§ 2.49 p.m.
§ Viscount MOUNTGARRETMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether in the interests of fuel economy, notwithstanding the present requirements to cut back Government expenditure, they will consider giving householders a grant towards the cost of installing double glazing.
§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTONMy Lords, we have no present plans to do so.
§ Viscount MOUNTGARRETMy Lords, the brevity of my noble friend's reply leaves me a little stumped for a supplementary question. Surely my noble friend must be aware of the logic 374 of the Government giving grants to householders for the insulation of their roofs to conserve energy. Would it not be logical to extend this to the double glazing of windows, in order also to conserve oil?
§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTONMy Lords, I totally appreciate what my noble friend is saying, but my advice is that double glazing is not cost-effective in terms of energy saved, unlike loft insulation, and of course it is much more expensive. It would therefore be a less effective use of our limited financial resources.
§ Baroness GAITSKELLMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether the Government are aware of what double glazing costs today, and whether they would take that into consideration when they are thinking about our energy position?
§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTONMy Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Baroness; she has really taken the words out of my mouth. It is precisely because of the cost of double glazing that we think our resources can be better used. There are still, it might interest noble Lords to know, some 5 million dwellings without loft insulation, which we think is most needed.
§ Lord MOYNEMy Lords, I apologise to the noble Baroness for attempting to speak when she had risen. I merely wanted to make the point that a subsidy for people to buy extra clothes would be equally logical.
§ Lord MOWBRAY and STOURTONMy Lords, that is another point.