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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Urgent Question on Forced installation of prepayment meters in homes by energy companies of 23 January 2023, Official Report, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the criteria of last resort for mandatory prepayment meter installations.

A supplier can only force-fit a prepayment meter by warrant after they have taken all reasonable steps to agree payment with a customer.

Ofgem will be carrying out a review focusing specifically on self-disconnections, remote switching and forced installations and, the checks and balances companies have around any decision to put a customer on a pre-payment meter. Furthermore, Ofgem will continue to look at the rules around mandatory moves to pre-payment meters, when a court warrant can be applied for, and the steps that need to be taken first.