§ Mr. Freesonasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if he will hold discussions with the British Gas Corporation and the area electricity councils with a view to them encouraging their areas and boards to develop consistent policies on reconnection charges, long-term disconnection and the level of debt allowed before disconnection is threatened;
(2) if he will hold discussions with the Gas and Electricity Boards on extending the code of practice covering disconnections to cover theft from prepayment meters, long-term disconnections and unreasonable arrangements for the repayment of debts.
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§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithI have nothing to add to the reply by my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Mr. Shaw) on 5 December—[Vol. 50, c. 47]—to the right hon. Member on this subject.
§ Mr. Freesonasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will consider removing from the fuel industries the power to disconnect domestic fuel supplies and introducing a statutory code or other judicial control of disconnection.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithThe industries' code of practice is designed to enable their staff to exercise the maximum possible flexibitity and discretion in considering the individual circumstances of each case. Imposition of a statutory code would introduce an undesirable inflexibility into the industries' approach to the problem of disconnections.