Annual Energy Statement

Caroline Lucas Excerpts

Thursday 31st October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davey]

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on trying to bring Europe into this debate. I have to tell him that the European Union can help us bring down our energy bills. A proper single energy market in Europe, with better connections, would see prices go down.

[Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green)]

If the Secretary of State was serious about helping the fuel-poor, surely he would be acting to make the UK housing stock far more energy efficient, which is the only permanent way to bring down bills, according to the Child Poverty Action Group, Age UK and many other charities that support proposals to recycle carbon tax revenue into energy efficiency. That would bring nine out of 10 homes out of fuel poverty, quadruple carbon savings and create up to 200,000 jobs, so why does the Secretary of State continue to ignore calls for such ambitious policies?

[Mr Davey]

We are introducing ambitious policies to help the fuel-poor and to retrofit the housing stock. As I have mentioned, under the energy company obligation, 230,000 low-income households have had energy-efficiency measures such as insulation installed this year.