xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"

Statutory Instruments

2000 No. 245

GAS

The Gas Act 1995 (Standards of Performance) (Extension of Period) Order 2000

Made

5th February 2000

Laid before Parliament

8th February 2000

Coming into force

1st March 2000

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 10(3) of the Gas Act 1995(1), hereby makes the following Order

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Gas Act 1995 (Standards of Performance) (Extension of Period) Order 2000 and shall come into force on 1st March 2000.

Extension of period

2.  Section 10(2) of the Gas Act 1995 shall have effect as if the period there mentioned ended on 2nd February 2002.

Helen Liddell,

Minister for Energy and Competitiveness in Europe,

Department of Trade and Industry

5th February 2000

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

The effect of section 10(2) of the Gas Act 1995 is that sections 33A to 33E of the Gas Act 1986 cease to have effect on 29th February 2000. Section 10(3) of the Gas Act 1995 gives the Secretary of State power to make an Order postponing that date by up to two years from the date of the making of the Order. This Order postpones until 2nd February 2002 the date on which sections 33A to 33E Gas Act 1986 cease to have effect (article 2).

Sections 33A to 33E of the Gas Act 1986 give the Director General of Gas Supply power to prescribe standards of performance in connection with gas supply services and standards for promoting efficient use of gas, and to gather information with respect to gas suppliers' performance against such standards. The sections also provide for gas suppliers to give information to customers on their performance and to establish procedures for complaints handling.