15. What estimate she has made of the number of households receiving compensation after being involuntarily fitted with prepayment meters.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Amanda Solloway)
The energy suppliers are responsible for paying compensation. They have carried out 150,000 assessments so far, with 2,500 customers due compensation. A total of 1,502 payments have been made, with 1,000 more planned.
Despite the energy ombudsman ruling that one of my constituents should not have been placed on a prepayment meter due to her vulnerabilities, she has not been awarded a penny of compensation under the scheme. As the Minister has just outlined, only 1,500 people, out of 150,000, have had any compensation awarded at all. That is 1%, so why is the number so small? Could it be that the energy suppliers themselves, overseen by Ofgem, are deciding who is entitled to these payments? Both sat idly by as agents forced their way into people’s homes to install the prepayment meters.
Amanda Solloway
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and for the opportunity to provide clarity. The forced installation of prepayment meters is clearly unacceptable, and the Government have done everything we can to counteract it. However, I reiterate that 150,000 investigations were carried out, in 2,500 of those cases compensation is due and, instead of 1%, the actual figure on compensation is 60%.