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Environmental Appraisals
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many published environmental appraisals have been notified to the Sustainable Development Unit since February 2001; and by which Departments. [27536]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 16 January 2002]: The Third Annual Report on Greening Government, published in November 2001, included a list of published environmental appraisals up to 31 March 2001. This can be found in Part 1 of the report at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk. We have been notified of the following published environmental appraisals in the period since:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 2 |
| Export Credit Guarantee Department | 1 |
| Inland Revenue | 1 |
The table may not, however, give the complete picture of the extent of environmental appraisal undertaken by Departments as it only covers published free-standing environmental appraisals.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she has taken, pursuant to the recommendation of the Environmental Audit Committee to ensure that departmental environmental appraisals assess the impact of competing options. [27543]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 16 January 2002]: This recommendation was included in the EAC's assessment of the First Annual Report of the Green Ministers Committee. In our Second Annual Report, all Departments made commitments to: maintain a record of the outcome of each screening they undertake; publish all free-standing environmental appraisals of policies unless there are overriding reasons for not doing so; and to produce their own guidance or training on screening of options by March 2001. The onus is on individual Departments to ensure they are operating these procedures properly, in particular getting their approach to the initial screening of policies for environmental impacts right.
The Third Annual Report on Greening Government, published in November 2001, reported that Departments, where applicable, had systems in place to maintain a
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record of environmental screenings and had produced guidance or training on the screening of options. Detailed information on the systems in place in each Department can be found in Part 2 of the report at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk.
Air Pollution
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in Buckinghamshire towards meeting the National Air Quality Strategy targets. [27788]
Mr. Meacher: National and local air quality modelling suggests that the objectives prescribed in the Air Quality Strategy will all be met across all of Buckinghamshire with the following two main exceptions:
- 1. There is a risk that the nitrogen dioxide annual objective may not be met alongside parts of the M40 motorway. Wycombe district council has declared an air quality management area between junctions 3 and 5 of the M40, and is carrying out further modelling and monitoring in this area which is due to be completed by 31 July 2002.
- 2. There is a risk that the national ozone objective may not be met across parts of Buckinghamshire. The Air Quality Strategy sets out the actions that are being taken at national and international level to tackle this issue, since, because of its transboundary nature with major contributions from outside the UK, ozone is a pollutant over which local authorities have little control.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many air pollution (a) passive diffusion tubes and (b) automatic monitoring sites were based in Buckinghamshire in each year since 1977. [27789]
Mr. Meacher: There are passive nitrogen dioxide diffusion tubes sites in the UK network in Aylesbury and Milton Keynes. Both towns have four sites each, which have been running since 1993. DEFRA has not funded any automatic monitoring sites based in Buckinghamshire at any time since 1977.
In addition to these, each of the three local authorities in Buckinghamshire operates its own network of air quality monitors. Details of these are not held centrally.
| Eaga Partnership | TXU Warm Front | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEES budget 2001–02(11) (£ million) | 139 | 54 | 193 |
| Percentage of budget already spent | 65 | 67 | — |
| Percentage likely to be spent by year end | 100 | 100 | — |
(11) The budget for 2001–02 includes the moneys not used in the previous financial year
The scheme managers have sufficient resources to meet demand in this financial year. The major difficulty that they continue to face is the national shortage of gas heating engineers. Both scheme managers continue to recruit installers and thereby improve the quality of service provided to householders.
Landfill Tax Credit Scheme
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the EU funding that would be lost if the landfill tax credit scheme were to be redefined as public instead of private money. [15946]
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Mr. Meacher: None. However, I understand that two studies are currently looking into this issue. One from Glasgow Caledonian University commissioned by ENTRUST, the LTCS regulator, and an Environmental Bodies Council (ebco) survey.
We have recently announced that we will be consulting later this year on possible changes to the existing scheme. We expect the issue of EU funding will be raised during this consultation.
Home Energy Efficiency
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what was the total budget for the warm front schemes in the (a) Eaga area and (b) eastern area during 2001–02; and (i) how much and (ii) what percentage of these budgets (1) has already been spent and (2) is projected to be spent by the end of the year given present trends; and what measures Eaga and eastern are expected to take to bring budgets back into line if they are depleted before the end of the year. [25354]
Mr. Meacher [holding answer 9 January 2002]: The home energy efficiency scheme (HEES), now marketed as the warm front team, is administered by two scheme managers, TXU Warm Front Ltd. (responsible for the eastern, east midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber) and Eaga Partnership Ltd. (responsible for the rest of England). The table provides the information requested.
David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the Government are helping to promote more energy efficient homes; and how many people in the Midlothian constituency have benefited from this. [27182]
Mr. Meacher: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for energy efficiency in England. In Scotland, and therefore for Midlothian this is a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
The Government are committed to energy efficiency for its significant environmental, business and social benefits and have announced a range of policies to promote energy efficiency and reduce emissions in the domestic sector, including:
- A new Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) for 2002–05 will place an obligation on gas and electricity suppliers to make energy efficiency improvements, through measures provided to domestic consumers.
The Energy Saving Trust promotes the sustainable and efficient use of energy in the domestic sector. The trust is also active in encouraging local authorities to develop and improve domestic energy efficiency.
New Building Regulations to come into effect from April 2002 will include improved standards of energy efficiency for new houses and those undergoing refurbishment.
The new home energy efficiency scheme (HEES) is designed to tackle fuel poverty among those most vulnerable to cold-related ill health. Access to the scheme is through receipt of a qualifying income or disability related benefit. By 2004, HEES is expected to have assisted some 800,000 householders.
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Mr. Meacher: As fuel poverty is a devolved matter, it is the responsibility of the respective Parliament and Assemblies to comment on the situation in their countries.
The information is set out in respect of England:
| Households | Number |
|---|---|
| With no insulation(12) | 2,600,000 |
| Without full insulation(13) | 18,100,000 |
| With no draught-proofing(14) | 4,400,000 |
| Without full draught-proofing(15) | 7,290,000 |
| Total | 20,800,000 |
(12) No insulation is taken to mean the following: no loft insulation (where there is a loft); no cavity insulation (if there is a cavity wall); no double glazing.
(13) Full insulation is taken to mean the following: at least four inches of loft insulation (where there is a loft); cavity walls insulated (where there are cavity walls); at least 80 per cent. of windows double glazed.
(14) Double glazing is taken to include draught proofing.
(15) Full draught-proofing is taken to mean 80 per cent. or more of rooms draught-proofed.
The Government's main programme for private sector households in England is the home energy efficiency scheme (HEES), marketed as the warm front team, which is designed to tackle fuel poverty among those most vulnerable to cold related ill health—older householders, families with children and the disabled or those with long term illness. The scheme provides grants for a package of insulation and heating improvements. Separate programmes are in place to bring social sector housing up to a decent standard.
The Government have recently set a target of 62 fuel-standardised terawatt hours for improvements in energy efficiency to be achieved by electricity and gas suppliers under the Energy Efficiency Commitment for 2002 to 2005 (EEC). Suppliers' EEC programmes are expected to include significant numbers of insulation measures.
The Government also provide funding to the Energy Saving Trust to run a wide ranging programme of work to promote energy efficiency in homes. This includes promotion of cavity wall insulation and draught-proofing via advertising, advice centres and a database of available grants.
Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is the average installation cost of an Eaga central heating system in the (a) north-west and (b) UK. [22898]
Mr. Meacher: The two scheme managers, Eaga and TXU Warm Front Ltd., are responsible for recruiting heating contractors through an open tender in accordance with the UK Public Procurement Regulations. At present they are in the process of re-tendering contracts for the next two years. Therefore it is not possible to publish the current average installation prices without seriously distorting this tender process.
However the average cost of providing a central heating system together with appropriate insulation is some £2,000.
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As fuel poverty is a devolved matter, it is the responsibility of the respective Parliament and Assemblies to comment on the situation in Scotland and Wales.
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