Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of some utility companies prohibiting payment of bills at high street banks and post offices on affected customers; and whether her Department is taking steps to help support people who do not have access to online and telephone banking to set up direct debits with their utility suppliers.

The Supply Licence requires suppliers to offer a wide choice of payment methods and must include payment by cash and in advance through Pre-payment Metres. Some suppliers have stopped providing a Giro Payment slip on bills to encourage customers to switch to online or telephone banking, but these suppliers must provide a giro payment if requested in-line with their Supplier Licence Conditions.