Carbon Emissions Debate

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Thursday 16th July 2015

(9 years, 4 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Viscount Younger of Leckie Portrait Viscount Younger of Leckie
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We have a very strong record to play upon. According to the Carbon Plan, published in 2011, improvements to the current building stock present an opportunity to save up to 75 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. DECC’s latest projection shows that less than 5 million tonnes of CO2 would have been saved during the fourth carbon budget period through these schemes.

Lord Geddes Portrait Lord Geddes (Con)
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My Lords, I have asked this question before but perhaps I may try again. Why can it not be made mandatory that all new buildings have things such as photovoltaic and/or solar panels built into them?

Viscount Younger of Leckie Portrait Viscount Younger of Leckie
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There is a balance to be struck in ensuring that houses are affordable and that builders are given some leeway to build homes. I should remind the House that one of the key manifesto pledges was to build more homes, and particularly more affordable homes.