Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Chris White and Chris Huhne(13 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
Chris White (Warwick and Leamington) (Con)
11. What recent discussions he has had on reducing fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement.
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Chris Huhne)
I regularly engage with stakeholders such as energy companies and consumer organisations to discuss our policies to assist low-income and vulnerable households to heat their homes more affordably. I recently had interesting discussions with Professor John Hills, the author of the fuel poverty review.
Chris White
I thank the Secretary of State for his response. One way of reducing fuel poverty is through providing more support to lower-income families to make their homes more energy-efficient. I appreciate that the Government’s proposed energy company obligations seek to do that, but I ask the Secretary of State for an update on his Department’s progress in creating those obligations, and will he tell us when he hopes they will come into effect?
Chris Huhne
My hon. Friend is right. A key focus of the energy company obligation will be on householders who cannot achieve significant energy savings without an additional measure of support. That will include, through the affordable warmth target, specific assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable people to help them keep their homes warm affordably. We are consulting this autumn on secondary legislation for the green deal and the ECO, as I have said in answer to colleagues before, and we intend to launch them in autumn 2012.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Chris White and Chris Huhne
Chris Huhne
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that industries that share a skills base and a knowledge base often tend to cluster. As I understand it, however, that is not the enterprise zone concept. It is certainly the case that, through the ports infrastructure improvement programme, for example, we are encouraging the clustering of some of the new technologies in offshore wind and elsewhere.
Chris White (Warwick and Leamington) (Con)
7. What steps he is taking to promote community energy projects in co-operation with public sector organisations.