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 20 September 2022 to Question 45900 on Natural Gas: Safety, if he will (a) make an estimate of the average costs of capping a gas main to enable the installation of carbon free energy systems, and (b) make an assessment of the potential impact of those costs on the ability of owners of properties connected to the gas mains to afford to install carbon free energy systems; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of allowing suppliers to require customers to meet those costs.

The cost of capping a gas main when a customer decides they do not want to continue to use gas for cooking or heating will depend upon the costs the supplier incurs to provide the service requested. It is a commercial matter for the supplier to decide whether to pass on those costs to the customer. The customer may ask for a breakdown of the costs and then compare what other suppliers charge for this service. If they find a cheaper supplier, they can switch supply and then request the service.