HC Deb 11 September 2003 vol 410 c468W
Mr. Dodds

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures have been put in place in each Government Department to promote energy efficiency in each year since 1997. [125311]

Mr. Pearson

The energy efficiency targets embodied in the Climate Change Programme of November 2000 were included in the Northern Ireland Executive's Programme for Government and were also adopted by the Northern Ireland Office for the areas within its control. While it is impossible to list all specific measures taken to achieve these targets, they include programmes of training in energy awareness for key staff, regular monitoring of buildings' energy performance, and investment in energy efficiency measures.

These measures have resulted in the following year on year savings since 1997:

1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03
723,000 921,000 846,000 761,000 895,000 1,042,000

The Office Estate occupied by Northern Ireland government departments is currently purchasing 16.2 per cent. of its electricity requirements from non-fossil fuels, well ahead of the Climate Change target of 10 per cent. by 2008.