Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the report by the World Future Council Unlocking the Trillions to Finance the 1.5°c Limit, published on 7 November 2017, concerning the role of central banks buying fossil fuel stranded assets on the condition that the money is invested in the renewable energy sector.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
The Government’s Green Finance Strategy sets out the Government’s approach to accelerating green finance. As set out in the Strategy, the Government welcomes the work of the Central Banks’ and Supervisors’ Network for Greening the Financial System, of which the Bank of England is a founding member.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations of the Committee on Fuel Poverty annual report 2018, published on 7 November 2018; what steps they are taking, if any, to implement those recommendations in advance of (1) the Comprehensive Spending Review, and (2) the revisions to the current Fuel Poverty Strategy for England; and what assessment they have made of (a) the case for, and (b) the potential benefits which might arise for the UK of, increasing investment in energy efficiency improvements to ensure statutory requirements are met.
Answered by Lord Henley
Government is committed to tackling fuel poverty and we welcome the advice of the Committee on Fuel Poverty. We recognise the environmental, social and health benefits of energy efficiency. The Clean Growth Strategy reiterated our commitment to improving the energy performance of as many fuel poor homes as reasonably practicable to Band C by 2030.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) now focuses exclusively on low income households with funding of £640m per year. In November, the Committee recommended new guidance on the ECO Flexible Eligibility scheme; and new guidance was published earlier this month. In line with the Committee’s annual report, BEIS has also published new analysis on the churn of households in and out of fuel poverty to better understand this issue and will soon be publishing a policy plan for improving Private Rented Sector energy efficiency. Government remains committed to the Buildings Mission announced in 2018 to halve the cost of retrofitting buildings to use half the energy of current new builds. We are considering the Committee’s other recommendations as part of our work this year to update the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England and they will also be relevant to Spending Review considerations.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to support the long-term prosperity of independent bookshops.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government wants all retailers to thrive now and in the future. In March, the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy established the industry-led Retail Sector Council to bring Government and industry together to boost the sector’s productivity and economic health. All retail activity in the UK is represented on the Council, including independent retailers. Government also engages with industry associations such as the British Independent Retailers Association to further understand the views of this important sector.
In addition, on 16 July 2018 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a panel of experts, led by Sir John Timpson, to diagnose issues that currently affect the health of our high streets and advise on the best practical measures to help them thrive now and in the future. Later this summer the expert panel, in conjunction with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, will put out a call for evidence seeking what members of the public and young people in particular want from the high streets of the future.