Written question asked by Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 3 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 8 November 2005. It was answered by Malcolm Wicks (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 November 2005 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Powergen

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on recent mistakes made by Powergen in billing customers; and what discussions he plans to have with the company to consider the implications of the billing problems.

Answer: [holding answer 8 November 2005]: I understand that Powergen's recent errors in billing some of its customers arose from its introduction of a single billing system across its operations. The migration of former customers of TXU Energi, which has now been completed, was the cause of particular difficulties affecting customers in Eastern England. Energywatch, which is responsible for investigating complaints against gas and electricity suppliers, is currently exploring with Powergen both any further action required to address billing errors and the company's proposals for dealing with customers who have been distressed or inconvenienced by those errors.

Secondary information