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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many houses in (a) the UK and (b) Wales lack (i) insulation and (ii) draught-proofing; and what measures the Government are taking to lower this figure. [25626] Mr. Meacher: As fuel poverty is a devolved matter, it is the responsibility of the respective Parliament and Assemblies to comment on the situation in their countries. The information is set out in respect of England: Insulation of households in England 1999 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Households Number With no insulation{1} 2,600,000 Without full insulation{2} 18,100,000 With no draught-proofing{3} 4,400,000 Without full draught-proofing{4} 7,290,000 Total 20,800,000 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} No insulation is taken to mean the following: no loft insulation (where there is a loft); no cavity insulation (if there is a cavity wall); no double glazing. {2} Full insulation is taken to mean the following: at least four inches of loft insulation (where there is a loft); cavity walls insulated (where there are cavity walls); at least 80 per cent. of windows double glazed. {3} Double glazing is taken to include draught proofing. {4} Full draught-proofing is taken to mean 80 per cent. or more of rooms draught-proofed. The Government's main programme for private sector households in England is the home energy efficiency scheme (HEES), marketed as the warm front team, which is designed to tackle fuel poverty among those most vulnerable to cold related ill health--older householders, families with children and the disabled or those with long term illness. The scheme provides grants for a package of insulation and heating improvements. Separate programmes are in place to bring social sector housing up to a decent standard. The Government have recently set a target of 62 fuel-standardised terawatt hours for improvements in energy efficiency to be achieved by electricity and gas suppliers under the Energy Efficiency Commitment for 2002 to 2005 (EEC). Suppliers' EEC programmes are expected to include significant numbers of insulation measures. The Government also provide funding to the Energy Saving Trust to run a wide ranging programme of work to promote energy efficiency in homes. This includes promotion of cavity wall insulation and draught-proofing via advertising, advice centres and a database of available grants.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

25626; 378 c613W;378 c608-9W

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Conservation Housing Energy Housing improvement Insulation Warm front scheme Wales

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk