Written question asked by Lord Tope (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 9 December 2014, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 December 2014. It was answered by Baroness Verma (Conservative) on Tuesday, 16 December 2014 on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Energy: Meters

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with the energy industry concerning efficiency savings that could be made by sharing procurement, assets and information during the nationwide smart meter rollout.

Answer: The Government does not object to industry parties co-ordinating their activities in accordance with the rules of competition law. It has developed a governance structure for the Smart Metering Programme that enables the Government, industry and other parties to share information and discuss a range of potential improvements to the efficiency of industry-wide processes and practices. This includes the establishment of groups dedicated to technical and business processes and industry-wide installation and safety issues.

Secondary information