§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he is planning to improve the energy efficiency standards of new build to achieve the 10 MtC emissions reduction per annum by 2010 as indicated in the Energy White Paper. [124639]
§ Phil HopeThe Energy White Paper announced that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister would start work immediately on the next major revision of the building regulations with the aim of bringing it into effect in 2005, and that we would raise boiler standards to the level of the most efficient types, A and B condensing ones. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also indicated our intention of raising standards over the coming decade learning lessons from the standards set in comparable European countries. The revision work will, for instance, examine what improvements can be made to the winter and summer performance standards for building fabric and heating, cooling and lighting systems, while ensuring the Regulations remain technically sound, proportionate, cost-effective and sufficiently flexible for designers.