Press release
Responding to remarks by Owen Paterson that energy companies “let customers down” by not having enough staff on duty to cope with Christmas power cuts, Maria Eagle MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, said:
“As the country faces more severe weather, households that went a week without power and suffered devastating flooding expect to see some action from Ministers at long last, not attempts to pass the buck.
"Of course the energy companies must explain why it took so long to get power restored, but Owen Paterson has a nerve pointing the finger at staff being on holiday when he himself has not been seen for days.
"The Environment Secretary has his own questions to answer about his failure to prioritise flood defence investment and deliver the vital flood reinsurance scheme on time, leaving homes without affordable insurance until 2015 and, even then, excluding many properties at risk.”
Editors’ notes:
Power companies ‘let customers down’ during Christmas storms - Owen Paterson (BBC)
“Quite clearly some of the power companies let their customers down badly…..It seems obvious at this stage that they let too many of their staff go away for the Christmas holiday, they didn’t have enough people manning the call centres and that wasn’t acceptable.”
Mr Paterson said it was important that power companies and local councils had “adequate staff” to cope with any emergencies that might crop up: “We’ve made it very clear they have clear responsibilities to their customers and to their electors and we expect them to perform.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25546683