§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what specific measures his Ministry has taken to promote energy efficiency; what further measures his Ministry intends to take to promote energy efficiency; and by what amount and what percentage of its total energy bill his Ministry's energy bill has been reduced over the past year.
§ Mr. CurryThis Department is taking a number of steps to improve energy efficiency. The farm and conservation grant scheme provides grants to farmers for energy saving amounting to 25 per cent. of costs in less favoured areas and 15 per cent. in other areas. Grants are paid to help meet the cost of the supply and installation of wind or water powered pumps and generators, solar heating panels, straw burning boilers and furnaces and on other forms of durable energy saving equipment and the permanent thermal insulation of buildings and glasshouses. Advice is available on energy saving from the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service and in particular energy audits are available which analyse fuel use and make specific recommendations for action.
Within the Department we have a continuing programme of energy efficiency improvement including the carrying out of comprehensive energy surveys in buildings. Improvements have been made to lighting, glazing and insulation and in some instances heating systems are being updated or overhauled. Energy saving changes have been made to laboratory installations.
This Department's expenditure on energy for the 1989–90 financial year was as follows:
£ million Electricity 1.8 Gas 0.4 Solid and liquid fuel 0.7 As the 1990–91 financial year is not yet over, the comparative figures requested are not available.