§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department intends to publish details of new energy efficiency indicators, targets and monitoring mechanisms for each sector of the economy; and if she will make a statement. [48686]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Government will be responding to this and other recommendations of the recent performance and innovation unit energy review in a White Paper later in the year, following public consultation. The Government recognise that energy efficiency is an important, and highly cost-effective, way of achieving our climate change goals. It has significant unrealised potential, and the Department will be considering how to enhance its future role. We will produce a domestic energy efficiency strategy, and are working to establish benchmarking, indicators and (where appropriate) targets, for those sectors of the economy which have the most significant impacts on energy efficiency. A review of local authorities' role in energy efficiency is also under way. Some sectors of course already have energy efficiency targets, for example, the Government estate, health and education sectors. The energy efficiency best practice programme (EEBPp) provides authoritative information and guidance on benchmarking and best practice for every sector.
§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to form a negotiated agreement with the finance sector to reduce the cost of financing energy efficiency measures by funding them as part of mortgage offers; and if she will make a statement. [48692]
§ Mr. MeacherWe will examine the performance and innovation unit's energy review recommendation in the course of preparing our domestic energy efficiency strategy, and for the introduction of the home seller's pack. The objective of this initiative is to make available to potential buyers relevant information about the property. We propose that the seller's pack should include an assessment of the property's energy efficiency performance (a SAP energy rating) and suggestions for improving that performance. It is anticipated that the information will encourage prospective home buyers to take energy efficiency into account in their buying decisions and, following purchase, to act on the suggestions and invest in energy efficiency measures. The ability to fund the measures as part of the mortgage loan would help to maximise the benefits from this initiative.
§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if her Department plans to announce an extension of the energy efficiency commitment from 2005 to 2010; and if she will make a statement. [48688]
§ Mr. MeacherWe are considering the future of the energy efficiency commitment after 2005: we need to be sure that it remains the best way of delivering substantial savings in the domestic sector. Feedback on the early part of the programme for 2002 to 2005 will also enable us to take account of that experience in making our plans for the future.
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§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department plans to undertake a review of low carbon delivery organisations; and if she will make a statement. [48690]
§ Mr. MeacherThe performance and innovation unit (PIU) energy review highlights the number and range of organisations involved in delivering policies and programmes for lowering carbon emissions and promoting energy efficiency. The Government will certainly consider this particular PIU recommendation carefully when responding to the energy review in a White Paper later in the year, following public consultation.