Earthships

Mr. Steen
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of possible energy savings from (a) the construction and (b) use of buildings known as earthships; and what estimate he has made of the number of such constructions in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson
[holding answer 3 July 2006]: My Department has made no assessment on possible energy savings from earthships, either in the construction, or the use of the buildings. We are not aware of any estimates made on the number constructed in the UK.