To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) how many households in each (a) region and (b) local authority do not have access to mains gas; and if he will make a statement; (181069)

As part of its regional and local energy statistics publication programme, BERR has published the number of domestic gas meter points in each local authority in Great Britain. A document listing the estimates comparing the number of domestic meter points with the estimates of the number of households in each region and local authority for 2004 (the latest year for which both sets of data are complete) has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Corresponding data are not available for Northern Ireland.

The Government do not hold information about the proximity of homes to gas mains.