§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if his Department will carry out an evaluation of energy by contract hire as a way of achieving the 15 per cent. fuel saving in the national health service as prescribed by the Government;
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential saving in energy costs in hospitals achievable through energy by contract hire systems.
§ Mr. DorrellThe use of contract energy management schemes could make a contribution to energy conservation in certain circumstances, but the way in which individual health authorities and NHS trusts achieve the target of a 15 per cent. saving in energy consumption over the next five years is, essentially, a matter for local management to decide. We have made it clear that comprehensive investment appraisals of energy conservation measures should be carried out and the possible use of contract energy management will be one of the options to be evaluated.
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§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to achieve the objective of a 15 per cent. fuel saving in the national health service; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DorrellRegional health authorities have been given the objective of achieving the Government-wide energy saving target of 15 per cent. over the next five years. To assist them in achieving their objective, comprehensive guidance on energy efficiency measures can be found in ENCODE published by NHS Estates, a copy of which is available in-the Library. Following the publication by the Audit Commission of its occasional paper on saving energy in the national health service, officials from NHS Estates have been participating with the Energy Efficiency Office and Audit Commission in a series of promotional seminars. In addition, a strategic guide for general managers on energy efficiency will be published shortly.