§ Mr. Durantasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy regarding encouragement of cavity wall insulation; and, in view of the fact that such an alteration increases rates payable, if he will alter his policy on this matter in the interests of energy conservation.
§ Mr. ArmstrongWe have drawn attention to the advantages of cavity fill for suitable property in our pamphlets "Warmth Without Waste" and "Warmth Kept In", and have issued a type relaxation of the building regulations to facilitate carrying out this work.
A rating assessment is based on the rental value of a property, and any improvement which would increase that 581W value should in principle be reflected in the rateable value. We have no proposals at present to alter this situation, but the position on dwellings is that Section 21 of the Local Government Act 1974 would have the effect of ignoring improvements of this kind until the next general revaluation. As regards other buildings, we are not aware of any evidence that the addition of cavity wall insulation on its own would significantly increase the rateable value.