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Energy Bill [HL]

My Lords, I have just been handed a speaking note, which has slightly confused me. Ireland has beaten England in the one-day cricket—so much for the Green Deal. I am sorry to take away from the serious aspect of what we are talking about and I hope noble Lords will forgive me for imparting that. I know the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Oldham, will be as distraught as I am to hear that news. The noble Lord, Lord Whitty, makes a very serious point, as always with his knowledge of consumers. At the heart of the Green Deal must be consumer confidence. Without consumer confidence we will not get this deal off the ground. It is imperative that the Government do this. The noble Baroness, Lady Smith, and the noble Lord, Lord Teverson, raise what I think are probing points that need to be ironed out in the passage of this Bill. The ironing out will be carried out with the platform of the Green Deal being very much consumer confidence, as we have debated in this Chamber and in Grand Committee rather exhaustively. On that basis, noble Lords will forgive me for reading out my speaking note, which is unusual for me. I will do it on this occasion because I want to get it right. Like the noble Lord, Lord Teverson, I suffer from meagre intelligence, so this has to be done in very big language. Amendments 11 and 14 seek to ensure that consumers are offered the best possible energy efficiency solution. Clause 4 is central to the Green Deal and sets out the circumstances in which a Green Deal plan can be offered to the consumer. We envisage that a standardised methodology—mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Oxburgh—will be used to carry out the assessment. This will ensure that the assessment is carried out in a robust, impartial way so that any measures recommended are suitable for the property in question and not influenced by other considerations. Where the responsibility lies was the question asked by my noble friend Lord Jenkin of Roding. Assessors are responsible for getting the technical impartial assessment right. The Green Deal providers will be able to rely on this. They are responsible for financial advice. Installers will be responsible for the standard of installation. I carry that theme a little further in response to the noble Lord, Lord Teverson, on how the financing will work for small builders, for example. Assessors and installers will not need to raise the capital. The Green Deal plan is between the Green Deal provider and the consumer, but that does not mean that assessors and installers will be paid a commission. Nor does it preclude independent assessment. In addition, Clause 3 provides for the code of practice that will regulate the proficiency of the Green Deal participants. The provisions in this clause seek to ensure that consumers are offered the best possible energy efficiency solution for their property. Amendment 15 seeks to ensure that the consumer is made aware of any applicable fees in a clear and transparent way. The consumer credit regime applies to domestic Green Deals and already imposes requirements to ensure that consumers are made aware of the total cost of the finance, including any fees that may be incurred. However, we recognise that the consumer credit regime, to which the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, referred, might not capture all possible situations when fees may be incurred, and we will look at this issue in more detail. However, Clauses 4(1)(b) and 5(1)(b) will enable us to set out in framework regulations any conditions that must be met before a plan is entered into or matters that must be addressed under the terms of the plan. Amendments 8A and 8B seek to extend the provisions of the code to all energy plans that are sold or promoted at the same time as the Green Deal. I reassure noble Lords that we will make provisions within the scheme and the code to ensure that consumers are made fully aware of the differences between measures sold under a Green Deal plan, with all its safeguards, and those that fall outside such a plan. Clause 3 already enables the scheme and code of conduct to be applied to energy plans that are not Green Deal plans. It is our intention to seek to ensure, where appropriate, that elements of the scheme or code can apply to wider energy provisions In conclusion, I believe that the consumer credit regime and the Bill already contain all the necessary requirements to achieve what is intended in these amendments. I reiterate that confidence is absolutely fundamental to what we are trying to achieve. On that basis, I ask the noble Baroness to withdraw the amendment.