Mr. Black said:
"It is mostly people on the lowest incomes who use pre-paid meters. Yet the energyl companies are happy to make them pay more than those of us who are able to pay by direct debit.
"The only justification for such a situation would be if these meters cost 17% more to administer. The reply to Mark Oaten made clear that this was not the case.
"These companies are always happy to talk loudly about how much they are trying to help the growing numbers of people in fuel poverty. They should remove this energy tax on the poor once and for all."