§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to encourage health authorities to implement energy efficiency policies.
§ Mr. FreemanEnergy use in the NHS is monitored using performance indicators to ensure that the Department's 1985 commitment to the Public Accounts Committee to achieve savings of £1.3 billion (or savings of 1.5 per cent. per annum) over 15 years is being achieved.
Detailed guidance, under the general title "Encode", has been issued to health authorities on a range of energy efficiency measures, including measuring energy usage, setting targets for savings and measuring effectiveness. Computer software for building management systems has also been developed and marketed. A third volume of guidance, aimed specifically at managers, is in preparation. Construction of an exemplar nucleus low-energy hospital designed to secure energy savings of 50 per cent. is well advanced at Newport, Isle of Wight. Construction of a second exemplar low-energy hospital, which aims to secure even greater energy savings, has just commenced.