Commentary on provisions of the Act Section 13: Special provision in charges schemes
This section amends section 143A of the Water Industry Act 1991 ("the 1991 Act") and inserts new sections 143AA and 143AB, in order to supplement existing powers to provide for special charging arrangements for customers in need.
	The amendment to section 143A of the 1991 Act allows regulations under the section to be able to require water companies to auto-enrol eligible customers.
	New section 143AA of the 1991 Act allows for the costs of special provision under section 143A(2)(d) of the same Act to be shared among water companies by way of direct payments or via a managed fund. Subsections (4) to (10) ensure water companies are not prevented by their other obligations (such as the conditions of their appointment) from passing on their relevant net costs (subsection (8)) to their customers.
	New section 143AB of the 1991 Act requires the Secretary of State to consult prior to the introduction of regulations under existing section 143A(2)(d) or new section 143AA, subject to a specific exception set out in subsection (3).
	This section also amends the permissive information-sharing gateways in sections 38 and 39 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 to expand their availability to those eligible for special provision under section 143A(2)(d) of the 1991 Act.