Hansard

I thank Beatrice Wishart for bringing this important and urgent debate to the chamber, and I fully support her motion.

The RTS switch-off is of great concern to people across the UK, but the impact is particularly acute for those in rural communities, such as in my Carrick, Cumnock, and Doon Valley constituency, where many homes are off the mains gas grid and there remain many socially rented homes with electric heating tied to this antiquated technology.

As Scotland has nearly 135,000 RTS meters, we are set to be the hardest hit by the change by population share. We know from the briefing that was provided by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations that it is very concerned for its tenants, who are disproportionately impacted.

I will share with members the experience of one couple who contacted me. They have an older-style meter, which uses RTS, to supply their heating, electricity and hot water. They were contacted by Scottish Power last August to inform them that they were eligible for a smart meter. They diligently booked their appointment, but it was cancelled by the engineers at the last minute, as it was decided that their meter would not be compatible for replacement. They tried again; another appointment was booked, and there was another cancellation. Then, there was absolute radio silence, with no updates and no solutions, which led to my office becoming involved.

An appointment to replace the couple’s meter has now been set for June—which is really close to the switch-off date—but, understandably, they are very worried about whether that will finally resolve the situation, given the complexities that so many have faced. For example, in some cases, engineers have arrived to discover that the existing set-up has too many cables for them to be able to complete the swap-out. That seems to be a common denominator in people’s experiences—there are too many cables in the old meters.

If there is no fix, either the couple will have no electricity or hot water come the switch-off or they will be forced to pay a higher rate as the meter defaults to that rate without any applicable discounts. Conversely, as we heard from Ms Wishart, the heating might be stuck on, with no respite for the household from continual heat. Even if the couple are able to have their meter replaced, Scottish Power is unable to assure them that they will stay on their current tariff. That goes against Ofgem’s pledge that

“no customer should be worse off”

as a result of the change. As we have heard today, stories like that are repeating themselves across the country, with members of the public doing their best to prepare themselves but experiencing constant pushback that is outwith their control.

Suppliers and consumers are now facing a ticking time bomb ahead of an ever-nearing cut-off date. Unfortunately, I and many of the people from whom I have heard have no confidence that the change will go smoothly. Beatrice Wishart referred to the situation as a “shambles”, and it absolutely is. It is completely unacceptable, and the UK Government and Ofgem must take action immediately. The switch-off date needs to be postponed, or there needs to be an assurance that anyone who is financially impacted will receive full compensation.

I welcome the Acting Minister for Climate Action’s comment that

“the Scottish Government is doing everything it can, within our limited devolved powers, to mitigate the impact.”

Ultimately, however, this is a reserved issue, so the United Kingdom Government must take responsibility and control and step up to the plate to ensure that no one is negatively impacted by the change. I also agree with Beatrice Wishart that local resilience partnerships should be preparing themselves for what might happen come the shut-off.

Households across the country are already struggling financially with the cost of living crisis and economic uncertainty, so this really is the last thing that they need to be dealing with right now. The situation is especially urgent given the number of individuals with such meters who are already in poverty and are dealing with unrelenting fuel poverty.

I hope that members in the chamber can unite today to send a clear message that the situation cannot be allowed to spiral any further. Action is urgently needed to protect our constituents and give them the peace of mind that they deserve.