To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice his Department gives to householders wishing to apply for a grant under stream 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; and if he will make a statement. (96845)

Should a householder wish to apply for a low carbon buildings grant, we continue to direct them towards the website, www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk or helpline number 0800 915 0990, for all information on the scheme and how to apply for a grant.

It is important to be aware that for a householder to be eligible to apply for a grant, they need to undertake a number of energy efficiency measures prior to submitting their application. This is in line with the scheme objective of encouraging both energy efficiency and microgeneration technologies in a range of buildings as part of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme phase 1 scheme criteria.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to ensure that household grant applications under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme continue to be accepted once the £3.5 million budget for year one of the programme is allocated. (96846)

Initial funding for household applications was £6.5 million over the next three years. The uptake of grants in year one has been far higher than anticipated, reflecting the keen interest in microgeneration from householders. Over half of the original three-year budget has been committed. To enable the programme to continue we are re-allocating £6.2 million from other streams of this programme to the householder stream. I anticipate this funding lasting until mid-2008; by this time some of our wider measures to promote microgeneration should be taking hold, facilitating the uptake of these technologies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date stream 1 of his Department’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme began accepting household grant applications; and on what date he expects the year one budget will be allocated. (96847)

We began accepting household grant applications for the Low Carbon Buildings Programme at the beginning of May 2006. To date, we have committed £3.8 million to 2,456 successful applicants. However, not all of these applications are likely to go forward to completion.

We will continue to monitor the amount that is being paid out and are in the process of reviewing the level of funding that is made available for the household stream going forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the likely demand for household grants under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme in years one and two of the programme; and if he will make a statement. (96848)

In year one of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme household stream, £3.8 million has been committed towards 2,456 projects to date, of which £300,000 has been drawn down.

The initial funding for household applications was £6.5 million over three years. To enable the programme to continue we are re-allocating £6.2 million from other streams of this programme to the householder stream. I anticipate this funding lasting until mid-2008; by this time some of our wider measures to promote microgeneration should be taking hold, facilitating the uptake of these technologies.