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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many smart meters have caused electrical problems in premises after installation.

Safety related monitoring data, collected by industry parties, shows nearly 3.2 million smart and traditional electricity meters were installed in 2018. The same industry data reported 546 electrical issues in premises following these installations.

Smart meter installers carry out visual safety checks as standard as part of the installation process.

In 2018, over 240,000 pre-existing safety-related electrical issues were proactively identified by meter installers through visual safety checks. Identified issues included problems with consumer units, inadequate earthing or unsafe electrical appliances.