Utilities Bill
5:07 pm
Lord McIntosh of Haringey (Deputy Chief Whip (House of Lords), HM Household; Labour)
My Lords, this amendment was requested by the electricity industry for safety reasons. The request was made only recently, just before Report stage, and the amendment was not therefore ready to be brought before the House at that stage. Noble Lords may recall that on Report I announced the Government's intention to bring forward an amendment in this area, and that is the amendment I should now like to discuss.
The purpose of the amendment is to allow licensed distributors access to any premises where they have line or plant which requires replacement, repair or alteration of some kind. This mirrors rights presently held by the public electricity suppliers. I beg to move.