HC Deb 20 October 1993 vol 230 cc256-9W
Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by Government Departments towards their 15 per cent. energy efficiency target.

Mr. Yeo

Energy management in individual Government Departments is a matter for the Ministers responsible for those Departments. The Energy Efficiency Office of my Department provides information on good practice and monitors progress towards the target agreed in 1990 of a 15 per cent. improvement in energy efficiency over the five years ending 1995–96. The progress of Departments towards the target during 1992–93 is shown in the tables. Green Ministers reviewed the results at their meeting on 13 October; they noted an improvement in 1992–93 over 1991–92, but agreed that further improvement was required.

I am pleased to note that in the first two years of the campaign my Department has reduced weather-corrected energy expenditure per sq m by 5 per cent. Performance indicators expressing performance in terms of carbon dioxide per sq m and total carbon dioxide emissions indicate that my Department has reduced the former by 16 per cent. and the latter by 20 per cent. during the same period.

Table 1: Departmental expenditure, investment and percentage progress on the standard performance indicator (£ metre2) relative to 1990–91
Energy expenditure Own investment in energy efficiency £ metre2 Percentage progress on £ metre2 relative to 1990–91
Department 1992–93 (£ million) 1992–93 (£'000) 1991–92 1992–93
MAFF—Main Estate 3.9 417 (4) (6)
—Buffer Depots 0.1 0 0 21
Cabinet Office 0.5 40 (18) (4)
Customs 3.6 650 2 13
Defence—Civil n/a n/a (10) n/a
—Royal Navy n/a 2,800 n/a n/a
—Army n/a n/a n/a n/a
—RAF n/a 2,300 n/a n/a
—Procurement Executive n/a n/a n/a n/a
—Defence Research Agency n/a n/a n/a n/a
—Total n/a n/a n/a n/a
Education 0.5 n/a (21) (83)
Employment 9.8 1,175 (7) (1)
Environment 2.0 208 2 5
FCO 1.0 165 (3) 7
Health 0.8 421 (14) (1)
Home Office—non-Prisons 2.6 0 (17) (21)
—Prisons 24.4 1,500 (1) (2)
Inland Revenue 12.7 1,631 1 1
Lord Chancellor's 6.4 650 1 3
ODA 0.7 n/a (4)
National Heritage n/a n/a n/a n/a
National Savings 1.3 84 4 8
Northern Ireland Office 10.4 729 5 5
Scottish Office 1.0 416 3 (2)
Scottish Courts 1.0 20 4
Scottish Prisons 3.3 n/a (2) (5)
Social Security 15. 6 843 (6) 0
Trade and Industry 5.5 n/a 1 1
Transport 4.3 368 7 7
Treasury 0.3 4 2 4
Welsh Office 0.6 121 0 2
Total (excl. MOD, ODA and Scots Courts) 112.3 9,442 (0.8) 0.2

For ODA and Scottish Courts 1991–92 is the base year. Therefore these departments' contributions have not been included in the 'Progress' totals.

Table 2: Departmental percentage progress on CO2/metre2 relative to 1990–91
Department Percentage progress on CO2/metre2 relative to 1990–91
1991–92 1992–93
MAFF—Main Estate (1) (1)
—Buffer Depots 3 25
Cabinet Office (8) 1
Customs 1 15
Defence—Civil (7) n/a
—Royal Navy n/a n/a
—Army n/a n/a
—RAF n/a n/a
—Procurement Executive n/a n/a
—Defence Research Agency n/a n/a
—Total n/a n/a
Education (16) (58)
Employment (6) 3
Environment 7 16
FCO 0 13
Health (11) 3
Home Office—non-Prisons (15) (17)
—Prisons 1 3
Inland Revenue 3 7
Lord Chancellor's 2 8
ODA (2)
National Heritage n/a n/a
National Savings 6 13
Northern Ireland Office 6 6
Scottish Office 2 6
Scottish Courts 6
Scottish Prisons 1 (2)

Department Percentage progress on CO2/ metre2 relative to 1990–91
1991–92 1992–93
Social Security (3) 5
Trade and Industry 5 9
Transport 10 13
Treasury 23 19
Welsh Office 1 7
Total (excl. MOD, ODA and Scots Courts) 3 6

For ODA and Scottish Courts 1991–92 is the base year. Therefore these departments' contributions have not been included in the 'Progress' totals.

Table 3: Departmental percentage progress on total CO2 emissions relative to 1990–91
Department Percentage progress on CO2 relative to 1990–91
1991–92 1992–93
MAFF—Main Estate (1) (6)
—Buffer Depots 3 24
Cabinet Office (22) (13)
Customs (56) (38)
Defence—Civil (6) n/a
—Royal Navy 2 (3)
—Army (3) 1
—RAF (2) (2)
—Procurement Executive n/a n/a
—Defence Research Agency n/a n/a
—Total n/a n/a

Department Percentage progress on CO2 relative to 1990–91
1991–92 1992–93
Education (34) (7)
Employment (8) 3
Environment 5 20
FCO (2) 7
Health (50) 0
Home Office—non-Prisons (15) (17)
—Prisons (5) (8)
Inland Revenue 0 4
Lord Chancellor's (12) (6)
ODA (2)
National Heritage n/a n/a
National Savings 6 13
Northern Ireland Office 3 1
Scottish Office (12) (8)
Scottish Courts (7)
Scottish Prisons (1) (2)
Social Security (3) (10)
Trade and Industry 7 17
Transport 10 12
Treasury 13 31
Welsh Office 2 17
Total (excl. MOD, ODA and Scots Courts) (3) (2)

For ODA and Scottish Courts 1991/92 is the base year. Therefore these departments' contributions have not been included in the 'Progress' totals.

Notes to Tables

1. Progress by departments under each of the Performance Indicators (PIs) is expressed as a percentage reduction relative to the base year value of the PI in question, with 15 per cent. improvement on £/metre2 after five years as the campaign target. Numbers in parentheses denote regress rather than progress.

2. Some departments have revised earlier years' figures, which explains some differences from last year's published results. Equally, some of this year's figures may be subject to revision.

3. Base year figures for Customs and Excise on expenditure, consumption and floor area were all considerably understated, at least partly because the department is a minority tenant occupier in many buildings, with energy bills often paid as part of the service charge, and not separately identifiable. This situation was largely altered after the base year, hence the apparent increase in the figures. For this reason, improvement relative to 1991–92 is a more reliable indicator of progress.

4. Floor area figures are not available for most of the MOD estate. An alternative assessment method to £/metre2 has been agreed whereby base year consumption figures will be adjusted up or down to allow for the addition or loss of buildings to MOD's estate during the campaign; this will also apply to CO2/metre2. For total CO2, since no allowance is made for estate changes to any other department, unadjusted figures will be used for MOD. At the moment, adjustments have not yet been made to MOD's data, so equivalent £/metre2 and CO2/metre2 are not yet available.

5. DFE's consumption is dominated by the HQ building, and this changed from a largely naturally ventilated building in the base year to a completely air-conditioned one, with a much smaller floor area, last year. This is the explanation for their large increase in £/metre2.

6. Investment figures for departments do not include investment made by Property Holdings on their behalf.