HC Deb 13 December 1982 vol 34 cc3-4
3. Mr. Colvin

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is satisfied with the publicity available setting out the most up-to-date recommendations for the conservation of heat.

The Under-Secretary of State for Energy (Mr. David Mellor)

Yes.

Mr. Colvin

I thank my hon. Friend for that comprehensive reply. Is he aware that many local authorities are underspent on capital account and that the current estimate for this financial year is about £1,000 million? Does he not consider that public capital invested in thermal insulation of both domestic and other buildings would give the nation an immediate return in terms of the energy saved? What is his Department doing to persuade local authorities to improve their performance in this respect?

Mr. Mellor

That is a matter primarily for the Department of the Environment. But my hon. Friend raises an important topic, and I am happy to tell him that a good number of the additional capital investment allocations already made to local authorities have included provision for precisely this sort of investment. About £1.2 million has been made available for additional grants under the homes insulation scheme over and above the level previously announced.

Mr. Palmer

Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that the Select Committee on Energy recently produced a comprehensive report on the conservation of energy in buildings? When can we expect the Government's observations and some action on it?

Mr. Mellor

The Chairman of the Select Committee was notified by the Department that we hoped to have our response available by Christmas. The response is already far advanced and I hope that we shall be able to keep to that deadline.

Mr. Penhaligon

What methods have the Government at their disposal for making a judgment about the average level of conservation in domestic properties? How does the hon. Gentleman reckon that it has changed in the last two or three years?

Mr. Mellor

We know the overall consumption level for energy. Often it is a matter of a guestimate to know how to attribute that. But there has been a decline of between 6 and 7 per cent. in recent years as a result of insulation and other measures taken in the home. I am happy to tell the hon. Gentleman that the figure in 1981 for, say, the number of lofts insulated showed a welcome increase on the year before. In 1981 some 800,000 householders either put in insulation for the first time or added to inadequate insulation already there.