Prepayment meters: What did Shapps know and when?
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Prepayment meters: What did Shapps know and when?
Ofgem are set to conduct a targeted investigation into British Gas after it was revealed by the Times that they had forcibly installed prepayment meters.
The regulator will focus the investigation on whether British Gas followed the rules under its licence to support customers in debt before force-fitting prepayment meters.
500,000 people have had these meters forcibly installed, while energy bills have been at a record high this winter. FairbyDesign, a “poverty premium” campaign group, estimates that prepayment meters typically cost around £130 a year more than paying by direct debit.
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy Wera Hobhouse MP recently had her Bill, which would have prohibited the forcible installation of prepayment meters this Winter, blocked by the Conservative Government.
This comes while ONS figures show that 41% of people on prepayment meters were occasionally, hardly ever, or never, able to keep comfortably warm at the end of last month.
Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley has said energy companies must review their own meter installations immediately.
Liberal Democrat Energy Spokesperson and MP for Bath, Wera Hobhouse, commented:
“Shapps needs to tell us what he knew about the forced installation of prepayment meters, and when.
“My Bill was in front of the Government at the beginning of December that they ignored. Three months later, thousands of people had to pay a poverty premium so that their families did not go cold over winter.
“Where is the government? They need to step up from delay after delay. They must force companies to pay compensation to the victims of prepayment meters.”
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