End of Radio Teleswitch Service: Rural Areas

Debate between Dave Doogan and Seamus Logan

Wednesday 4th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Dave Doogan]

I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. He has raised a couple of points. One is really important, and that is whether or not customers have an option. They actually do not have a realistic option. The radio teleswitch service is coming to an end at the end of June next year, and they will not want to be in the position where they do not have a smart meter that can toggle between a reduced-rate tariff and a full-price tariff. That would be ruinously expensive.

My hon. Friend also touched on the communication, and the quality thereof, that supply companies are having with their customers. One of the reasons that the uptake is so slow is that people do not have confidence in smart meters—and why would they? There were plenty of problems with the smart meter roll-out just for regular electricity customers who want to know how much electricity they are using. The stakes are far higher for electric-only customers who heat their homes with electricity. They need confidence that their smart meter will actually work. I will come on to that point in a second.

[Seamus Logan (Aberdeenshire North and Moray East) (SNP)]

My hon. Friend mentioned Energy UK, and my hon. Friend the Member for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey (Graham Leadbitter) mentioned the number of people in his constituency who use the service. I think it is in the region of 3,000 in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East. Those people need clarity about what is going to happen. Does my hon. Friend agree that households need clarity on these proposals, and that the Government should use all means available to them to ensure that the roll-out is fair and that reassurance is provided to customers?

[Dave Doogan]

The operative word of my hon. Friend’s intervention was “fair”, and I will come on to exactly who owns the risk.