HL Deb 17 July 1986 vol 478 cc1082-4WA
The Earl of Selkirk

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will make a statement about any assurances they have received from the British Gas Corporation that the quality of service to domestic gas consumers will be maintained.

Lord Belstead

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Energy has received a letter from Sir Denis Rooke, the text of which is as followsDear Peter,

Customer Benefits under Essential Service In the light of the importance which British Gas attaches to the maintenance of a safe and efficient gas supply service in Great Britain, and the various comments which have been made in Parliament and elsewhere about the effect of Privatisation on gas safety and our attitude to the provision of service to our customers, I would like to make clear that it is our intention, so long as the system of price control set out in the published draft Authorisation remains in force, to continue to provide services for our domestic customers on the basis set out below.

  1. 1. For Emergency Service, up to thirty minutes work or the time taken to make safe whichever is the longer will be provided free of charge. Parts to the value of £2.50 will be provided free, but where the value exceeds £2.50 the full amount will be charged.
  2. 2. The target for attending gas escapes will be within 1 hour of receipt of report where the escape has not been controlled, or 2 hours where the escape has been controlled, for example, where the customer's control tap has been turned off.
  3. 3. The normal target for inspecting appliances needing repair as opposed to routine servicing will be to attend within two working days. However, it may not always be possible to achieve this target during periods of extended inclement weather and peak demands. In such circumstances priority will be given to the aged and the infirm, and to customers without heating.
  4. 4. A free safety check on appliances and installations will be provided on request for elderly or disabled persons living alone.
  5. 5. A range of safety services at special prices will continue to be provided. The nature and direction of these will be reviewed from time to time in the light of circumstances and experience. Currently a gas fire safety check at £5.85 and a basic inspection check on the house pipes and one appliance are provided. The basic inspection check is currently priced at £11.39 together with a London weighting supplement where appropriate. A range of special controls for disabled or visually handicapped customers' appliances is available at a current price of £2.53 each (including fixing).
  6. 6. Work on customers' appliances and installations treated as Essential Service for the purpose of our accounts, that is to say, remedial and other services provided to customers in furtherance 1083 of the safe or proper use of gas or gas fittings, will continue to be priced in accordance with our policy of encouraging customers to report faults and potentially dangerous situations. We will aim not to increase the present charges for these services by more than the rate of inflation. Charges will be notified annually to the Gas Consumers' Council.
  7. 7. The prices quoted above include VAT at 15%.
This assurance is given on behalf of the Corporation and it is our intention that it will be renewed by the Board of the successor Company after vesting. Yours ever, Denis".