HC Deb 30 January 1989 vol 146 c88W
49. Mr. Amos

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the steps he is taking to encourage area boards to improve the supply of electricity to rural areas.

Mr. Michael Spicer

Consumers in rural areas in particular will benefit from our proposals. For the first time, all owners or occupiers of premises will have a right to require a supply of electricity from the area boards' successors, the public electricity suppliers. This right applies irrespective of the distance from the premises to the main. The suppliers will be under a statutory duty to comply on reasonable terms with all such requests, if it is technically practical to do so.