To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) what his most recent assessment is of the (a) costs and (b) benefits of a national delivery plan for smart metering; (195582)

[holding answer 20 March 2008]: My Department is finalising its impact assessment of smart metering, including costs and benefits. We are testing our assessment and the assumptions underpinning it with interested parties, and will publish our assessment when that process has been completed. We will also publish the analysis undertaken by Mott MacDonald.