Written question asked by Linda Gilroy (Labour) on Thursday, 13 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 November 2008. It was answered by Mike O'Brien (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 November 2008 on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Water: Meters

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the prospects for including water companies in the intelligent metering roll-out.

Answer: There are possible synergies between the roll-out of energy smart metering and the development of intelligent water metering, including in the provision of information to consumers. We have ensured that DEFRA water policy officials and representatives of the water sector (including their Intelligent Metering Initiative) have been informed and are able to contribute to the development of plans for energy smart metering. However, we also recognise that the positions of these two sectors are very different in terms of the stage of development of smart metering plans.

Secondary information