Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 5.13 of the Autumn Statement, CP 751 published on 17 November 2022, if he will make it his policy to regulate to (a) tighten the domestic minimum energy efficiency standards and (b) phase out fossil heating systems.

The Government is considering a number of options for increasing energy efficiency standards. For the domestic Private Rented Sector, the Government has consulted on raising the standard to EPC Band C for new tenancies from 1 April 2025, and for all tenancies by 1 April 2028.

The Government is committed to decarbonising heating by 2050, and aims to phase out the sale of new and replacement gas boilers by 2035. The Government will introduce a package of measures that will increase the number of heat pump installations to 600,000 a year by 2028. Heat networks will expand through the Green Heat Networks Fund whilst the feasibility of using hydrogen for heating is assessed.