government is taking urgent action to bring about greater transparency when it comes to concerning energy supplier practice. The Government has announced a five-point plan to tackle concerning behaviour by energy suppliers. This includes a call for suppliers voluntarily to stop the practice of forced prepayment meter switching and a request for the release of supplier data on the number of warrant applications they have made. Ofgem has also announced it will be conducting a further assessment of supplier prepayment meter practices.