§ Mr. SinghTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps114W the Government are taking to help small and medium businesses improve their environmental performance. [62215]
§ Mr. MeacherBy setting up a single environment and energy helpline (0800 58 57 94), the Government are making it very much easier for SMEs to find out how they can improve their environmental performance. The Helpline, which will be run under the auspices of the Government's Energy Efficiency and Environmental Technology Best Practice Programmes, will come into operation today. It will provide callers with free access to
impartial best practice informationup to two hours telephone assistance from an energy or environment expert; and, where it would be beneficialon-site technical advice, where this would be beneficial and worthwhile.Small and medium businesses are an important part of the UK economy. There are about 3M firms, 80,000 of which employ 20 to 250 people. They employ around 4 million people and have a turnover of £4 billion. They are also responsible for one-third of the carbon dioxide emissions from business and a significant proportion of other waste. Smaller companies therefore have a significant role to play to help meet our climate change targets.
There can be significant benefits in improving environmental performance for companies of all sizes. On average, a fifth of energy and a quarter of a company's waste can be avoided cost-effectively. Saving resources saves money and improves competitiveness—gain, not pain. The Government's two Best Practice Programmes provide authoritative advice on how to improve environmental and energy efficiency performance. For business, there are competitiveness advantage. And, for everyone, there are environmental advantages. The Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme, for example, has helped to save energy worth around £650 million a year and consequently 3.25 million tonnes of carbon—across the nation.
To ensure this new initiative is a success, the helpline will be closely co-ordinated with Government Office Regional Energy and Environmental Management Contacts (REEMCs), Business Links, green business clubs, the Energy Saving Trust's Energy Efficiency Advice Centres, the Environment Agency's regional offices, Training and Enterprise Councils and local authorities.