Liberals have a few questions about the role of chimney sweeps.
(Photo: dpa/picture alliance)
Berlin The FDP is fueling the dispute over the controversial heating law with a catalog of questions. The more than 100 questions are addressed to the federal ministries of Robert Habeck (Greens, Economics) and Klara Geywitz (SPD, Construction).
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai announced last week that his parliamentary group would ask the Economics Minister: “The FDP parliamentary group still has around 100 questions for Robert Habeck. As long as these are not answered, deliberations on the law cannot even begin.”
The Handelsblatt has a questionnaire from the Liberals with a total of 101 questions. In the meantime, further questions should have been added, as the FDP MP Frank Schäffler announced on Twitter. So far, Habeck’s ministry has received neither the catalog with 101 questions nor an extended catalog with 113 questions, a ministry spokeswoman said on request.
Instead, the Federal Ministry of Economics received 77 questions from the FDP reporters on Thursday morning, which largely correspond to the other questions. “These questions will be processed and of course answered,” said the spokeswoman for the Handelsblatt. “Because questions lead to inquiries, the minister will promptly invite the representatives of the three factions to a meeting.”
According to the plans of the federal government, from 2024 every newly installed heating system should be operated with at least 65 percent renewable energy. In practice, this would sooner or later result in replacing oil and gas heating systems. However, there are numerous exceptions.
Friedrich Merz: “The FDP plays the role of the opposition in the government”
The leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed on March 28 that the corresponding new building energy law should be passed in the Bundestag by the summer break. However, the FDP is now demanding a complete revision of the plans for the gradual replacement of the heating system, which is why there was no first reading this week. It would have been the prelude to the work of the Bundestag committees, which were to adjust the plans in several respects. Economics Minister Habeck accused the Liberals of “breach of word”.
In a current hour in the Bundestag on the heating law, Merz said: “The FDP plays the role of the opposition in the government.”
(Photo: Bloomberg)
The actions of the FDP also provided Union faction leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) with a welcome reason to cast doubt on the ability of the traffic light to govern. In a current hour in the Bundestag on the heating law requested by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for Wednesday afternoon, Merz said: “The FDP plays the role of the opposition in the government.” The many questions with which the liberals in opposition style now answer Habeck fit in with this claim.
The FDP wants to know, for example, which rare earth metals and what quantities of them would be installed in an average modern heat pump. Or: “What gas and electricity prices does the BMWK expect to see in the next 20 years? Please break it down by year slices.”
>> Read also: Original document for download – These are the 101 FDP questions on the heating law to Economics Minister Habeck
The liberals also have a few questions about the role of chimney sweeps. They want to know, for example, whether the chimney sweep determines when a heating system is considered irreparably broken, i.e. when there is an accident – or whether this is decided by craftsmen or the authorities.
FDP insists on improvements
In addition, the FDP asks: “If – as announced by the Federal Association of Chimney Sweep Crafts – the chimney sweeps do not check the age limit (80 years): who should then check the age limit?” She would also like information about the extent to which chimney sweeps can be responsible and authorized enforce administrative law.
The FDP is wondering who should check the age limit of 80 years for heating systems.
(Photo: dpa)
The deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Lukas Köhler sees nothing problematic in the list of questions. Rather, he said that the constant exchange was a normal process: “Our reporters have already asked the responsible ministry numerous questions about the heating law and will promptly ask further technical questions. In addition, we in the coalition are in discussion on the subject and, as a parliament, we will continue to develop the heating law into a good law with careful factual work.”
According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, all three traffic light factions have already participated equally in a catalog of 102 questions as part of the rapporteur talks. These questions were all “answered some time ago” by the ministry, as were inquiries about the answers.
FDP faction leader Christian Dürr insisted once again on his party’s demand for improvements. On Deutschlandfunk, when asked whether the heating law could be passed in the Bundestag by the summer, he said that the orientation towards schedules was not an end in itself, it had to be about the content.
>> Read here: All current questions about the energy crisis in the news blog
It must be ensured that the law can be implemented in practice and that openness to technology is sufficiently secured. In addition, the citizens concerned should be relieved of their worries, for example about excessive costs. This requires substantial changes. Dürr emphasized that he still assumes that the coalition will be able to do this “reasonably promptly”.
More: Ban on oil and gas heating – What property owners need to know now