Government reviews and other activity
12. The inquiry was conducted against a background
of Government reviews and consultations on:a climate change
programme for the UK; the place of social and environmental considerations
within energy regulation; a possible tax on business energy-use;
sources for power generation and the promotion of renewable energy.
During the course of our work the Government made a number of
relevant announcements:plans for a business energy taxthe
Climate Change Levy; proposals for a new Home Energy Efficiency
Scheme (HEES); the first report on performance by local authorities
under the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA); and a revised
Sustainable Development Strategy for the UK. Still to come is
a draft Climate Change Programme for the UK, which should set
out the Government's expectations for the contribution of energy
efficiency improvements to achieving its commitments on emissions
reductions; legislation for the establishment of a new framework
for energy regulation; and the most recent energy consumption
forecasts.
13. Our inquiry concentrated on the objectives, coherence
and effectiveness of the Government's approach to promoting the
efficient end-use of energy, excluding the transport sector. We
look at the current situation; the potential for improvement;
the barriers to improvement; and the Government's efforts to addressing
those barriers. In addition, we comment on the Government's green
paper on renewables, and white paper on energy sources for power
generation.[10]
The Government's own target for improving the energy efficiency
of its own estate, and issues in the wider public sector, are
examined in our second annual report on The Greening Government
Initiative.[11]
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