§ 2. Mr. Wallaceasked the Secretary of State for Energy by what criteria the success of the energy efficiency campaign is to be measured.
§ 13. Mr. Chapmanasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will report progress on his energy efficiency campaign.
§ The Secretary of State for Energy (Mr. Peter Walker)As the House knows, it is estimated that 20 per cent. of current energy consumption is being wasted. The 630 campaign will be judged by the progress in eliminating that wastage. Since it was launched last October, 10 early morning meetings have been held with a total of 3,000 senior executives, and the energy efficiency office has considerably extended the scope of its activities.
§ Mr. WallaceDoes the Secretary of State agree that one of the best means of judging the campaign's progress would be to monitor activity in the energy conservation industry? Has the right hon. Gentleman's Department any means of doing that?
§ Mr. WalkerYes, Sir. We are studying a range of monitoring methods and we are fixing targets to see how monitoring goes compared with those targets for a range of industrial activities. We hope that 10,000 active energy managers will have been appointed by industry by the summer of 1985.
§ Mr. ChapmanDoes my right hon. Friend agree that improved energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways of increasing British industry's competitiveness? Does he further agree that since the first great leap in energy prices 10 years ago we have been some way behind our competitors in energy efficiency?
§ Mr. WalkerYes, it is true to say that in the last decade a range of our competitors have improved their energy efficiency by between 25 and 30 per cent., whereas our improvement has been about 16 per cent. I agree that this is an area in which substantial savings can be made for the benefit of industry.
§ Mr. RostDoes my right hon. Friend agree that to use the performance of other European countries as a yardstick is to show that there is still a great deal for us to do?
§ Mr. WalkerYes, Sir.