§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the impact of investment in(a) insulation and other energy efficiency measures in the home and (b) expansion of the gas network on (i) reducing greenhouse gas emissions, (ii) alleviating fuel poverty, (iii) upgrading housing stock and (iv) the creation of jobs. [2300]
§ Mr. MeacherGovernment investment in domestic energy efficiency in this year will be around £190 million. In addition this year, local authorities plan to spend about £1.7 billion on capital works to their housing stock, some of which will contribute to improving energy efficiency.
The Government's climate change programme, published last November, estimated domestic energy savings of between 3.9 and 5.2 million tonnes of carbon per year in 2010.
It is estimated that the new home energy efficiency scheme, the Government's main programme for tackling fuel poverty in England, will save 0.2 million tonnes of carbon per year and treat a target of 800,000 homes over the period from 2000–04.
It is also proposed that 50 per cent. of the benefit of the energy efficiency commitment for 2002–05 should be concentrated on a priority group, including the fuel poor.
A recent report by the Energy Saving Trust, which looked at seven schemes, estimated that for every £1 million of expenditure in energy efficiency, including private investment, between 10 and 58 jobs are directly created.
The Government are very aware of the potentially valuable contribution which the extension of the gas network could make to tackling all of these issues. It has set up a working group with representatives from Government, Ofgem, the gas industry and consumer bodies to look at the feasibility of extending the gas network where it is viable to do so. This group is not due to report until October and no decisions have yet been taken on investment.