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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with (a) energy companies and (b) Ofgem on (i) the forced installation of prepayment meters and (ii) the practice of self-disconnection by those households unable to afford to load credit onto prepayment meters.

The Department meets regularly with Ofgem and energy suppliers to discuss energy retail market issues. As my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out in the House, officials are working on measures to support PPM consumers and we will act as soon as possible to tackle this issue.

Ofgem has rules in place that restrict the force-fitting of a prepayment meter (PPM) on customers who are in debt, except as a last resort. Suppliers must assess whether installing a PPM, including the remote switching of a smart meter, is safe and reasonably practicable for the customer. This assessment should include identifying any vulnerability.