Kirsty Williams demands fair deal for small businesses

9.58.50am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 13th Oct 2006

Welsh Liberal Democrat Enterprise, Innovation and Networks spokesperson, Kirsty Williams, has called for a fairer deal for small businesses in the energy market.

The AM has lent her support to the joint campaign being run by energywatch and the Federation of Small Businesses, which draws attention to the lack of protection offered to small businesses by the current legal and regulatory framework.

Ms Williams said: "Small businesses are unable to rely on the teams of lawyers and advisors that larger ventures have to help them. Many have no more expertise in contract law or the energy market than you or I, and yet are denied the basic consumer protections that domestic customers enjoy.

"I am pleased to support this important campaign and hope it will encourage energy suppliers to re-consider their approach to the small businesses they deal with."

Notes:

§ Ms Williams has subscribed to a Statement of Opinion at the Assembly, which reads: This National Assembly welcomes Make the Connection, the joint campaign by energywatch and the Federation of Small Businesses to get a better deal for small businesses from the energy market; recognises that small businesses get far less protection from regulation and industry Codes of Practice than domestic energy consumers, which can lead to them experiencing significant problems in the market; and calls on business energy suppliers to recognise both this and the importance of small businesses as energy customers, spending more than £3 billion each year on gas and electricity.

§ Small businesses do not enjoy the same legal and regulatory protection that domestic customers do. For example, while householders get a cooling-off period after they have signed an energy supply contract, small businesses do not, even if they agreed over the phone.