To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of households in the north-west were classified as living in fuel poverty in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. (172063)

Regional estimates of fuel poverty are available only for 2003 and are taken from the Fuel Poverty Indicator dataset—available online at

http://www.fuelpovertyindicator.org.uk/

In the north-west of England, there were approximately 2.8 million homes, of which an estimated 190,000 were fuel poor, giving a percentage of 6.7 per cent.