§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in(a) England and Wales and (b) the Buckingham constituency have (i) electricity and (ii) gas pre-payment meters. [32185]
§ Mr. WilsonProvisional estimates for the year 2001 (as at the end of September 2001) show there were 3.7 million electricity prepayment meter customers and 1.8 million gas prepayment meter customers in Great Britain. Of these, just under 3.2 million electricity prepayment meter customers and just over 1.6 million gas prepayment meter customers are in England and Wales.
The town of Buckingham falls in the east Midlands distribution network for electricity. There were 0.28 million electricity prepayment meter customers in this area as at September 2001. The town of Buckingham falls in the southern local distribution zone for gas. There were 0.09 million gas prepayment meter customers in this area as at September 2001.
The number of customers on gas and electricity prepayment meters in the Buckingham constituency will make up a small proportion of those on prepayment meters in the east midlands distribution network for electricity and the southern local distribution zone for gas. Data are not available to produce the numbers of customers on gas and electricity customers on prepayment meters in the Buckingham constituency.