HC Deb 08 November 1999 vol 337 cc378-9W
Dr. Kumar

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to provide direct support to manufacturing industry to improve energy efficiency; and if he will make a statement. [97632]

Mr. Meacher

I have been asked to reply.

Since 1989, the Government have been providing impartial advice to business and commerce through the Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme. This provides information, energy efficiency studies and research and development support to manufacturers and others in the non-domestic sector. The Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme has helped industry to save over £650 million per annum, to reduce emissions by over 3 million tonnes of carbon per annum and to improve energy efficiency.

In his Budget statement on 9 March 1999, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that, as a part of the Government's proposal to introduce the Climate Change Levy, he intended to recycle the revenue from the levy, in full, to business. He indicated that the Government intended that some £50 million of revenue from the levy would be used to assist with funding of schemes to promote energy efficiency, including additional support for renewable sources of energy. The Government are considering how best to make use of the proposed additional funding to maximise the benefit to the non-domestic sector.

Dr. Kumar

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the extent to which the industrial sectors already with high energy efficiency will assist in achieving Kyoto targets; and if he will make a statement. [97641]

Mr. Meacher

I have been asked to reply.

The Department commissions research which estimates the potential for cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in industry, commerce, the public sector and housing. This is done at a disaggregated level so that the scope in individual industrial sub-sectors is known. The information is being used in discussions with energy intensive sectors as a starting point for energy efficiency targets for negotiated agreements on the Climate Change Levy.