Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to insulate his Departmental estate in order to improve energy efficiency; and if he will make a statement.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has insulated heating and cooling pipework as well as boilers throughout its UK estate. Our listed London buildings have high thermal mass, but lose heat via thin single pane windows. We have installed a limited amount of secondary glazing, but comprehensively replacing windows with listed building compatible secondary glazing would be prohibitively expensive. We have been piloting sealants to reduce draughts in London and at Hanslope Park. Wall insulation has been installed in parts of the top floor of our King Charles Street premises.