§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the relationship between the powers of the Director General of Gas Supply and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission with regard to the setting of the capping price for gas.
§ Mr. EggarSection 24 of the Gas Act 1986 enables the Director General of Gas Supply to refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission the question whether any matter relating to the supply of gas by a public gas supplier to tariff customers, including the tariff formula, may operate or be expected to operate against the public interest. If the Monopolies and Mergers Commission finds that the matter operates or may be expected to operate against the public interest, the Director General is required under section 26 of the Gas Act to modify such conditions of the public gas supplier's authorisation as appears to her to be requisite to remedy or prevent the adverse effects found by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the President of the Board of[...] Trade what is the mechanism which he uses to ensure that the disconnection regulators of gas and electricity use their discretion in ways consonant with national energy policy.
§ Mr. EggarUnder the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989 the Director General of Gas Supply and the Director General of Electricity Supply each has a duty to protect the interests of consumers. Domestic electricity and gas disconnections are now the lowest on record.