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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is giving to customers of energy companies that have gone into administration to retrieve their personal data.

When an energy supplier fails the customers are transferred by Ofgem to a new supplier under the Supplier of Last Resort process. This includes the personal data necessary to set up an account with the new supplier and ensure the customer’s credit balance with the failed supplier is honoured.

Insolvency practitioners are appointed to administer the failed company and must comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act in relation to any personal data that remains within the failed company. Customers rights regarding data protection and access to personal data remain unaffected.