§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of houses constructed in the last five years which contain solar heating panels; and if he will make a statement. [102353]
§ Mr. MullinDetailed information of this kind is not held centrally. We understand that, in total, around 2,000 solar heating systems per year are typically being installed throughout the UK. My Department's Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme, in encouraging good building design, advocates the incorporation of solar heating in appropriate cases. And the Department of Trade and Industry is working closely with the Solar Trade Association and others to promote good practice, to disseminate well-informed advice about solar heating and to support appropriate training.