HC Deb 09 June 2003 vol 406 cc580-1W
Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable has been established by her Department for the publication of an implementation plan setting out how the Defra strategy for domestic energy efficiency improvements, as outlined in the Energy White Paper, will be delivered; and if she will make a statement. [114682]

Mr. Meacher

[holding answer 22 May 2003]The implementation plan for the energy efficiency strategy set out in the Energy White Paper will be published within a year of the publication of the White Paper. Within the framework of the virtual Sustainable Energy Policy Network, an energy efficiency workstream has been established and this group will be responsible for drawing up this implementation plan.

Mr. Roger Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets her Department has for improving energy efficiency; and how she intends to achieve these targets. [116654]

Mr. Morley

All departments currently have an interim target of 1 per cent. per annum reductions in (weather-corrected) CO2 emissions from their estate, relative to the base-year 1999–2000. Defra will agree new targets for 2010, based on benchmarking the performance of individual buildings where possible, by the end of this year.

This approach should also provide departmental energy managers with an effective management tool to identify the best opportunities for efficiency improvements. Detailed measures will be a matter for individual circumstances.