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 (327KB 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 (327KB PDF)
The Nature’s Rights Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party). The bill would recognise nature as a legal subject, granting it specific rights for protection and restoration. The bill would set out a legal framework for how this would operate, including an integrated rights framework and mechanisms for how nature’s rights would be implemented and enforced.
![Nature’s Rights Bill [HL]: HL Bill 7 of 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Environment-568x426.png)
Rural areas contribute a significant proportion of England’s economic output. The government has announced several policies intended to support growth in the rural economy, including farming. However, it has faced criticism for the delay in outlining its overall strategy for the agricultural sector. This briefing provides data on the rural economy and summarises government policy and stakeholder reaction
In December 2025, the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee published its report ‘The Building Safety Regulator: Building a better regulator’. The committee found that delays caused by the regulator’s approval processes had delayed or disincentivised refurbishments, safety upgrades and the remediation of dangerous cladding in high-rise buildings. It made recommendations aimed at these addressing the issues. The government accepted the intent of the recommendations and set out information on how it would take them forward.
