§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the number of gas disconnections. [102725]
§ Mrs. LiddellFigures from the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) indicate that in the first nine months of 1999 there were 15,500 gas disconnections for debt. Based on this trend the Regulator is hopeful that the total number of gas disconnections in 1999 should not exceed 20,000, representing a large fall compared to 1998 when there were nearly 30,000 gas disconnections. The Regulator will monitor the number of disconnections closely and has, in his Social Action Plan, set out a number of actions which should continue to place downward pressure on the number of disconnections.