Overview

This bill mandates that water companies in England and Wales must inform customers aged 75 and over of the cheapest available water tariff and switch them to that tariff upon request. The aim is to ensure that elderly customers are not paying more than necessary for their water services.

Description

This bill, the Water Companies (Minimum Tariffs) Bill, legally requires water companies to proactively inform their customers aged 75 or older about the cheapest available water tariff. This notification must be provided at least annually. Companies must also transfer customers over 75 to the cheapest tariff if they request it. However, the companies are exempt from sending this information if they know the customer is under 75, or if the customer explicitly requests not to receive it. The bill applies only to England and Wales and comes into effect two months after its passing.

Government Spending

The bill does not directly specify any government spending. The cost of implementation would likely fall on the water companies, requiring adjustments to their internal processes and potentially impacting their administrative budgets. However, there is no explicit government funding allocated or mentioned within the bill itself.

Groups Affected

• Water Companies: Will be required to implement new processes to identify and inform eligible customers and switch tariffs as needed. This will involve administrative costs.
• Customers aged 75 and over: Will directly benefit from potential cost savings on their water bills by being automatically switched to the cheapest tariffs.
• Other Customers: Indirectly affected as water companies may adjust their billing systems and processes to comply, possibly altering their experience (though the nature of this effect is not clearly specified).

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