Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to renew smart metering licences due to expire in November 2018 under the Energy Act 2008.
Under the Energy Act 2008 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has powers to amend electricity and gas supply licences for the purposes of smart metering until 1 November 2018. We published for pre-legislative scrutiny in 2016 two measures related to smart meters including a proposal to extend these powers by five years. This would allow Government to continue to oversee the successful completion of the rollout by the end of 2020 and post-implementation to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the smart metering policy framework. We are proposing to introduce these measures when parliamentary time allows.