To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will transfer responsibility for energy performance certificates from Communities and Local Government to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

My Lords, the Government have no plans to transfer responsibility for energy performance certificates from Communities and Local Government to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

My Lords, is this not a case of non-joined-up government? Now that the Department of Energy and Climate Change is a year old, should not one of the major tools for finding out about emissions from the building sector be transferred to it? Is the Minister confident that DCLG is doing a good job with EPCs, given how few buildings that should have them by law have them?

My Lords, I believe that the responsibility is with the appropriate department. Although DECC has overall policy responsibility in respect of climate change, CLG has broad responsibility for the built environment, including the planning system, building regulations and housing, so the responsibility is appropriately sited. We realise that there are challenges on quality and performance and those are being addressed.

My Lords, when energy performance certificates were introduced in Northern Ireland, they were not attached to the costly and bureaucratic home information packs. Will the Minister explain why the same policy approach was not taken in England and Wales?

My Lords, home information packs are bedding down well and have proved to be a useful instrument to help purchasers. I think that the right decision was made.

My Lords, how many buildings in the commercial and domestic sectors do not have EPCs?

My Lords, EPCs are needed for buildings that are constructed, sold or rented out. There are something like 4 million domestic EPCs and 141,000 non-domestic EPCs on the register. I cannot specifically answer the question how many there should be, but there are high levels of compliance, certainly in the domestic sector.

Will the Minister comment further on his remark that the home information packs are bedding down well? Has he not read in the press comments by estate agents saying that the packs have not been any help whatever, which I believe is the general public view?

My Lords, more than 2 million HIPs have been prepared, providing important information up front to help to inform buyers’ decisions. As a result, more than 2 million home owners now have an energy assessment and recommendations in their EPC that can help them to cut up to £300 off their fuel bills. Despite a difficult housing market, HIPs are helping to reduce transaction times. An estate agency survey, which looked at 37,000 transactions, showed that, on average, sales with HIPs go through seven days quicker.

My Lords, is the Minister confident that the air conditioning and heating systems in government buildings are properly managed?

My Lords, I could not guarantee that every single government building is managed as it ought to be. Obviously, a good deal of attention is paid to this. It is important to seek to ensure that costs are contained, particularly in relation to energy. Certainly, so far as EPCs are concerned, I believe that there is a high level of compliance in public buildings.

My Lords, the Minister is confident that these certificates are now sited in the right department, but is that confidence shared by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, particularly given how the energy directive gave rise to the certificates in the first place?

My Lords, we are a joined-up Government and the view that I have expressed is the Government’s view.

My Lords, on the home information pack figures that the Minister gave us, how many people have had to go back and get new information packs because there is a very short timescale for their viability?

My Lords, I do not have that information to hand, but I can say that we intend to evaluate the effectiveness of HIPs by updating the 2007 HIP Baseline Research report. The new report should be available later this year.

Can the Minister guarantee that all government buildings, which by law should have an EPC, have an EPC?

My Lords, I asked that question in preparation for this exchange and I have not got an absolute assurance. One would expect there to be full compliance on the part of government.

If the noble Lord cannot answer the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Redesdale, how can he answer mine?

My Lords, I confess that I have forgotten the noble Earl’s question.

My Lords, I asked whether the heating and ventilation systems of government buildings were properly maintained. The noble Lord was able to answer my question, but he could not answer the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Redesdale.

With respect, the noble Lord was looking for some sort of absolute assurance that every single building was treated as it should be. I would answer that I hope that that is the case, particularly in relation to ventilation systems, as they are important energy emitters and they need to be properly maintained and surveyed. However, I do not think that anybody could sensibly give an absolute guarantee in those terms.