To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the increase in building stock over the next 10 years; and what plans he has to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from buildings by 2010. [67689]

The Government intend to develop a balanced and equitable strategy across all sectors to meet the UK's climate change targets. As a first step, on 26 October 1998, the Government published a consultation paper describing progress to date in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and setting out a variety of policy options for further action. The consultation paper refers to a number of options which could be taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions including improvements in emissions from buildings in the commercial, industrial and domestic sectors.