asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what rate of return on investment he seeks to achieve for energy conservation measures within buildings under his control.

Capital allocations specifically for investment in energy conservation were made available to health authorities in 1978–79, 1979–80 and 1980–81 on the understanding that they would be invested in measures with a payback period of not more than three years and that savings which accrued should be re-invested in further measures to maintain a constant level of investment. Payback periods may be expected to lengthen as a result of successive successful measures.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money has been allocated within the National Health Service for structural energy conservation investment over each of the last five years.

We expect health authorities, when planning their capital programmes, to have regard to worthwhile schemes of energy conservation. In order to stimulate economy in the use of energy in the NHS, Capital allocations specifically for investment in energy conservation were notified to health authorities in England in December 1977 as follows: