Written question asked by Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 26 April 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 29 April 2004. It was answered by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Thursday, 29 April 2004 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what steps she is taking to promote greater use of solar heating panels in the UK.

Answer: Sir Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to promote greater use of solar heating panels in the UK. [169368] Mr. Timms: The Clear Skies initiative was launched in January 2003 in order to promote the uptake of a number of renewable technologies including solar heating panels. Grants are available to both individual householders and community groups in order to install solar heating panels. The initiative also has a list of registered installers and has developed a mentoring scheme in order to train future installers and increase the amount of companies able to install these technologies. Further details of the initiative, including grant levels, can be found on the website at www.clear-skies.org. The Scottish Executive has its own parallel scheme, The Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative, which also offers grants for the installation of solar heating panels. Further details can be found on the website www.est.co.uk/schri.

Secondary information