§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated financial effect on area electricity boards measured on an annual basis if disconnections for arrears were disallowed and the separate boards were urged to proceed by way of county court procedure for the recovery of their debt.
§ Mr. EadieThe Boards would lose through the delay in recovering debt through the courts, the cost of continuing to supply electricity to debtors without payment and the administrative costs involved. If all domestic electricity credit 7W consumers were to delay payment by an average of four weeks the increase in borrowings for working capital would approach £250 million, assuming present tariff levels.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the total number of domestic electricity disconnections for arrears of debt for the most recent year for which figures are available and the percentage the figure represents of the total customers of the area boards in England and Wales.
§ Mr. EadieThe total number of disconnections in the year ending 31st March 1976, including an estimated figure for March, is expected to be 138,399. This represents 0.8 per cent, of the total number of credit consumers of all types in England and Wales. Figures for domestic consumers are not available separately.