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[AS AMENDED ON CONSIDERATION] |
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make provision about the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases, the |
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alleviation of fuel poverty, the promotion of microgeneration and the use of |
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heat produced from renewable sources, compliance with building regulations |
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relating to emissions of greenhouse gases and the use of fuel and power, the |
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renewables obligation relating to the generation and supply of electricity and |
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the adjustment of transmission charges for electricity; and for connected |
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Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and |
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consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present |
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Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:— |
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(1) | The principal purpose of this Act is to enhance the United Kingdom’s |
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contribution to combating climate change. |
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(2) | In performing functions under this Act, the relevant persons and bodies shall |
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(a) | the principal purpose set out in subsection (1), |
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(b) | the desirability of alleviating fuel poverty, and |
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(c) | the desirability of securing a diverse and viable long-term energy |
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(3) | In this section “the relevant persons and bodies” means— |
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(a) | the Secretary of State; |
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(b) | any public authority. |
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Reports on greenhouse gas emissions |
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2 | Annual report on greenhouse gas emissions |
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It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State in the course of each calendar year |
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to lay before Parliament a report on— |
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(a) | steps taken by government departments during the previous calendar |
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year to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and |
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(b) | the level of emissions of greenhouse gases in the United Kingdom |
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during the previous calendar year, including any increase or decrease |
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in that level recorded during that year. |
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3 | Local authorities to have regard to information on energy measures in |
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(1) | The Secretary of State— |
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(a) | must, not later than 12 months after this section comes into force, |
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publish an energy measures report, and |
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(b) | may from time to time publish revised energy measures reports. |
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(2) | Every local authority must, in exercising any of their functions, have regard to |
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the most recently published energy measures report (if any). |
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(3) | In this section, “energy measures report” means a document containing |
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information on local authority measures which would or might in the opinion |
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of the Secretary of State have any of the following effects— |
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(a) | improving efficiency in the use of electricity, heat, gas, fuel and other |
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descriptions or sources of energy; |
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(b) | increasing the amount of electricity generated, or heat produced, by |
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microgeneration or otherwise by plant which relies wholly or mainly |
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on low-emissions sources or technologies; |
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(c) | reducing emissions of greenhouse gases; |
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(d) | reducing the number of households in which one or more persons are |
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“local authority measure” means any way in which a local authority can |
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exercise any of their functions, including— |
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(a) | taking any particular step in the exercise of a function, or |
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(b) | not exercising a particular power; |
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“low-emissions source or technology” means a source of energy or a |
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technology mentioned in subsection (2) of section 26. |
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(5) | Before publishing an energy measures report (or a revised energy measures |
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report), the Secretary of State must consult the National Assembly for Wales |
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(a) | such representatives of local government, and |
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(b) | such other persons (if any), |
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| as he considers appropriate. |
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(6) | In this section, “local authority” means any of the following— |
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(b) | a county borough council; |
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(d) | a London borough council; |
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(e) | the Common Council of the City of London in their capacity as a local |
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(f) | the Council of the Isles of Scilly; |
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4 | National targets for microgeneration |
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(1) | The Secretary of State must, during the period beginning with 1st November |
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2008 and ending with 31st March 2009— |
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(a) | designate one or more national microgeneration targets, and |
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(b) | publish a statement of that fact together with a copy of the target or |
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(2) | But subsection (1) does not apply unless on 1st November 2008 the Secretary of |
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State considers that it would be appropriate to designate one or more targets |
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(3) | For the purposes of this section, a national microgeneration target is a target in |
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(a) | the number of microgeneration systems installed in England and |
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(b) | the number of electricity microgenerating systems installed in |
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| as at a date specified in the target (“the target date”). |
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(4) | The matters to which the Secretary of State must have regard in determining |
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whether subsection (1) applies include, in particular— |
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(a) | the number of microgeneration systems installed in England and |
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(b) | the number of electricity microgenerating systems installed in |
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(c) | the strategy published under section 82 of the Energy Act 2004 (c. 20) |
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(d) | the results of any research carried out into the effect that designating a |
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target under subsection (1) could be expected to have on the number of |
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microgeneration systems that are installed in England and Wales, and |
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the number of electricity microgenerating systems that are installed in |
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Scotland, by the target date. |
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(5) | If a target is designated under subsection (1), the Secretary of State must take |
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reasonable steps to secure that the target is met. |
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(6) | If the Secretary of State does not designate a target under subsection (1) he shall |
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publish forthwith a statement of his reasons. |
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(7) | At any time before the target date, the Secretary of State may review a target |
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and, if he considers it appropriate to do so, revise the target. |
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(8) | If under subsection (7) the Secretary of State revises a target— |
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(a) | he must publish a statement of that fact together with a copy of the |
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(b) | the revised target is treated for the purposes of subsection (5) and |
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section 5 as a target designated under subsection (1) (in place of the |
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target which has been revised). |
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“electricity microgenerating system” means a microgeneration system for |
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“microgeneration system” means any plant or system of plant for |
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generating electricity or producing heat— |
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(a) | which, in generating electricity or (as the case may be) |
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producing heat, relies wholly or mainly on a source of energy or |
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a technology mentioned in subsection (7) of section 82 of the |
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Energy Act 2004 (c. 20), and |
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(b) | whose capacity to generate electricity or (as the case may be) to |
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produce heat does not exceed the capacity mentioned in |
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subsection (8) of that section; |
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“plant” includes any equipment, apparatus or appliance. |
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5 | National microgeneration targets: modification of section 1 of the Sustainable |
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(1) | This section applies if a target is designated under section 4. |
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(2) | Section 1 of the Sustainable Energy Act 2003 (c. 30) (annual reports on progress |
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towards sustainable energy aims) applies in relation to every relevant |
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sustainable energy report as if after subsection (1B) there were inserted— |
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“(1BA) | The report must also include such information as the Secretary of State |
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considers appropriate about things done during the reporting period |
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for the purpose of meeting any target designated under section 4 of the |
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Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 (national targets for |
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| and as if, in subsection (1C), for “subsection (1A)” there were substituted |
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“subsections (1A) and (1BA)”. |
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(3) | For the purposes of this section— |
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(a) | a sustainable energy report is a relevant sustainable energy report in |
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relation to a target designated under subsection (1) of section 4 if the |
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reporting period to which the report relates includes the period, or any |
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part of the period, to which the target relates, |
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(b) | a target designated under subsection (1) of that section relates to the |
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period beginning when it is designated and ending with the target date |
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(within the meaning of that section), |
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(c) | “reporting period”, in relation to a sustainable energy report, has the |
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meaning given by section 1 of the Sustainable Energy Act 2003, and |
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(d) | “sustainable energy report” means a sustainable energy report which is |
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required to be published under that section. |
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