Oral Answers to Questions

Helen Morgan Excerpts

Tuesday 27th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Helen Morgan (North Shropshire) (LD)]

14. What recent steps she has taken to help improve the energy efficiency of homes.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Amanda Solloway)]

I pay tribute to the hon. Member for her committed work to support her constituents living in rural areas. We have a proud record of energy efficiency. We are encouraging, rather than forcing, people to make the right choices, and we pushed back the ban on gas boilers while increasing the boiler upgrade scheme to £7,500, which is one of the most generous grants in Europe.

[Helen Morgan]

There are 1,858 listed properties in North Shropshire, according to the Listed Property Owners Club, and 24 conservation areas across our historical market towns and villages. That means that there is a large number of buildings that owners find it difficult to upgrade to make them energy-efficient. What conversations has the Minister had with her colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on enabling people to bring those homes into the 21st century and make them energy-efficient?

[Amanda Solloway]

The hon. Member makes a good point. We have those consultations across Departments, and local authorities in rural areas in England are eligible for grants. I can give my assurance that we have those cross-government meetings.