Written question asked by Lord Berkeley (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Marland (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 December 2010.

Energy: Carbon Reduction Commitment

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 1 December (WA 455) stating that energy supplied by a landlord to a tenant counts towards the landlord’s carbon reduction commitment (CRC), whether the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s approach in the consultation on amendments to the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme Order 2010, where the landlord is the Northern Ireland Government and tenants also government departments, is consistent with that answer; if not, why; and whether they view Northern Ireland government departments as separate private companies.

Answer: All government departments and their devolved Administration equivalents are mandated to participate in the CRC regardless of the energy use threshold that applies to other participants in order to show public sector leadership. The manner in which Northern Ireland departments occupy their accommodation does not allow for individual departments to be responsible for their own energy use under the current legislation because the energy supply is considered to have been made to the single department providing the accommodation for the rest of the Executive. The Government propose to amend the scheme’s landlord/tenant treatment in the specific case of Northern Ireland departments to enable the fulfilment of the Executive’s commitment that all their departments should be individually responsible for their energy use. It does not alter the Government’s view of the wider CRC relationship between other landlords and tenants.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 4915; 723 c55WA
Session: 2010-12
Related items: Energy: Carbon Reduction Commitment
Monday, 10 January 2011
Written questions
House of Lords; Energy: Carbon Reduction Commitment
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Conservation Energy Government departments Landlords Northern Ireland Executive Tenants Carbon reduction commitment energy efficiency scheme
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk