Clause 113
Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill [Lords]
3:15 pm
Simon Hughes (Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs & Shadow Attorney General, Constitutional Affairs; North Southwark and Bermondsey, Liberal Democrat)
The clause concerns an issue that we come across fairly often: people who have their gas or electricity supply turned off. The water service is a linked utility. Those used to be public utilities, but they are now private. The clause is about the process that would in certain circumstances control when supplies could be turned off, and it applies to non-business debtors during periods of protection.
My question is simple. It is partly a DCA-type question and partly a DTI-type one. Just as we now say that people cannot be evicted from their homes without the sanction of a court, we could equally reasonably argue that the electricity, gas or water supply to a domestic property should not be turned off without such sanction. Can the Minister assist me by saying whether she and her colleagues have thought about that argument in the context of this measure? Would they consider introducing such an approach by tabling an amendment on Report, and would such a move beled by another Department or in consultation with other Departments? It seems to me that we have an opportunity to try to do something that would prevent a lot of desperate, and sometimes unsatisfactory, scrambling around.
Let me make two last points. First, I am aware that codes of practice apply in such circumstances, but sometimes they do not work, and I am also aware that there is good practice, which does work. In addition, of course we know that people abuse the system. Secondly, I have often found that such issues can be dealt with by agreeing with the provider a register of people in a community who are vulnerable. For example, when people become of pensionable age,they could register so that special procedures were undertaken. After many years, however, I have not so far found a foolproof system of protecting the vulnerable from having their water, electricity or gas cut off in certain circumstances. The situation is even harder now with the multiplicity of providers in this privatised world of utilities.
I would be grateful to hear from the Minister whether that broader issue has been considered and whether favourable consideration would be given on Report to an amendment that sought to give the same entitlement to utilities as applies in a tenancy or occupancy.