Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times magistrates have issued warrants to utility companies permitting the forcible installation of prepayment meters in the homes of their customers in each year since 2002–03.

Utility companies apply for warrants of entry to magistrates' courts. When the application is heard the outcome is recorded on the court register. They are not recorded or collated centrally so this question could only be answered by manually inspecting records at each magistrates' court, which would incur disproportionate costs.