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 is taking steps to ensure that energy customers who fall into debt in winter 2022 are not transferred onto prepayment meters against their wishes.

Many customers prefer prepayment meters to help them budget. Ofgem’s License Conditions require suppliers to consider all options for appropriate debt management. This can include installing a prepayment meter, but suppliers have to consider whether this is safe and practicable, including whether a prepayment meter is appropriate for the specific customer. When making this assessment, suppliers are required to consider whether a consumer’s vulnerability makes a prepayment meter a poor choice, for example where medical equipment is required.

Ofgem rules restrict the imposition of a prepayment meter to repay debt except as a last resort.