§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies the Treasury has undertaken on the(a) cost and (b) financial, social, economic and legal effects of reducing VAT on energy-saving materials and technologies. [108302]
§ Dawn PrimaroloCustoms carried out just such a review in 1997. They published "Helping the Less Well-off Save Energy, The Scope for a Reduced Rate of VAT' in November 1997, a copy of which is available from the Library of the House. It can also be seen on the Customs and Excise website at
http://www.hmce.gov.uk/bus/vat/green.htmWe introduced a 5 per cent. VAT rate for grant funded installations of energy-saving materials as a direct result of this report.