Levelling Up National Retrofit Strategy for Homes 2021-12-07
2021-12-07
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The question arises from the need for a national retrofit strategy to support the Government's levelling-up agenda. It addresses fiscal assessments of such strategies and their potential merits.
What fiscal assessment has been made of the potential merits of a national retrofit strategy for homes as part of the Government's levelling-up agenda?
The Government's heat and building strategy includes £3.9 billion of funding to decarbonise buildings over three years, with £1.8 billion support for low income households. The constituency of the questioner was allocated £5.2 million for retrofitting low-income homes.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
The question arises from the necessity to establish accreditations customers can trust and ensure workers are willing to reskill into retrofitting homes. The local institutions in Stroud are uniquely positioned for such programmes.
A retrofit strategy also requires established accreditations that customers can trust and training that workers will want to re-skill into. SGS College, the Active Building Centre and others in my patch across Stroud are uniquely placed to create those programmes and certifications for the whole country so that we can implement the Government's ambitions. Will my hon. Friend be working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Education to ensure that funding is available for this crucial work?
£6.4 million was provided this year to help 18 training providers train around 8,000 people, and £2.5 billion is allocated to the national skills fund including employer-led boot camps for net zero transition workforce development.
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Assessment & feedback
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Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The question arises from the historical failures of past green initiatives such as the Green New Deal a decade ago and more recently, the Green Homes Grant Scheme. These failed to retrofit homes effectively.
A decade ago we saw the failure of the green new deal, and only recently we have seen the complete and woeful failure of the green homes grant scheme. These were supposed to retrofit homes, create jobs and boost the economy. Will the Treasury work with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to get a grip on this, so that they invest taxpayers' money in achieving net zero and creating jobs rather than throwing good money after bad?
£1.75 billion was invested in the Green Homes Grant and its associated scheme, improving more than 100,000 homes. A replacement home upgrade grant received £950 million to support low-income households.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer does not directly address the need for better investment strategies or preventing future failures.
Response accuracy