NEWS RELEASE For immediate release – 22.09.05

Mark Lazarowicz MP has today published details of his Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill. Mark, the Labour MP for Edinburgh North & Leith, won one of the top places in the ballot for Private Members’ Bills earlier this year. His Bill is therefore guaranteed a full debate in the House of Commons, and stands a good chance of becoming law.

Marks’ Bill is designed to help the UK keep to its climate change commitments and includes a number of proposals promote renewable energy and to alleviate fuel poverty.

A full copy of the draft Bill is attached, and Mark is now inviting comments from interested organisations and individuals on its proposals:

The main measures in the Bill are the following:

1. A requirement on the Prime Minister to report yearly to Parliament on the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, and on the steps the government has taken to reduce these emissions. The Bill also includes measures to promote renewable energy sources, including microgeneration and renewable heat.

2. A requirement for the government to produce a fiscal and economic strategy to assist with microgeneration and energy efficiency in order to combat climate change and to alleviate fuel poverty.

3. The setting of targets at both Britain-wide and local level to encourage the take-up of microgeneration – the production of energy by domestic and small business energy consumers. This can be done by means such as small scale domestic wind turbines, solar power, heat exchange, and “micro” combined heat and power.

4. The encouragement of microgeneration by making it easier for domestic energy producers to “sell” any surplus electricity to the major electricity suppliers, and to obtain “green energy certificates”.

5. Making it possible to introduce a Renewable Heat Obligation, similar to the existing Renewables Obligation, to encourage the use of renewable heat sources.

6. Making it easier to encourage the setting up of “community energy schemes”, where local communities or groups of households can get together to establish a renewable energy scheme for themselves.

Mark said: “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. We need action now to ensure we meet this challenge and my Bill is designed to ensure the UK plays its role in tackling climate change. If passed, my Bill would focus on the extent to which the UK is meeting its targets to control the emission of greenhouse gases. It would give a big boost to the use of microgeneration, which has the potential to make a substantial contribution to the Britain’s future energy needs. It would make it much easier for individual consumers and local communities to make use of renewable energy themselves – allowing them to make their own contribution to tackling climate change while saving themselves money by saving energy at the same time.”

Mark has already received significant support for the Bill. It is backed by the Sustainable Energy Partnership, which includes organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Help the Aged, and a wide range of business organisations, and trade unions. The Bill has received considerable cross-party support with former Labour Cabinet member Andrew Smith MP and Conservative MP, and Chair of the Environmental Audit Select Committee, Peter Ainsworth amongst those lending their backing to the Bill. Mark is a Labour and Co-operative MP, and his Bill is also supported by the Co-operative Party.

A Parliamentary Motion in support of Mark’s Bill, and Alan Whitehead’s Management of Energy in Buildings Bill, has also received considerable cross-party support with 184 MPs backing the motion (EDM 391).

The entire Bill, if passed, would apply to Scotland, England & Wales, and sections would also apply to Northern Ireland.

Further information about the Bill and background information about the Bill can be obtained from Mark’s web-site at: www.marklazarowicz.org.uk

For further comment, or more information, contact Mark Lazarowicz on 020 7219 8199 Westminster office).

e-mail lazarowiczm@parliament.uk
Website: www.marklazarowicz.org.uk

For comment from the Sustainable Energy Partnership, contact Ron Bailey on 07951 761229 or at ronbailey@btinternet.com

For comment from Friends of the Earth, contact Katie Elliott on 020 7566 1728.