55AContingency planning by last resort providers

55A Contingency planning by last resort providers

55A Contingency planning by last resort providers

(1) The regulations may make provision for and about the continued provision of the essential service if there is a declared failure.

(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the regulations may deal with the following—

(a) the preparation and testing of a plan for that continued provision of service (a contingency plan), including providing that a specified person must—

(i) submit, within a specified period, a contingency plan to IPART, and

(ii) review and resubmit, at intervals determined by IPART, the contingency plan for the approval of IPART, and

(iii) conduct exercises to test the operation of the approved contingency plan as referred to in the plan or as required by IPART,

(b) the content of contingency plans,

(c) the approval of contingency plans by IPART,

(d) the implementation of contingency plans, including—

(i) processes for the transfer of customers to the last resort provider if there is a declared failure and the ways transferred customers are to be notified of the transfer, and

(ii) arrangements under which staff of the essential service provider assist the last resort provider to provide the essential service during a declared failure.

(e) the appointment of technical experts to prepare or test contingency plans,

(f) last resort readiness testing,

(g) the payment by the essential services provider of the reasonable costs of other persons, including, for example, the last resort provider or a technical expert, in connection with contingency planning and last resort readiness.

(3) The following persons must, on written request given to the person by IPART or a person specified by the regulations for the purposes of this subsection, including, for example, a technical expert specified by the regulations, assist in the preparation and review of a contingency plan and the conduct of required exercises to test the operation of the contingency plan or a last resort readiness assessment—