§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidance he has issued to the privatised utility regulators concerning the disclosure of information by the companies which they regulate. [15345]
Mr. John M. TaylorThe right of domestic and smaller commercial consumers of electricity and gas to change supplier can be exercised with a minimum of bureaucracy only if certain specified information about customers can be passed between licensed suppliers. In October, at the request of The Office of Electricity 479W Regulation, my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Energy made the Electricity Act 1989 (Disclosure of Information) (Licence Holders) Order 1996 to facilitate this. The Office of Gas Supply has had access to technical advice given by my Department to British Gas about the requirements of section 42 of the Gas Act 1986, as amended. The provisions in the new order and the Gas Act are subject to the normal requirements of the Data Protection Act 1984, which is administered by the Data Protection Registrar.