§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received concerning customers complaining that their gas supplier has been changed without their consent; what gas suppliers have been disciplined by Ofgas owing to their conduct in transferring customer accounts; and if he will make a statement. [85714]
402W
§ Mr. BattleThe Department has received a number of representations from consumers complaining about the involuntary transfer of their gas supply. I have great sympathy for consumers who have experienced difficulties in this respect, and understand the worry and inconvenience that such occurrences can cause. I have asked my officials to work with Ofgas and the Gas Consumers Council to root out the causes of the problems and identify areas for action to tackle them urgently.
I am determined that the industry should have in place systems which work effectively and consistently to transfer customers from existing to new suppliers without error and that these should be properly regulated. The Office of Gas Supply continually monitors industry performance and should pursue rigorously any instances of failure with the companies concerned. Action has been taken by Ofgas under both the Competition Act 1980 and the Gas Act 1986 against a number of companies to secure a commitment to improve standards of performance. I have asked the Director General for an update on the situation and on the action he has in hand.