ELECTRICITY SUPPLY (METERS) BILL (Hansard, 12 June 1952)

§ LORD CARRINGTON

My Lords, the Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act, 1899, made compulsory the certification of electric light meters, but by 1936 a very large number of the meters in use were not certified. After a court case in 1936 when an electricity supply undertaker unsuccessfully sued for the amount of an account for electricity which the consumer refused to pay on the grounds that his meter had never been certified, the Electricity Supply Meters Act of 1936 was passed. This Act made legal the use of uncertified meters until either they were first disconnected in the ordinary course or until July 1, 1948, whichever was the earlier.

During the war certification of meters stopped, so that it was necessary in 1947 to postpone the date once again until June 30, 1953. The present position is that there are about 4,000,000 meters out of a total of 15,500,000 which are still uncertified and if the law were not changed these would have to be replaced by June 30, 1953. About 20 per cent. of these 4,000,000 are obsolete and will need to be replaced by new meters. While the Area Boards are continuing to replace meters Her Majesty's Government does not consider that the expenditure of labour and materials required to complete this replacement by June 30 would be justified in the present economic situation. It is calculated that the total capital involved would be about £3,500,000. The object of this Bill, therefore, is to postpone from June 30, 1953, to June 30, 1958, the date when all electricity meters in use have to be certified. It is a simple and, I hope, non-controversial Bill, and accordingly I beg to move that it be read a second time.