British Gas And Pensioners

EDM number 386 in 1989-90, proposed by Alice Mahon on 26/01/1990.

That this House strongly condemns British Gas, who used the courts and a legal technicality to force Mr Quigley, a Coventry pensioner of 8 Loach Drive, Alderman's Green, to pay British Gas ú494.49, when Mr Quigley's fair share of the total fuel cost of three British Gas customers with a common tenancy was only ú164.83; in view of this, requests the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to investigate this dubious practice which is an issue of serious concern; calls on the Chairman of British Gas to recognise that the use of the courts to extract huge sums of money from a pensioner's limited income is immoral; and further calls for him to take steps to recompense Mr Quigley for the sum of money paid to British Gas in excess of ú164.83.

This motion has been signed by a total of 22 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.