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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will press companies to set up compensation schemes to be used in the event that they overcharge customers as a result of inaccurate gas readings.

It is for the regulator, Ofgem, to regulate the industry to ensure consumer receive accurate bills.

Following the publication of an open letter by Ofgem, the trade association Energy UK has estimated that 11,000 customers (less than 0.05% of the total 23 million gas accounts in the UK) were charged the wrong amount for their gas usage, owing to the incorrect recording of imperial and metric meters.

Customers affected by these errors will not have to take any action and will be contacted directly by their supplier, who will repay any overcharging (including an appropriate interest payment). Energy suppliers will not seek repayment from those customers who have been undercharged and where, appropriate, could offer support to financially vulnerable customers to ease the transition to accurate bills.

The Ofgem open letter is available online at: www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/open-letter-gas-suppliers-metricimperial-indicator-charging-error