Thank you for the question, and again, the Member excels at raising issues of considerable importance to civil rights and liberties in our society. Let me give you these figures. It's only since you raised the question that this has been something I've really drawn my attention to, and I know it's the same, very much, for the Minister for Social Justice, who's been engaging directly on this particular issue.

But in terms of some of the data that we have already, we know from the media that there've been something like 500,000—half a million—warrants issued recently, and let's look at the Welsh situation from what we know so far. In Caernarfon magistrates' court in 2022, two such warrants were issued. In Cardiff magistrates' court in 2021, six warrants were issued and in 2022, 10 warrants were issued—a total of 16—and two were refused. In Swansea magistrates' court in 2020, 7,308 were issued, in 2021, 8,652 were issued and in 2022, 6,817 were issued, making a total, over those three years, of 22,777, of which, six were refused. 

I've been looking at some of the public information on this, and again, this is something that I do want to take up. I was just looking at some of the comments that have been made around the figures that are now beginning to appear, and the commentary is like this: 'suppliers are able to obtain warrants to install prepayment meters when their customers fall into debt as a way for them to recoup money they're owed. They're generally more expensive than fixed energy tariffs and have been criticised by numerous charities for trapping low-income households in poverty'  and 'they require households to pay for energy before actually using it, and usually on a higher rate'.

In further monitoring of this, it can now be revealed that the costs for the energy firms to gain permission to force entry are set at £22 per warrant, with courts granting up to 1,000 at a time in hearings lasting only 20 minutes. Then customers can be charged up to £150 for having a prepayment meter force fitted, including £56 for the warrant application. One investigation revealed how one court—this was in the north of England—granted 496 warrants that allowed firms to force entry into homes in just three minutes and 51 seconds. 

I think there is a real civil justice issue when people's homes can be so readily and so easily entered, forcibly, and I think it is something that needs to be considered. Unfortunately, justice is not devolved, but I can give the Member every assurance that, in conjunction with the Minister for Social Justice who's been following this issue so closely, I will not only take this up with those particular energy companies as to what is going on and why the courts are being used, many often probably tens if not hundreds of miles from where people actually live, but this is something that I think we can validly take up, of significant concern, with both the justice Minister of the United Kingdom Government, and I think, also, with the Attorney General, just to examine and to consider the approach that the courts are adopting to basically receive spreadsheets of names and rubber stamp warrants en bloc. I think there are some very significant issues that need to be explored further, and I'm sure that we will seek to take that up in every way. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.