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Renewables Obligation Certificates Scheme
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the operation of the Renewables Obligation Certificates scheme. [162954]
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Mr. Timms: The Renewables Obligation (RO) will only have been in operation for two years at the end of March 2004. However, in this short period of time it has proved successful in bringing forward new renewables generation and in encouraging investment. More new capacity was installed over this period than in the previous decade, and we remain confident that this support mechanism will help us meet our 2010 renewable energy target.
An initial assessment of the RO came in the form of a technical review shortly after the first year of operation. This was to ensure that the RO was working as first intended and proposed changes to benefit biomass and small generators. Changes to the Obligation resulting from this review and from the 'Late-payments' consultation are currently before Parliament. In February of this year Ofgem also released their review of the RO's first year of operation.
All of this leads into the major review of the RO, which is scheduled for 2005–06.
Taxis
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to publish the Government's response to the Office of Fair Trading Report on the regulation of the taxi trade. [162973]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Mr right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry issued a written statement to Parliament announcing the Government's response to the report on Thursday 18 March 2004.
Tidal Power
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the potential for generating electricity using the tidal power of the Severn estuary; and if she will make a statement. [163114]
Mr. Timms: Between 1978 and 1994 the Government supported a number of studies under its Tidal Energy Research and Development Programme. Those studies included an assessment of the feasibility and financial viability of a Severn barrage scheme.
The Government's Energy White Paper published in February 2003 looked at potential renewable sources of energy, including large scale barrage. It concluded that this type of scheme is very expensive and that any plans for a Severn Barrage would raise strong environmental concerns and as such it would not be fruitful to pursue at this stage.
Wind Farms
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans there are to develop wind farms in (a) Lancashire and (b) the North West. [161799]
Mr. Timms: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is only asked to give permission routinely when proposed wind farms have a capacity above 50 MWh. She is currently considering one application for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to construct a 65 MW windfarm at
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Scout Moor, nr Rochdale. She is also considering one application for a 67.5 MW windfarm at Whinash, Tebay, Cumbria.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Carer's Allowance
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each London borough were receiving carer's allowance in each of the last six years. [157281]
Maria Eagle: The numbers of Carers Allowance recipients from September 2001 to August 2003, the latest available figures, are set out in the tables below. Figures prior to September 2001 are not available.
| Total | |
|---|---|
| Great Britain | 414,240 |
| London GOR | 41,695 |
| Inner London—West | 4,560 |
| Camden | 1,125 |
| City of London | 15 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 740 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 515 |
| Wandsworth | 1,175 |
| Westminster | 995 |
| Inner London—East | 12,745 |
| Hackney | 1,560 |
| Haringey | 1,300 |
| Islington | 1,225 |
| Lambeth | 1,160 |
| Lewisham | 1,440 |
| Newham | 2,365 |
| Southwark | 1,535 |
| Tower Hamlets | 2,160 |
| Outer London—East and North East | 10,570 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 1,550 |
| Bexley | 1,205 |
| Enfield | 1,555 |
| Greenwich | 1,660 |
| Havering | 1,400 |
| Redbrldge | 1,555 |
| Waltham Forest | 1,645 |
| Outer London—South | 4,920 |
| Bromley | 1,300 |
| Croydon | 1,640 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 430 |
| Merton | 725 |
| Sutton | 825 |
| Outer London—West and North West | 8,905 |
| Barnet | 1,695 |
| Brent | 1,490 |
| Ealing | 1,640 |
| Harrow | 1,140 |
| Hillingdon | 1,275 |
| Hounslow | 1,195 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 470 |
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Source:
IAD Information Centre.
Note:
Figures taken from a 100 per cent. sample at 31 August 2003
Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.
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Child Support Agency
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many (a) Child Support Agency sites, and (b) Child Support Agency staff at each, are dealing specifically with clerical cases caused by the new system failures; [160357]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) trained staff and (b) other resources to the Child Support Agency to handle the increase in manual clerical cases due to the failures of the new system. [160358]
Mr. Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 23 March 2004:
- In reply to your recent Parliamentary questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
- You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency sites, and how many Child Support Agency staff at each are dealing specifically with clerical cases caused by the new system failures; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) trained staff and (b) other resources to the Child Support Agency to handle the increase in manual clerical cases due to the failures of the new system.
- I have looked carefully at the number of staff needed to handle cases clerically. Currently 105 staff on two sites at Newcastle and Cumnock are engaged in this work. I keep this under continuous review and will adjust the figure as necessary.
Council Tax Benefit
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible for but not claiming council tax benefit in (a) Scotland, (b) the Highlands and Islands, (c) Orkney and (d) Shetland. [163309]
Mr. Pond: Information requested is not available. National estimates of take-up of council tax benefit are presented in the DWP report series 'Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up'. Latest estimates relate to financial year 2001–02 and copies of the published report are held in the Library.
Estimates of council tax benefit take-up cover private households in Great Britain; sub-national estimates cannot be reliably produced.
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