This House of Lords Library Briefing provides background information on the Domestic Premises (Energy Performance) Bill [HL], ahead of its second reading in the House of Lords on 7 February 2020.
Domestic Premises (Energy Performance) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (327 KB , PDF)
The Domestic Premises (Energy Performance) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced in the House of Lords on 8 January 2020 by Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat).
The bill would put an existing fuel poverty target into primary legislation. Currently, the Fuel Poverty (England) Regulations 2014 require the Government to improve the energy efficiency of homes for people living in fuel poverty. The properties in which they live must have a minimum energy performance certificate (EPC) band C rating by the end of 2030. This date could be changed through secondary legislation. The bill would require in primary legislation the secretary of state publish and implement a strategy to deliver on this specific 2030 target.
The bill would also make it a legal requirement for the Government to meet a further target: that as many homes as possible are improved to EPC band C by 2035. This target is not currently set out in legislation.
Other provisions include: enabling the secretary of state to require mortgage lenders to provide information on the energy performance of properties in their portfolio; and new requirements concerning the energy efficiency of new heating systems installed in existing properties.
Lord Foster has argued this bill would better enable the Government to meet both its existing fuel poverty target and its target for reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
In July 2019, the Conservative Government launched a consultation on proposals for updating its current fuel poverty strategy. The consultation ended on 16 September 2019. The Government has yet to publish its response to this consultation.
Domestic Premises (Energy Performance) Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (327 KB , PDF)
Highlighting the human and economic costs of accidents, and rising rates of accidental deaths in the UK, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has called for the government to create a national accident prevention strategy. RoSPA argues that currently, responsibility for accident prevention is too fragmented. The government has not yet commented on this proposal.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill would make changes to the system for approving major infrastructure projects, planning committees and nature recovery. It would also make changes to electricity and transport infrastructure processes, development corporations, spatial development strategies, and compulsory purchase. The government intends the bill to help grow the economy by enabling important infrastructure and homes to be built more quickly. Some parts of the bill, particularly those related to nature recovery, have attracted criticism from opposition parties and external bodies.
Wildfires can harm people and ecosystems and damage property and the environment. Almost all wildfires in the UK are the result of accidental or deliberate acts by humans. Their frequency and severity have been increasing in recent years, with the area burned so far in 2025 already setting records. The National Fire Chiefs Council has called for more resourcing, consistency and coordination to mitigate the effects of future wildfires.
