Environment: Green Growth Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Environment: Green Growth

Earl of Caithness Excerpts
Wednesday 16th May 2012

(12 years, 6 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Sassoon Portrait Lord Sassoon
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My Lords, I can indeed confirm that that is not the policy of Her Majesty’s Government.

Earl of Caithness Portrait The Earl of Caithness
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Would my noble friend also bear in mind, in response to the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Davies, that what the noble Lord proposed about greenness and efficiency would hurt hardest those in the country who do not have cavity walls but have solid brick or stone houses and no access to mains gas? It would penalise those in the country. That again shows that the Labour Party is very anti those living in the countryside rather than those living in urban areas.

Lord Sassoon Portrait Lord Sassoon
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Apart from the fact that taking away people’s capital gains tax relief by linking it to green efficiency is absolutely not on the agenda, the key point here is that the forthcoming Green Deal—a world-first policy proposal—will mean that many people will be able to make their homes warmer and more efficient. That is what really matters. Of course we want to see more efficient homes, but there are ways to do that, and the Government have a policy.