text_body: --- MOTION EFFECT ---
  
  <p>The Aye-voters passed a set of amendments to the <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmbills/011/2002011.htm"> Home Energy Conservation Bill</a> that had been recommended by <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmstand/c/cmhecon.htm"> Standing Committee C</a>.</p>
  
  <p>A number of other amendments had already passed without a division.</p>
  
  <p>The amendments mostly had to do with energy conservation authorities producing reports, which would be available to the public, and sticking to targets published in those reports.  There was also a change to allow the Secretary of State to make energy conservation regulations that applied to registered social landlords.</p>
  
  
  
  --- COMMENTS AND NOTES ---
  
  I beg to move amendment No. 11, in page 1, line 4, leave out from beginning to end of line 17 on page 2 and insertâ
  
  '(1) After section 2 of the principal Act there is insertedâ
  
  "2A Energy efficiency reports
  
  (1) Where a target applies for the time being to an energy conservation authority in England and Wales, the authority shall prepare a report in accordance with this section.
  
  (2) The report shall set out the energy conservation measures that the authority considers practicable, costâeffective and likely to result in the target being met.
  
  (3) An energy conservation authority in England and Wales shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, implement so as to meet the target any report which it has prepared in accordance with this section and published.
  
  (4) In this section a target means a requirement to achieve an improvement (which may be expressed as a percentage) in the energy efficiency of residential accommodation in the authority's area within a specified time.
  
  (5) A target applies to an authority at any time whenâ
  
  (a) the Secretary of State, after consulting the Local Government Association of England and Wales, has made a determination specifying the target and providing for it to apply to the authority or to authorities including the authority, and
  
  (b) the target has been published in any manner the Secretary of State considers appropriate.
  
  (6) The Secretary of State may by a further determination made after consultation with the association and so published vary any previous determination and any target shall have effect accordingly.
  
  (7) Subsections (3) to (7) of section 2 apply for the purposes of this section.
  
  (8) On the application to an authority of a target under this section, this Act so far as it relates to reports under section 2 ceases to apply in relation to the authority".
  
  (2) In sections 3 (functions of Secretary of State) and 5(1) (modification) of the principal Act, after each mention of "section 2" there is inserted "or 2A", andâ
  
  (a) at the end of section 4(2) there is inserted "for the purposes of reports under section 2",
  
  (b) after section 4(2) there is insertedâ
  
  "(2A) The Secretary of State may give energy conservation authorities in England and Wales such guidance as he considers appropriate in relation to the exercise of their functions under section 2A and (so far as relating to that section) section 3(2)(a).",
  
  (c) in section 5(2), for "subsections (2) to (6) of section 2" there is substituted "sections 2 and 2A".
  
  (3) In section 6 of the principal Act (supplementary), after subsection (2) there is insertedâ
  
  "(3) An energy conservation authority in England and Wales mustâ
  
  (a) at all reasonable times keep a copy of any report under section 2 or 2A, and of any report sent to the Secretary of State under section 3(2)(a), available for inspection by members of the public free of charge, and
  
  (b) provide reasonable facilities for members of the public to obtain copies of such reports on payment of a reasonable charge.
  
  (4) The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument require registered social landlords to provide each energy conservation authority in England and Wales within whose area they have residential accommodation with prescribed information, in the prescribed form, as to the levels of performance achieved by them in relation to the energy efficiency of the accommodation.
  
  (5) A registered social landlord who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a requirement imposed by regulations under subsection (4) is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
  
  Proceedings for an offence under this subsection may only be brought by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
  
  (5) In this section, "prescribed" means prescribed by regulations under subsection (4) and "registered social landlord" has the same meaning as in the Housing Act 1996; and a statutory instrument containing regulations under subsection (4) shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament".'.
  
  ----
  
  With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: Amendment (a) to the proposed amendment, in line 1, at beginning insertâ
  
  '(A1) The appropriate Minister shall in exercising any functions under this section or under the principal Act, and in considering whether or not to exercise those functions, have as a principal aim the achievement of an improvement in energy efficiency in residential accommodation of at least 30 per cent. by the end of 2010, taking 1st January 1996 as the base line date.'.
  
  Government amendments Nos. 12 and 8.
  
  
  <p><i>The House having divided:</i> Ayes 87, Noes 62.</p>
  