§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Prime Minister what representations she has had from the Right to Fuel organisation on the subject of hardship caused by disconnections during extreme weather conditions; what reply she is sending; if she proposes to take any action; and if she will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterThe chairman, Mr. Paul Lewis, wrote to me on 13 January. He and his colleagues met Ministers from the Departments of Energy and Health and Social Services on 14 January and there was a full exchange of views on these issues. The Electricity Council also announced on 15 January that electricity boards in England and Wales were suspending disconnections for seven days. In addition, the gas and electricity industries have been asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Mellor), the Under-Secretary of State for Energy, to report back to him next month on their discussions with the consumer councils and other interested parties on possible changes to the code of practice on the payment of bills.