Explanatory note

These Regulations provide for a public electricity supplier to recover from subsequent users of electric lines and electrical plant first provided for the purpose of giving a supply to a previous consumer an amount in respect of the expenses incurred in first providing the line or plant; and for amounts so recovered to be applied in making refunds to the previous consumer or consumers.

Regulations 2 and 3 provide for interpretation. In particular, the persons eligible to receive refunds are to be ascertained at the time of making any request for a supply which gives rise to a subsequent use of any line or plant. For the purposes of regulation 3(1)(c), a right to receive a payment is legally assigned if (in England and Wales) notice of the assignment, or (in Scotland) intimation of the assignation, is given to the public electricity supplier.

Regulation 4 prescribes a period of five years, from the first provision of any line or plant, as the period within which the rights conferred by the Regulations may be, or are to be, exercised.

Regulation 5 entitles a public electricity supplier to require any person requiring a supply of electricity to pay an amount in respect of his expenses in providing any electric line or electrical plant used for the purpose of supplying that person. Regulation 6 obliges the supplier to exercise his rights under regulation 5 in any case where any line or plant provided for the purpose of giving a supply to domestic premises is subsequently used for giving a further supply, and the expenses of providing such line or plant have been met by previous consumers. This obligation only applies if the amount recovered is sufficient to provide at least one payment of £200 or more to a previous consumer.

Regulation 7 requires amounts recovered in pursuance of the obligation imposed by regulation 6 to be applied in making payments to previous consumers, after the supplier has deducted his administrative expenses, but only if the amount of each payment is £200 or more. Regulation 8 requires the public electricity supplier to give certain information to persons entitled to payments from him.