HC Deb 03 May 1976 vol 910 cc220-1W
Mr. Steen

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average cost to the fuel boards of disconnecting individual domestic consumers.

Mr. Eadie

A typical cost of disconnection and reconnection of supply of gas varies between regions from £3 to £7 and for electricity it is some £3, where there is access to the consumer's premises. If external work has to be done, such as excavating and rejointing, the costs can be considerably higher.

Mr. Steen

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will extend the decision not to disconnect the fuel supplies of certain categories of retirement pensioners after June 1976.

Mr. Eadie

I hope that the suspension of disconnections since the cold spell until the end of May will have given pensioner households time to work out methods of payment with the assistance of the welfare agencies and the fuel industries. The findings of the review of the payment procedures for fuel bills will also be relevant.

Mr. Steen

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the average period of disconnection for domestic fuel consumers disconnected on Merseyside.

Mr. Eadie

The information is not available in the form requested, but the following has been supplied by the Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Area Board and the British Gas Corporation in respect of credit consumers, including domestic, commercial and industrial, disconnected for non-payment of accounts.

Electricity.—In the Merseyside and North Wales area some 50 per cent. of consumers who have been disconnected pay and are reconnected within two days. 70 per cent. are reconnected within seven days.

Gas.—In the North-West Region 11 per cent. of consumers disconnected are reconnected within 14 days of disconnection.

Mr. Steen

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the total number of domestic fuel consumers currently disconnected by the fuel boards on Merseyside.

Mr. Eadie

The fuel industries do not record the numbers of premises disconnected at any one time, but the number of gas disconnections in the North-West Region during the first quarter of 1976 was 1,349. The number of electricity disconnections on Merseyside in the same period was 2,668.