§ 13. Mr. Spellerasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will introduce legislation to provide a scheme of Government assistance with energy conservation, including insulation and double glazing and fuel economy measures for houses in the private and public sectors.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithThe Government already have adequate powers for the promotion of energy conservation in the domestic sector. Many of the measures available to the householder are very cost effective.
§ Mr. SpellerI thank my right hon. Friend for that answer, as far as it goes, but how would he explain to my constituents why, in almost every other Western country, including other members of the European Community, help for desirable fuel economy measures is available from the Government? In West Germany there is even assistance with double glazing, which greatly reduces fuel costs.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithAs I said earlier, our home insulation scheme is being extended in the next financial year to cover topping up. We are spending about £40 million a year on various forms of insulation. In addition, the Community insulation projects, the support that we are giving to the Open University home energy audit and a host of other projects add up to a good combination of Government and other efforts.