Part 1THE CONSUMER ADVOCACY BODIES

Other functions of the consumer advocacy bodies

F119AGuidance for energy consumers

(1)

F2A consumer advocacy body must prepare, and keep under review—

(a)

guidance for energy consumers (the “energy consumer guidance”), and

(b)

a summary prepared in accordance with subsection (4) (the “concise guidance”).

(2)

The energy consumer guidance must address the matters included in any document published by the European Commission pursuant to Article 3(16) of the Electricity Directive or Article 3(12) of the Gas Directive F3which is in force immediately before IP completion day.

(3)

The energy consumer guidance may include any other information relating to the rights of energy consumers which F4the consumer advocacy body in question thinks appropriate.

(4)

The concise guidance must—

(a)

summarise any information in the energy consumer guidance which F5in the view of the consumer advocacy body in question is particularly relevant to the interests of energy consumers, and

(b)

state where a copy of the energy consumer guidance can be obtained.

(5)

In preparing and reviewing F6its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance F7a consumer advocacy body must consult—

(a)

the Secretary of State,

(b)

the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, and

(c)

any other person F8the consumer advocacy body in question considers appropriate.

F9(6)

A consumer advocacy body must publish the first version of its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance on its website.

(7)

If, following a review, F10a consumer advocacy body considers it necessary to amend F11its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance, F12the consumer advocacy body must, as soon as is reasonably practicable—

(a)

publish the amended version on its website, and

(b)

inform any person it consulted in accordance with subsection (5) that it has done so.

(8)

F13A consumer advocacy body may also make the first and any amended version of F14its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance available in any other manner F15the consumer advocacy body thinks appropriate for the purpose of bringing that guidance to the attention of those likely to be interested.

F16(8A)

Until a consumer advocacy body has published the first version of its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance, it must—

(a)

publish on its website, and

(b)

make available in any other manner that it thinks appropriate for the purpose of bringing them to the attention of those likely to be interested,

the last version of the energy consumer guidance and the concise guidance to be published by the National Consumer Council under this section (as it had effect immediately before the amendments made to this Act by the Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading’s Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc ) Order 2014 ( S.I. 2014/…) came into force.

(8B)

Nothing in this section prevents a consumer advocacy body from publishing its energy consumer guidance or its concise summary in a document that includes the energy consumer guidance or, as the case may be, the concise summary of another consumer advocacy body.

(8C)

In this section, a reference to a consumer advocacy body does not include a reference to F17Citizens Advice Scotland or the GCCNI.

(9)

In this section—

“the Electricity Directive” means Directive 2009/72/ EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 2003/54/ EC ;

“energy consumer” means an individual who is—

(a)

a consumer in relation to gas supplied by an authorised supplier for consumption by the consumer’s own household;

(b)

a consumer in relation to electricity supplied by an authorised supplier for consumption by the consumer’s own household;

F18“the Gas Directive” means Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 2003/55/EC( ), as amended by the 2019 Amending Directive;

F19“the 2019 Amending Directive” means Directive (EU) 2019/692 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 amending Directive 2009/73/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas.