To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court orders have been granted allowing energy companies to forcibly install prepayment meters in homes since (a) the start of January 2023 and (b) the week commencing 16 January 2023.
Answered on
30 January 2023
Between 1 January and 25 January 2023, 26,430 warrants requested by energy suppliers were granted, uncontested by customers/occupiers. For the week commencing 16 January 2023, 6,556 uncontested warrants requested by energy suppliers were granted. In granting any one or more application(s), the Justice of the Peace must be satisfied by evidence given on oath by the energy supplier or their representative that the statutory requirements have been met, that the supplier and the agent comply with the requirements of Ofgem, and occupiers have been informed of their right to a hearing.
These figures represent all warrants to enforce rights of entry, including those relating to safety, as warrants specifically for the purpose of installing a prepayment meter cannot be isolated from the data. The figures do not distinguish between residential or business premises either.
These data are management information and are not subject to the same level of checks as official statistics. The data provided is the most recent available and for that reason might differ slightly from any previously published information. Recent data are especially vulnerable to quality checking and so may be subject to change.