Thank you for contacting me about shale gas and reducing energy usage.
I fully understand and appreciate people’s concerns about fracking, but let me reassure you that the Government is creating a regulatory regime that provides clear, strong protections for the environment. With these in place, I think it is right that we explore and make use of shale gas and oil. That said I appreciate your views about reducing energy demand, and I know the Government shares this goal.
All households should be able to invest in energy efficiency improvements so I am pleased that a range of programmes support different houses and locations. Chiefly all homes are eligible for insulation measures, including solid wall insulation, through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.
I can assure you that the Government is committed to encouraging sustainable travel, such as walking and cycling. In our election manifesto, we set out the aspiration to build on the Coalition Government’s good work by doubling the number of bicycle journeys and investing over £200 million to make cycling safer.
By 2050 almost every car and van should be an ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV), so the Government is providing over £900 million to position the UK at the global forefront of this new industry. I welcome the news that 9,046 ULEVs were registered in the first quarter of 2015, a rise of 366 per cent on that period in 2014.
The Government's flagship Energy Act is focused on decarbonising the UK’s energy sector. Everything in the Act works towards achieving this goal at the lowest possible cost to the consumer. It puts Britain firmly on track to meet the 2050 target to reduce emissions of all greenhouse gases by 80 per cent.
