§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what powers she has to require the energy utilities to provide annual figures for energy consumption by postcode area. [18993]
§ Mr. BattleUnder the Statistics of Trade Act 1947, the President of the Board of Trade has powers to ask for information from any undertakings on questions about matters in the schedule to the Act. This includes consumption by locations. The use of these powers to collect information must be balanced against a clear need for the data and the compliance burden placed on the companies in question.