Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Martin McCluskey and Josh Fenton-Glynn(1 week, 4 days ago)
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Martin McCluskey
The warm homes plan, which will be launched before the end of the year, will address issues in rural homes. The hon. Member may also be interested to know that a consultation on alternative heating fuels was launched today, and she and some of her constituents may want to submit a response to it.
Josh Fenton-Glynn (Calder Valley) (Lab)
Healthy peatlands are among the most carbon-rich environments on the planet, acting as a carbon store and reducing flood risks. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs draft policy says that disturbing these peatlands leads to negative carbon impacts. We cannot be in a situation where building wind farms comes at a carbon cost. Will the Minister please look at bringing DESNZ policy in line with DEFRA policy?
Martin McCluskey
My hon. Friend will have heard me respond on peatlands a moment ago. As I said, there are existing protections for peatland habitats in the national planning policy framework, but I am more than happy to meet him to discuss the Government’s plans for clean power and the impact of them.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Martin McCluskey and Josh Fenton-Glynn(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Martin McCluskey
Since I became a Minister four weeks ago, I have received a lot of correspondence on this issue and I am looking at it closely. We have consulted on the issue and, hopefully, we will be publishing the results of that consultation before the end of the month.
Josh Fenton-Glynn (Calder Valley) (Lab)
Half the battle to reach net zero is using less energy, which is why work to insulate homes is so important. Calder Valley is famous for “Happy Valley” and now “Riot Women”, and has occasionally been called wet and windy. With 75,000 of our homes falling below energy performance certificate band C, that means many families live in homes that leak heat. Today’s National Audit Office report found that in 98% of homes that had insulation installed under the last Government, the work was faulty, risking damp and mould. What action will this Government take to ensure that future insulation efforts help families, rather than hinder them?
Martin McCluskey
I share my hon. Friend’s concern about the findings in today’s National Audit Office report. Obviously, we inherited this situation from the previous Government and we are cleaning up their mess. It is important that we have robust protections in place for consumers so that they have confidence when installing these measures. The warm homes plan will address that, including through the consumer protections that we will outline as part of it.