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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2023 to Question 114828 on Powers of Entry: Meters, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of amending legislation to require energy suppliers to demonstrate that they are acting as a last resort in seeking a warrant to install a prepayment meter.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has set out a 5-point plan on prepayment meters including coordination with Ofgem to ensure that it takes a more robust approach to the protection of vulnerable customers and conducts a review to make sure energy suppliers are complying with rules.

Additionally, the Secretary of State is working with Ofgem and my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice to ensure that the process by which suppliers bring cases to court to obtain a warrant is fair, transparent and supports vulnerable customers.