Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will make an assessment of the education sector to identify steps that can be taken to help that sector become carbon neutral.

Schools are autonomous and have the freedom to make their own decisions based on individual need and circumstances. It is important that schools play their part in conserving energy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The Department will support schools to procure environmentally sound services, encouraging suppliers to work with their supply chains to offer choice and value. For example, each time a new boiler is installed, it replaces one of an old specification that is far less energy efficient.

The Department is also committed to delivering new schools that meet energy efficiency targets and supporting the existing estate to reduce its energy demand through advice, support and capital grants. The Department is surveying the condition of every school through the Condition Data Collection to support the development of future priorities for investment, including measures to achieve zero carbon emissions.