Ms Karen Trant:

The Deputy asked about extending the protections and the moratorium. We will review that. We are continuing to receive statistics from suppliers. We hope to extend those protections, if needed, over the coming winter.

The 991 domestic electricity disconnections in 2020 form an artificial baseline, given that there was Covid at the time and no one was physically going out to disconnect customers because they were not allowed to access people's properties. The figure of 991 was not necessarily due to the moratorium, but to Covid and operational issues. The closer baseline is probably found in the figures above it - 4,113 and 3,802 in 2019 and 2018, respectively - following which came Covid and then 2022.

We will continue to monitor the situation. No one wants disconnections, not even suppliers. There is a process. In some circumstances, though, it is the only tool that suppliers have. I will give an example. If someone moves into a new property and does not sign up to a supplier, he or she is still getting electricity without being signed up to pay the bill. It is not ideal, but the threat of disconnection can sometimes prompt people in that situation to look for and sign up with a supplier.