§ 27. Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what contribution her Department is making towards the energy conservation programme; what savings in energy costs and consumption have been achieved in the establishments and services over which she has responsibility; and what is the current annual fuel bill within the social services, including expenditure on supplementary benefits towards payment of fuel bills.
§ Mr. MeacherThe staff of my Department are reminded from time to time of the need to conserve fuel. Additional advice on fuel conservation was issued to NHS authorities in May 1975. Returns show that for the second half of 1975 compared with the same period in 1974 savings in the NHS were of the order of 6 to 7 per cent.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is unable to separate the fuel costs of DHSS offices from those for all Government offices 163W which showed savings in 1974–75 of about £4 million. Neither is it possible to distinguish fuel costs of social services departments of local authorities.
The estimated annual fuel bill for the NHS in 1974–75, including establishments transferred from the former local health authorities, is £76 million.
It is not possible to say how much of overall expenditure on supplementary benefit is allocated to fuel bills. The gross cost of discretionary additions for extra heating paid under the supplementary benefit scheme is about £31 million a year, but because benefit supplements other resources the net amount payable may be more or less than the amount of extra heating addition included in the calculation. Where there are exceptional circumstances additional help by way of lump-sum payments may be given with fuel bills. It is estimated that in 1974 some 50,000 such payments were made at a cost of about £1 million.