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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what mechanisms Ofgem has to enforce the careful removal, handling and return of meters.

Energy suppliers are required by their licence to be party to the industry governance groups that oversee the relevant codes of practice (for gas: Meter Asset Managers’ Code of Practice (MAMCoP) and electricity: Meter Operators Code of Practice Agreement (MOCOPA)). The industry groups oversee compliance and can escalate issues to Ofgem, who can apply their usual range of enforcement powers for a licence breach.

In addition, companies are required to comply with the conditions set out in the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which covers metering equipment.