§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has received a copy of the Electricity Consumers Council paper "Prepayment meters, repeater meters, and token meters"; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Norman LamontI have received a copy of this paper. I recognise the value of prepayment meters or the alternative payment methods available to people wishing to pay as they go. The questions raised in the paper about conditions for installing prepayment meters and for developing practical alternatives will be among the issues covered in the current independent review by the Policy Studies Institute of the industry's code of practice on the payment of bills. They are, however, the industry's responsibility, and I am accordingly asking the chairman to write to my hon. Friend.