>#Ofgem threatens The Times over prepaid meters exposé
>Jonathan Ames, Legal Editor
>Wednesday March 29 2023, 9.00pm BST, The Times
>The energy regulator Ofgem has threatened The Times and one of its journalists with criminal sanctions after they exposed how agents working for British Gas were routinely breaking into customers’ homes.
>The watchdog has sent letters to the newspaper and Paul Morgan-Bentley, its head of investigations, threatening unlimited fines if they do not hand over all the reporter’s relevant materials, including confidential notes and undercover footage.
>The Times is refusing to comply, claiming that the threats are unlawful, and has highlighted to Ofgem the importance of protecting journalistic material in a democratic society.
>Grant Shapps, the energy security secretary, criticised Ofgem last night.
>“I expect Ofgem to focus on fixing the problem rather than pursuing journalists doing their jobs,” he said. “The government supports freedom of the press and the right to protect journalistic materials. The Times was highlighting an important issue, which I would encourage Ofgem to resolve.”
>The regulator sent the legal threats after this newspaper disclosed that agents working for British Gas were being sent to break into homes and force-fit prepayment meters, even when customers were known to have extreme vulnerabilities.
>The pay-as-you-go meters have been more expensive to run and cut off families if they cannot afford to top up.
>While working undercover, Morgan-Bentley discovered that families targeted this winter included a single father with three children, the mother of a four-week-old baby and a woman in her fifties known to have severe mental health problems. As a result of the reports, all UK energy companies have been suspended from force-fitting prepayment meters until they agree to a legally enforceable code of practice.
>Ofgem began an investigation into practices at British Gas and Arvato Financial Solutions, the third-party debt collection agency it used. As part of its inquiry, Ofgem also sent letters this month to The Times and Morgan-Bentley.
>The reporter was asked to “produce to the authority all the documents in its custody or control”, including papers the regulator should have been able to obtain from British Gas and Arvato.
>Ofgem demanded to see the undercover recordings and the journalist’s “personal notes”. The notices suggested it was a criminal offence not to comply “without reasonable excuse” and noted the possibility of unlimited fines.
>The newspaper responded to the regulator yesterday, stating that the information requests were unlawful attempts to force the compulsory disclosure of journalistic material.
>The Times told Ofgem that its investigation arose after Morgan-Bentley’s public-interest journalism. “It is a serious step to threaten a journalist with criminal sanction and there was no basis in law to do so on this occasion,” the newspaper said.
>The reporting has led to investigations by Ofgem, the government and two parliamentary committees. Courts have been ordered to stop listing hearings for energy warrants “until further notice”. The spring budget included an announcement that households on prepayment meters would no longer pay more than other customers.
>Centrica has apologised for agents’ conduct and said protecting customers was “an absolute priority”. Arvato said it “acts compliantly in accordance with the regulatory requirements”.
An Ofgem spokesman said enforcement action was started against British Gas after the reports.
>He added: “This is a complex process requiring extensive information gathering. We asked The Times to share voluntarily any additional documents or material to support this work. It felt it was unable to share further information. We used our specific legal powers, therefore, to request the information and provide a lawful basis under which The Times could disclose the information to us, given the clear public interest in protecting vulnerable consumers.”
You know you’ve got it wrong when the government take the newspapers freedom of press defence 😂
Ofgem already rescinded the legal challenge it didn’t take long at all what a misguided move for a company people already despise and think is corrupt
This is the one thing newspapers should report on. Shite behaviour like this! Not government bodies hindering outlets from exposing this crap.
What year is it…1939?
I will play devil’s advocate for Ofgem that trying to get any information from British Gas is harder than drilling to the centre of the earth, so much so it was probably worth the risk of threatening to sue and getting it through civil procedure rules.
Ofgem needs to be scrapped. They never challenged the energy prices, or the increase in standing charges, actively stopped helping those in need who somehow made it through winter with limited electric or gas.
Yeah and when we point out we are on the way to become a third world shit hole I always hear :
It could be worse, it could be murica
I think we are already there arent we ?
Bit of a non-story isn’t it? Regulator oversteps bounds in an attempt to bolster its own case against supplier wrongdoing. Newspaper tells it to foxtrot oscar. Government supports newspapers stance. This isn’t proof that we don’t have a free press anymore or anything. Quite the opposite
A lot of people reading this saying “I told you so”.
9 comments
>#Ofgem threatens The Times over prepaid meters exposé
>Jonathan Ames, Legal Editor
>Wednesday March 29 2023, 9.00pm BST, The Times
>The energy regulator Ofgem has threatened The Times and one of its journalists with criminal sanctions after they exposed how agents working for British Gas were routinely breaking into customers’ homes.
>The watchdog has sent letters to the newspaper and Paul Morgan-Bentley, its head of investigations, threatening unlimited fines if they do not hand over all the reporter’s relevant materials, including confidential notes and undercover footage.
>The Times is refusing to comply, claiming that the threats are unlawful, and has highlighted to Ofgem the importance of protecting journalistic material in a democratic society.
>Grant Shapps, the energy security secretary, criticised Ofgem last night.
>“I expect Ofgem to focus on fixing the problem rather than pursuing journalists doing their jobs,” he said. “The government supports freedom of the press and the right to protect journalistic materials. The Times was highlighting an important issue, which I would encourage Ofgem to resolve.”
>The regulator sent the legal threats after this newspaper disclosed that agents working for British Gas were being sent to break into homes and force-fit prepayment meters, even when customers were known to have extreme vulnerabilities.
>The pay-as-you-go meters have been more expensive to run and cut off families if they cannot afford to top up.
>While working undercover, Morgan-Bentley discovered that families targeted this winter included a single father with three children, the mother of a four-week-old baby and a woman in her fifties known to have severe mental health problems. As a result of the reports, all UK energy companies have been suspended from force-fitting prepayment meters until they agree to a legally enforceable code of practice.
>Ofgem began an investigation into practices at British Gas and Arvato Financial Solutions, the third-party debt collection agency it used. As part of its inquiry, Ofgem also sent letters this month to The Times and Morgan-Bentley.
>The reporter was asked to “produce to the authority all the documents in its custody or control”, including papers the regulator should have been able to obtain from British Gas and Arvato.
>Ofgem demanded to see the undercover recordings and the journalist’s “personal notes”. The notices suggested it was a criminal offence not to comply “without reasonable excuse” and noted the possibility of unlimited fines.
>The newspaper responded to the regulator yesterday, stating that the information requests were unlawful attempts to force the compulsory disclosure of journalistic material.
>The Times told Ofgem that its investigation arose after Morgan-Bentley’s public-interest journalism. “It is a serious step to threaten a journalist with criminal sanction and there was no basis in law to do so on this occasion,” the newspaper said.
>The reporting has led to investigations by Ofgem, the government and two parliamentary committees. Courts have been ordered to stop listing hearings for energy warrants “until further notice”. The spring budget included an announcement that households on prepayment meters would no longer pay more than other customers.
>Centrica has apologised for agents’ conduct and said protecting customers was “an absolute priority”. Arvato said it “acts compliantly in accordance with the regulatory requirements”.
An Ofgem spokesman said enforcement action was started against British Gas after the reports.
>He added: “This is a complex process requiring extensive information gathering. We asked The Times to share voluntarily any additional documents or material to support this work. It felt it was unable to share further information. We used our specific legal powers, therefore, to request the information and provide a lawful basis under which The Times could disclose the information to us, given the clear public interest in protecting vulnerable consumers.”
You know you’ve got it wrong when the government take the newspapers freedom of press defence 😂
Ofgem already rescinded the legal challenge it didn’t take long at all what a misguided move for a company people already despise and think is corrupt
This is the one thing newspapers should report on. Shite behaviour like this! Not government bodies hindering outlets from exposing this crap.
What year is it…1939?
I will play devil’s advocate for Ofgem that trying to get any information from British Gas is harder than drilling to the centre of the earth, so much so it was probably worth the risk of threatening to sue and getting it through civil procedure rules.
Ofgem needs to be scrapped. They never challenged the energy prices, or the increase in standing charges, actively stopped helping those in need who somehow made it through winter with limited electric or gas.
Yeah and when we point out we are on the way to become a third world shit hole I always hear :
It could be worse, it could be murica
I think we are already there arent we ?
Bit of a non-story isn’t it? Regulator oversteps bounds in an attempt to bolster its own case against supplier wrongdoing. Newspaper tells it to foxtrot oscar. Government supports newspapers stance. This isn’t proof that we don’t have a free press anymore or anything. Quite the opposite
A lot of people reading this saying “I told you so”.