§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will ask the electricity boards to suspend the codes of practice on disconnection by ending all disconnections of, and disconnection notices to, pensioners and the disabled until accounts for the winter period have been dealt with.
§ Mr. John MooreThe Electricity Council announced on 15 January that electricity boards in England and Wales had suspended disconnections for at least seven days. It has asked people in difficulty with their bills to use this interval to get in touch with their boards without delay to see if a payment arrangement can be worked out. The industry's code of practice on payment of bills already provides that pensioner households shall not be disconnected during the winter months—1 October to 31 March—and also safeguards against disconnection other potential hardship cases, including the disabled.