Ms Karen Trant:

Maybe the Senator was referring to the switcher aspect and potential debt flags on customer accounts. There is something in the supplier handbook to the effect that if a person is more than €700 in debt, it must be flagged. In reality, we have seen that suppliers ignore it. They take on new customers. There is no barrier. We have seen that the switching level has increased over time, so the evidence suggests customers can still switch.

There is no fee. We have waived the fee. We have made the network companies waive it. On the gas side, there was a charge of €350 if you wanted to go from a payment meter back to bill pay. That has been waived. On any of the pay-as-you-go meters, the same charge has been waived. Therefore, there is no financial barrier for customers who wish to move back.

I want to answer the question on smart metering. We are working on what is called a data access code. It will mean the GDPR issues that customers and the Senator have raised will be dealt with so customers can be absolutely confident that data they give to the network operator will be carefully managed, and it will also mean customers must consent to who can see that information. That is the key. We will, of course, ensure that whatever GDPR laws are in place are adhered to by the network companies and suppliers. They would be very mindful of them in any event. The data access code will deal with all that. There is a paper due out in the next two months.