That this House believes that the Government's targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions require a step-change in the take-up of renewable energy; notes that while Government policies promote renewable electricity generation, little is done to promote the renewable generation of heat through technologies such as biomass, including biogas, solar heating and ground source heat pumps; further notes that energy used for heat is responsible for a third of our carbon emissions, that renewable heat technologies could cut these emissions, help tackle fuel poverty in remote areas of the country, increase fuel security, and provide new markets for the farming and forestry industry; and calls on the Government to extend the renewables obligation to support renewable heat, as recommended by the Royal Commission on Environment Pollution.

That this House believes that the Government's targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions require a step-change in the take-up of renewable energy; notes that while Government policies promote renewable electricity generation, little is done to promote the renewable generation of heat through technologies such as biomass, including biogas, solar heating...

That this House welcomes the publication of the draft Housing Bill and the opportunity for honourable Members to comment on proposed legislation; believes that this Bill offers an excellent opportunity for dealing with fuel poverty by ensuring that minimum insulation and heating standards set for all social housing would, as far as is reasonably practicable, match those standards in the building regulations for newly built homes; and therefore supports the campaign by the All Party Warm Homes Group to secure an amendment to the draft Housing Bill to this effect thus ensuring that all social housing tenants are removed from fuel poverty.

That this House welcomes the publication of the draft Housing Bill and the opportunity for honourable Members to comment on proposed legislation; believes that this Bill offers an excellent opportunity for dealing with fuel poverty by ensuring that minimum insulation and heating standards set for all social housing would, as...

That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to end fuel poverty for vulnerable households and for all social sector tenants by 2010; notes that, despite considerable progress having been made towards achieving these objectives; the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG} has concluded that a 50 per cent. increase in Government funding for domestic energy efficiency is required if those targets are to be met; further notes the view of the Chair of the FPAG, expressed to the All-Party Parliamentary Warm Homes Group on 21st October, that if the next spending round does not allocate the recommended increase in resources the targets will become virtually impossible to meet; is aware that the Government is now considering, as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review, budgets for the next spending round 2005-08; and calls upon the Government to follow the recommendation of the FPAG in providing the 50 per cent. increase in resources needed to ensure that fuel poverty objectives are met.

That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to end fuel poverty for vulnerable households and for all social sector tenants by 2010; notes that, despite considerable progress having been made towards achieving these objectives; the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG} has concluded that a 50 per cent. increase in Government...

That this House notes that, in the last Session, 169 honourable Members signed Early Day Motion No. 47 calling for an extension of the current grant scheme for photo-voltaic heating systems to include micro-combined heat and power systems and domestic heat pumps in order to stimulate investment in new technology and thereby assist with the achievement of carbon dioxide reduction targets; notes too that the Government, in the recent energy White Paper, stresses the importance of new technology in achieving energy policy objectives and also proposes to continue the current energy efficiency commitment beyond 2005 at twice the current level; and believes therefore that using that commitment to fund a new technology grant scheme so as to 'kick-start' the market for the most efficient technologies like micro CHP and heat pumps is an excellent way of encouraging new technology without cost to the public purse.

That this House notes that, in the last Session, 169 honourable Members signed Early Day Motion No. 47 calling for an extension of the current grant scheme for photo-voltaic heating systems to include micro-combined heat and power systems and domestic heat pumps in order to stimulate investment in new technology...

That this House welcomes the publication of the draft Housing Bill and the opportunity for honourable members to comment on proposed legislation; believes that this Bill offers an excellent opportunity for dealing with fuel poverty by ensuring that minimum insulation and heating standards set for all social housing would, as far as is reasonably practicable, match those standards in the building regulations for newly built homes; and therefore supports the campaign by the All Party Warm Homes Group to secure an amendment to the draft Housing Bill to this effect, thus ensuring that all social housing tenants are removed from fuel poverty.

That this House welcomes the publication of the draft Housing Bill and the opportunity for honourable members to comment on proposed legislation; believes that this Bill offers an excellent opportunity for dealing with fuel poverty by ensuring that minimum insulation and heating standards set for all social housing would, as...

That this House believes that energy services are an effective means of encouraging reduction in energy use, cutting fuel bills and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide; further believes that the barrier of increased capital cost for energy saving measures can be overcome by the leasing of systems by energy service providers; welcomes the Government's moves to make leasing schemes financially viable through the Capital Allowances Act 2001, which allows the claiming of capital allowances on heating systems under the Affordable Warmth Scheme and for energy service providers in non-domestic situations; and calls on the Government to extend this precedent to cover all domestic sector energy service providers, where suitably accredited energy saving measures are supplied, and registered social landlords and to enhance the allowance made on innovative technologies such as micro-CHP to promote their rapid development.

That this House believes that energy services are an effective means of encouraging reduction in energy use, cutting fuel bills and reducing emissions of carbon dioxide; further believes that the barrier of increased capital cost for energy saving measures can be overcome by the leasing of systems by energy service...

That this House welcomes the Government initiative to encourage the development of new technology by establishing a 50 per cent. grant scheme for householders who install photo-voltaic heating systems in their roofs; believes that encouragement for new technology is essential for achieving long-term reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide; therefore calls for the extension of that grant scheme to domestic micro-combined heat and power systems and domestic heat pumps, both of which are new technologies with great potential for the future; and notes that in the case of domestic combined heat and power systems the recent report by the Performance and Innovation Unit, in Table 6.1 identified MicroCHP as the most efficient method of carbon abatement and that the Government's Fuel Poverty Strategy stated that it also has a considerable potential to reduce fuel poverty.

That this House welcomes the Government initiative to encourage the development of new technology by establishing a 50 per cent. grant scheme for householders who install photo-voltaic heating systems in their roofs; believes that encouragement for new technology is essential for achieving long-term reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide; therefore...

That this House notes that the most recent Government figures show that in 1995 251 people aged 80 years or over died in England and Wales with hypothermia mentioned on the death certificate as the main contributory cause of death; notes that this figure is certainly an underestimate of the real number of deaths; notes that according to Age Concern a third of all pensioner households have an indoor winter temperature below 16C (61F) which is the temperature at which shops and offices can legally be closed down; notes further that the current cold weather payments seven day rule fails to give pensioners the confidence to start heating their households as soon as severe cold weather starts, that cold weather payments are limited to pensioners on income support yet the take-up rate of income support is lowest amongst pensioners with one third of eligible pensioners not taking up income support and that the cold weather payments system only includes one flat payment whatever the severity of weather; and therefore calls upon the Government to urgently consider relaxing the strict rules on the cold weather payments system to ensure that all pensioners are able to heat their homes adequately from the onset of severe cold weather and ensure that the shameful number of pensioners that die each year from hypothermia is greatly reduced.

That this House notes that the most recent Government figures show that in 1995 251 people aged 80 years or over died in England and Wales with hypothermia mentioned on the death certificate as the main contributory cause of death; notes that this figure is certainly an underestimate of the...