5,600 households have electricity cut due to unpaid bills since 2008

Contacted by MaltaToday, Enemalta’s billing branch ARMS Ltd revealed that during 2008, as many as 1,605 households and 204 businesses had their electricity supply cut for unpaid bills.

During 2009, that number stood at 2,478 households and 527 businesses… the highest number of electricity supply suspensions in the last three years.

During 2010, 1,286 households and 441 businesses had their electricity supply suspended, ARMS Ltd said.

While ARMS Ltd said that only 166 households and 125 businesses had their electricity cut between January and April of this year, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said in parliament that for the first five months of 2011 (January – May), 251 households and 167 businesses had their supply suspended.

On average, this means that between January 2008 and May 2011 – a span of 41 months – as many as 137 households and 33 businesses had their electricity supply cut off each month.

The figures stand out in stark relief against the persistent silence by both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party on their own pending water and electricity bills, and about a repayment agreement they entered into with ARMS Ltd some two months ago.

When MaltaToday broke the news earlier this month, both parties refused to answer questions about unpaid utility bills, while homes and businesses suffer consequences for not settling their water and electricity bills.

At the time, MaltaToday had revealed how both the Labour Party and the PN have entered into repayment agreements with ARMS Ltd over the substantial and long-standing debts owed to Enemalta over unpaid utility bills.

The only answers forthcoming to MaltaToday’s questions from the Nationalist Party was a statement by Party Secretary Paul Borg Olivier, saying that “the commercial relationship between companies owned by the Partit Nazzjonalista and its service providers is regulated by commercial practices and arrangements.”

Contacted by MaltaToday in June, Borg Olivier had also refused to disclose the total amount that the Nationalist Party owes to Enemalta for the water and electricity services in pending bills.

He however did not deny that the Nationalist Party still owes extensive sums for water and electricity services which have been in arrears for a significant amount of time.

Asked similar questions, a Labour Party spokesperson would only say that “the Labour Party strives hard to ensure that it honours its legal obligations.”

ARMS Ltd also revealed that between January 2008 and April 2011, a total of 96 clients had their water supply cut off due to unpaid bills.

During 2008, 38 had their water supply cut off, ARMS said. During 2009, 20 clients had their supply cut off while 26 clients had their supply withheld in 2010.

The figures provided did not differentiate between residential and commercial clients, aside from during the first four months in 2011, during which 10 residential clients and two commercial clients had their water supply withheld.

MaltaToday also asked Enemalta about its policy regarding when households or business have their electricity and water supply cut off and after what period of time can Enemalta cut off service.

“According to the Electricity Supply Regulations [Subsidiary Legislation 423.01], in the event of non-payment by a consumer of an over due account, Enemalta has the legal right to suspend the electricity supply of any account held by the said consumer,” the corporation said.

“Furthermore, in the event of payment which is delayed beyond three months, Enemalta shall also have the power to remove the meter,” it added.

“It must be noted that Enemalta only suspend electricity supply.”

The corporation also said that it is its policy that “suspensions are the last resort. ARMS, which handles credit control for Enemalta’s customers, gives the customers several notices, as well as an opportunity to reach a payment programme in order to settle dues.”