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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of (a) legislation and (b) regulatory guidance on the forcible installation of prepayment meters by energy suppliers; and whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle the forcible installation of prepayment meters.

Prepayment meters (PPMs) allow customers to pay for energy on a pay-as-you-go basis and serve an important function by helping the avoidance of debt and court action.

Ofgem has stringent rules on the force-fitting of PPMs and has recently published a letter where it outlines steps it will be taking on tackling inappropriate supplier PPM practises including making sure suppliers are complying with those rules, which can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/letter-jonathan-brearley-secretary-state-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy-tackling-inappropriate-energy-supplier-prepayment-meter-practices.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has also asked energy suppliers to commit voluntarily to stop this practice.