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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps has his Department taken to help ensure that people who get their energy supply through a pre-payment meter receive the first instalment of the energy voucher.

On 4 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all energy suppliers with customers on traditional prepayment meters including OVO, reiterating the importance of ensuring these customers receive their vouchers and, receive prompt service and accurate information from supplier call centres. This was followed up by a meeting I held with all CEOs of energy suppliers with prepayment meter customers to press them to ensure a good service is provided. This does not relate to customers with smart prepayment meters which are credited automatically. 100% of vouchers were dispatched to traditional prepayment meter customers in the first month of the scheme’s operation