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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to introduce changes to the regulations under the Electricity, Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (ESQCR) and the Distribution Connection and Use of Service Agreement (DCUSA) to enable registered electricians to remove cut out fuses.

There are no plans to change the Electricity, Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations. Regulation 24 requires the cut-out to be locked or sealed to prevent supply interference by unauthorised persons.

The Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement is a multi-party contract between licensed electricity distributors, suppliers and generators in Great Britain concerned with the use of the electricity distribution system. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is not a party to this agreement. The industry regulator, Ofgem, is responsible for approving changes to this agreement.

Government and Ofgem have launched a review into the rules that govern our energy system to develop options for improving the codes and their governance. The Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement is in the scope of this review.