The Secretary of State (SoS) may direct variations to the SEC and this page sets out a consolidated view of such variations. These variations are not subject to the SEC Section D ‘Modification Process’.
The table below lists the SoS directed variations to the SEC, raised to date.
Provision | Description | Date of Notice | Link |
---|---|---|---|
SEC Section X | Secretary of State direction to extend the sunset provisions, in Section X2.4(b) and Section X2.6(a), until September 2015 to allow the DCC to continue to use interim data. | 13th February 2014 | SoS Notice 13 February 14 |
SEC Section L | DCC Notice setting out the Secretary of State agreement of amendment to the submission date of the draft SMKI related Subsidiary Documents. The date of submitting the following documents was moved from 1st September 2014 to 1st October 2014:
The date of submitting the following documents was moved from 1st September 2014 to 2nd January 2015:
The Secretary of State agreed the change to the delivery dates on 22nd August 2014, with the DCC then giving notice on 2nd September 2014. | 2nd September 2014 | DCC Notice 02 September |
SEC Section T | DCC Notice setting out the Secretary of State agreement of amendment to the submission date of the draft Testing related documents. The Secretary of State has directed the calendar date by which the following document must be submitted to the Secretary of State shall be no later than 1st December 2014:
The Secretary of State has directed the calendar dates by which the following documents are is to be published on the DCC website shall be no later than 2nd February 2015:
The Secretary of State agreed the change to the delivery dates on 31st October 2014, with the DCC then giving notice on 4th November 2014. | 4th November 2014 | DCC Notice 4 November 14 |
SEC Section H | SoS issued a direction on 24th April 2015 to activate Section H14.31 from that date to support the provision of a limited form of testing (informal testing). In addition, Sections H14.2(a), H14.5, H14.6, H14.7, H14.11 and H14.32 shall also be in effect from the same date for the purposes of the testing services provided under the varied Section H14.31. The provisions in Section H14.31 have been varied (under the provisions with Section X3.6 (Provisions to be Effective Subject to variations) in the following matter:
The Secretary of State direction letter dated 14 th April 2016 cancels the above variation to Section H14.31, the variation ceases to apply once end-to-end testing commences. | 24th April 2015 | SoS Notice 24 April 15 |
SEC Section F, Section H and Section X | SoS issued a direction on 30 th April 2015, the Secretary of State (SoS) issued a direction to activate and vary the provisions in Section F5 (Communications Hub Forecasts & Orders). The SoS direction has designated that Section F5 as varied by Section X3.3, is in effect from 30th April 2015. This activation date is to ensure Parties can take delivery of Communication Hubs on a revised Initial Delivery Date of 1st March 2016. For a Party to be able to take delivery of Communications Hubs on 1st March 2016, the initial forecast must be submitted in May 2015, no later than the fifth working day prior to the last working day of the month. The direction also varies the transitional arrangements, in Sections X3.3(c(i), (ii) and (iii), for submitting Communications Hub forecasts and orders. The transitional provisions will remain in place until 30 th September 2015 (or such later date as the SoS may direct). The direction varies the Section F5.6 (Parties: Duty to Submit Communications Hub Forecasts) provisions on how forecasts are deemed where a Party does not submit a forecast. Where a Party does not submit a forecast in May 2015, the Party shall be deemed to have submitted a forecast of zero for each of the months which should have been covered by that forecast. The SoS Direction also has the effect that from 1st August 2015 Section H8.16(f) (Self Service Interface) will take effect, at which point the DCC will be required to provide extensive SM WAN coverage information. The direction also varies the transitional requirements in Section X3.3(c)(iv) on the DCC around the provision of information to Parties on SM WAN coverage. The direction means that the transitional requirements will remain in place until 31st July 2015. In addition the direction has varied (pursuant to Section X3.6) that the information referred to in Section H6.16(f) that the DCC must provide, will be made available to all other Parties (not just the classes of party referred to in Section H8.16(f) and that the information will be made available via a readily available means (not via the Self-Service Interface). | 30th April 2015 | SoS Notice 30 April 15 |
SEC Section N | SoS issued a direction on 30 th April 2015 to the Data and Communications Company (DCC) for the purpose of Section N3.2 (Overview of Initial Enrolment), in respect of the Initial Enrolment Project Feasibility Report (IEPFR). The Secretary of State direction has directed the DCC to:
In short the direction means that Section N4.7, N4.8 and N4.9 shall cease to apply, with the remaining provisions in Section N4 left unchanged. | 30th April 2015 | SoS Notice 30 April 15 |
SEC Section X | Secretary of State direction to further extend the sunset provisions, in Section X2.4(b) and Section X2.5(a), until September 2016 to allow the DCC to continue to use interim data. | 11th August 2015 | SoS Notice 11 August 15 |
SEC Section X and Section F | In addition to designating the CH Handover Support Materials and making other minor related changes to the SEC, the SoS direction letter issued on the 14th September 2015 included the following supplementary provisions:
| 14th September 2015 | SoS Notice 14 September 15 |
SEC Section X | Secretary of State direction, designating the Enduring Testing Approach Document as a SEC Subsidiary Document. | 28th September 2015 | SoS Notice 28 September 15 |
SEC Section L and Section X | Secretary of State direction, designating the SMKI and Repository Testing Document as a SEC Subsidiary Document and activating the Provisions in SEC Section L7, SMKI and Repository Entry Process Tests. | 21st October 2015 | SoS Notice 21 October 15 |
SEC Appendix L - SMKI Recovery Procedure | Secretary of State direction, designating the SMKI Registration Authority Policies and Procedures (SMKI RAPP) and the SMKI Recovery Procedure. The direction letter also varied the SMKI Recovery Procedure so that from the of 9th February 2016:
The direction letter also activated Sections F6-F10 and the CH Installation and Maintenance Support Materials with an effective date of 10th February 2016. | 8th February 2016 | SoS Notice 8 February 16 |
SEC Section L and SEC Appendix N - SMKI Code of Connection | Secretary of State direction, designating the SMKI Interface Design Specification, SMKI Code of Connection, SMKI Repository Interface Design Specification, SMKI Repository Code of Connection, IKI Certificate Policy as SEC Subsidiary Documents with an effective date of 9th March 2016. The direction also provided an updated Testing Baseline Requirements Document, which is available on the Developing SEC page of the SEC Website. The direction letter also brought the provisions contained in Section L3 (The SMKI Services), Section L5 (The SMKI Repository Services), Section L11 (The Subscriber Obligations) and Section L12 (Relying Party Obligations) into legal effect from 9th March 2016. The direction letter also varied Section L3 (The SMKI Services), in respect of the obligation on the DCC under Section L3.4 to provide any SMKI Services that may be requested by an Authorised Subscriber in accordance with the applicable requirements of the SMKI SEC Documents, the DCC shall, for the purposes of ascertaining whether the request is made in accordance with those requirements, disregard any references in Section L3.16 to the SMI Status of a Device. The direction letter also varied the SMKI Code of Connection, notwithstanding section 3.1.1 of the SMKI Code of Connection or any other provision of the SEC, until the date on which the DCC is first obliged to provide Communication Services under the SEC. The variation is that the DCC’s obligation to respond to Batched Certificate Signing Requests by 08:00 on the following day, shall only apply to Batched Certificate Signing Requests received between 8am and 6pm on a Working Day. Finally, the direction varied the content of Appendix A (Device Cetificate Policy) and Appendix C (SMKI Compliance Policy) to conform with the format included in Annex F and Annex G to the direction letter from 9th March 2016 until the date of Release 1.3. Pursuant to Section X6.3, on 11th July 2016 the SoS directed that the above variation to SEC Appendix A and Appendix C is cancelled. The Appendices are to apply without variation from 13th July 2016. | 8th March 2016 | SoS Notice 8 March 16 |
SEC Appendix R - Common Test Scenarios Document | Secretary of State direction, designating the Common Test Scenarios Document (CTSD) as a SEC Subsidiary Document with an effective date of 9th March 2016. The direction letter also includes a variation whereby the Service Requests set out in Annex B, to the direction letter, shall be omitted from the CTSD until such time that the variation to omit the Service Requests is removed. | 8th March 2016 | SoS Notice 8 March 16 |
SEC Section H and Section X | Secretary of State direction designating provisions for early testing services by introducing new content to the previously unused Section X9 'Interim Device and User Testing', with the effective date 18th April 2016. The direction letter also cancels the existing variation to Section H14.31 from the date that End-to-End Testing commences. | 14th April 2016 | SoS Notice 14 April 16 |
SEC Section H1, H2, H3.22,and SEC Appendices S and W | The Secretary of State issued a direction letter on 3rd June 2016, designating the DCCKI Certificate Policy and DCCKI Registration Authority Policies and Procedures as SEC Subsidiary Documents with an effective date of 6th June 2016. The direction letter activates Section H1(User Entry Process), H2 (Registered Supplier Agents) and H3.22 (Managing Demand for DCC User Interface Services) with an effective date of 6th June 2016. In activating the aforementioned provisions, transitional variations apply to H1.5 and H1.6, which restricts a Party’s ability to propose more than one identification number for each of its User Roles and to remove the requirement on the DCC to accept more than one such number. In respect to a Section H3.22, a variation provides that each SEC Party shall provide service request forecasts to the DCC as if it were a DCC User, provided that Parties that are not Users and do not intend to submit Service Requests during the period referred to in that Section need not provide forecasts. | 3rd June 2016 | SoS Notice 3 June 16 |
SEC Section X and H | Secretary of State direction cancels the variation set out in Section X2.4(f). This variation ceases to apply so that the relevant provisions in Section E2 of the SEC relating to the Registration Data Interface Specification and Registration Data Interface Code of Connection are to apply without variation from 6th July 2016. In accordance with the powers laid out in Section X6, in the same direction letter, the SoS directs that Section H13 (Performance Standards and Reporting) has been varied with effect from 6th July 2016 so that the DCC can use a reasonable proxy measure for Code Performance Measures 1, 2 and 3 (set out in Section H13.1). This variation shall cease to apply on the date of DCC Service release 1.3. | 5th July 2016 | SoS Notice 5 July 16 |
SEC Appendices A, B, and C | Pursuant to SEC Section X5 the SoS directs that with effect from 13th July 2016 the incorporation of Appendix A (Device Certificate Policy), Appendix B (Organisation Certificate Policy) and Appendix C (SMKI Compliance Policy) into SEC. The Appendices were deleted from the SEC under the SoS Section 88(1) powers under the Energy Act 2008, and immediately re-designated under Section X5 to enable the SoS to make necessary modifications through the re-designation process, which is already the case of other Subsidiary Documents. Pursuant to SEC Section X6.3, SoS designates that the date SEC Appendix A (Device Certificate Policy) and Appendix C (SMKI Compliance Policy) is to apply without variation, cancelling the variation issued pursuant to Section X6 of the SEC by the SoS on 8th March 2016. | 11th July 2016 | SoS Notice 11 July 16 |
SEC Section L13 and Appendices T, U, and V | SoS activated SEC Section L13 effective 13th July 2016 pursuant to Section X3.1(b). Pursuant to Section X3.6, the SoS directed that the following variations in respect of Section L13 apply: Until Service Release 1.2 or such later date as may be designated by the Secretary of State, the DCC shall not be required by the provisions of Section L13 to:
Pursuant to SEC Section X5 SoS also designates SEC Appendix T: DCCKI Interface Design Specification, SEC Appendix U: DCCKI Repository Interface Design Specification and SEC Appendix V: DCCKI CoCo and DCCKI Repository CoCo effective 13th July 2016. | 12th July 2016 |
SoS Notice 12 July 16 SoS Notice: Annex A 12 July 16 |
SEC Section E, Section K and Section X | Pursuant to Section X2.7, the Secretary of State (SoS) issued a direction to cancel existing transitional variations in Section X2.4(a), X2.4(b), X2.4(d) (in relation to Section E2.1 and E2.2), X2.4 (e) and X2.5 so that relevant provisions of the SEC relating to Section E2 (Registration Data) and Section K (Charging Methodology) are to apply without variation from 29th September 2016. This allows for the submission of full sets of Registration Data. In accordance with Section X6, the SoS directs a new transitional variation to Section E1 and E2 to be varied in such that Network Parties are required to continue to provide transitional Registration Data in order for the DCC to calculate charges. This variation is to apply from 29th September 2016. | 28th September 2016 | SoS Notice 28 September 16 |
SEC Section H, Section X and Section E SEC Appendix E, Appendix AB, Appendix AC, Appendix AD, Appendix AH | Pursuant to Section X3.6, the Secretary of State (SoS) issued a direction letter containing the:
Pursuant to Section X3.7, the SoS designates 29th June 2017 as the date that variations to Section H1.5 and H1.6 (User IDs) shall cease to apply. Pursuant to Section X2.7, the SoS hereby designates 8th November 2016 as the date on which the variations to SEC Section X2.4(c) and Section X2.4(d) in relation to Sections E2.3 cease to apply. | 8th November 2016 | SoS Notice 8 November 16 |
SEC Appendix E | Pursuant to Section X3.7 of the SEC, the Secretary of State (SoS) designates that the following variations to SEC Appendix E (DCC User Interface Services Schedule), set out in the 8th November 2016 SoS direction letter, shall cease to apply:
| 25th November 2016 | SoS Notice 25 November 16 |
SEC Appendix R and SEC Section X | Pursuant to SEC Section X3.7, the Secretary of State designated the 12th April 2017 as the date on which the variations to the Common Tests Scenarios Document set out in the Secretary of States direction of 8th March shall cease to apply. Under standard licence condition 21A.6 of the distribution licences, the Secretary of State directed that the specified date for the DNO User Mandate as 12th November 2017. Under standard licence condition 39.15 of the electricity supply licences and 33.15 of the gas supply licences: The Secretary of State directs that the Large Supplier Advanced Meter Exception End Date shall be 12th November 2017. | 11th April 2017 | SoS Notice 11 April 17 |
SEC Section H | The Secretary of State directed on 29th June 2017 that the end-date for the active transitional variations to SEC Section H8.16 (Self-Service Interface) are to be extended. These variations shall now cease to apply on 2nd November 2017 (or such later date as the Secretary of State may direct) | 29th June 2017 | SoS Notice 29 June 17 |
SEC Appendix AD and AC | Pursuant to Condition 22 of the DCC Licence and Section X5, the Secretary of State (SoS) designates that the following variations to Appendix AC (Inventory, Enrolment and Withdrawal Procedures) and Appendix AD (DCC User Interface Specification Version) will take effect from 21st July 2017: Removal of existing Transitional variations to:
Activation of Transitional Variation to:
| 21st July 2017 | SoS Notice 21 July 17 |
SEC Section H and SMKI Recovery Procedure | The Secretary of State directed on 6th November 2017 the following transitional variations to SEC Section H and the Smart Metering Key Infrastructure (SMKI) Recovery Procedure:
| 6th November 2017 | SoS Notice 6 November 17 |
SEC Schedule 8 and SEC Schedule 11 | Pursuant to Condition 22 (The Smart Energy Code) of the DCC Licence and Section X5 (Incorporation of Certain Documents into this Code) of the SEC, the Secretary of State directs that, with effect from 6th November 2017:
| 6th November 2017 | SoS Notice 6 November 17 |
SEC Appendix AD, SEC Appendix AF, SEC Appendix H, SEC Appendix I, SEC Schedule 10 | The Secretary of State directed on the 1st February 2018 pursuant to SEC Section X3.6 (Provision to be Effective Subject to Variations) that the following Transitional Variations related to Release 2.0 would be in place:
| 1st February 2018 | SoS Notice 1 February 18 |
SEC Section F | Pursuant to Section X3.7 of the SEC, the Secretary of State directs that from 3rd July 2018 Section F5 (Communications Hub Forecasts and Orders) and Section F6 (Delivery and Acceptance of Communications Hubs) of the SEC shall apply without the variation set out at paragraph 4(c)ii of the direction issued by the Secretary of State on 1st February 2018. | 28th June 2018 | SoS Notice 28 June 18 |
SEC Section H | Pursuant to SEC Section H14.31 (Device and User System Tests), the Secretary of State directs that SEC Section H14.31 shall apply in respect of SMETS1 Devices from 30th November 2018. Pursuant to SEC Section H14.36A (SMETS1 Pending Product Combinations Tests), the Secretary of State directs that SEC Section H14.36A shall apply in respect of SMETS1 Devices from 30th November 2018. | 30th August 2018 | SoS Notice 30 August 18 |