House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 17 Oct 2005 (pt 37)

17 Oct 2005 : Column 789W—continued

Protection of Vulnerable People

Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) referrals, (b) provisional listings and (c) confirmed listings have been made to the (i)Protection of Children Act and (ii) Protection of Vulnerable Adults list since it was established. [15504]

17 Oct 2005 : Column 790W

Mr. Byrne: The figures for referrals, provisional listings and confirmed listings made to the protection of vulnerable adults (POVA) since they were established are shown in the table. Responsibility for referrals to the Protection of Children Act list rests with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills.

POVA

Number of referrals 2,520

Provisional listings 710

Of which:

Primary⁽³⁵⁾ 642

Secondary⁽³⁶⁾ 68

Confirmed listings 197

Of which:

Primary⁽³⁵⁾ 97

Secondary⁽³⁶⁾ 100

⁽³⁵⁾Primary listings are those made direct to the POVA list.
⁽³⁶⁾Secondary listings are cross-referrals from the Protection of Children Act list to the POVA list.
Note:
As at 31 August 2005
818 cases have been closed either because the referral was inappropriate, or because they did not meet the criteria for listing.
795 cases are being actively considered for listing.

17 Oct 2005 : Column 791W

	POVA
Number of referrals	2,520

Provisional listings	710
Of which:
Primary⁽³⁵⁾	642
Secondary⁽³⁶⁾	68

Confirmed listings	197
Of which:
Primary⁽³⁵⁾	97
Secondary⁽³⁶⁾	100

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Carbon Emissions

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the effect on UK carbon emissions of the switch in electricity generation from gas to coal during the winter of 2004–05. [16302]

Malcolm Wicks: Total coal generation during the three coldest months of 2004–05 increased by around 1.2TWh compared with the same period a year earlier. Generation from gas fell by a similar amount. A switch of generation of this size would be equivalent to an increase in CO ₂ emissions of 0.2MtC, or approximately 0.1 per cent. of current annual UK emissions.

Clean Coal Technology

Mr. Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research has been commissioned by his Department into clean coal technology and carbon sequestration since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [16535]

Malcolm Wicks: A considerable amount of research has been commissioned by the Department since 1997 on clean coal technology and carbon sequestration. The results of this work, with copies of the studies undertaken, can be found at the Cleaner Fossil Fuel Technology's website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/index.shtml. The culmination of this research has resulted in the publication of the Carbon Abatement Technology Strategy for Fossil Fuel Use which was published on 14 June 2005. Copies of this are available in the Libraries of the House as well as on the website above. At the time of the strategy's publication I also announced some £25 million in capital grants for a demonstration of carbon abatement technologies. We expect to identify suitable demonstration projects early in 2006.

Copyright

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent developments there have been in his policy on the extension of the term of copyright protection granted in the EU to the creators of sound recordings; and if he will make a statement. [16981]

Alan Johnson: The issue of term of protection for sound recordings is complex and is harmonized at EU level, so any changes would need to be agreed at that level. With this in mind, the Government have agreed to commission a study into the optimal term of protection for sound recordings and performers' rights. We are in the final stages of agreeing terms of reference and appointing an appropriate person to lead the study and hope it will be under way shortly. Once we have the results of the study we will be in a position to make decisions on the correct policy for the UK.

17 Oct 2005 : Column 792W

Dynamic Teleswitch Meters

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many dynamically teleswitched meters there are in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales. [15187]

Malcolm Wicks: There are 228,000 Dynamically Switched Meters (DSMs) in Scotland. No data is available for England and Wales.

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to ensure consumers with dynamically teleswitched meters are able to choose their electricity supplier; and if he will make a statement. [15188]

Malcolm Wicks: The regulation of electricity metering is the responsibility of the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem). I understand that the Chief Executive of OFGEM will write directly to my hon. Friend about this issue.

Electricity/Gas Supplies

Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the UK's electricity supply is projected to come from gas by 2010; and what percentage of the gas needed is expected to be supplied by each country from which gas is expected to be imported in 2010. [16415]

Malcolm Wicks: According to the latest DTI energy projections, around 41 per cent. of electricity supply could be provided by natural gas in 2010.

The Department does not make estimates of gas import needs for individual sectors such as power stations. Its most recent assessment of gas import needs for the whole economy is that by 2010 around a third of annual UK demand is likely to be met by imported gas. A variety of potential sources of supply are expected to be available by 2010—including pipelines from Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands and facilities to receive cargoes of liquefied natural gas which could originate from several producing countries—but the ultimate sources of that gas will be for the market to determine.

Energy Prices

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the change in energy prices has been in (a) the UK and (b) the rest of the EU in each of the last 10 years; on factors account for those changes; and if he will make a statement. [18204]

Malcolm Wicks: Energy prices for the EU15 and the UK in cash terms for the last 10 years is as follows.

17 Oct 2005 : Column 793W

Industrial and domestic gas and electricity prices in the UK and the EU15 1995–2004 Pence per kWh⁽³⁸⁾

Including taxes⁽³⁷⁾
Industrial Electricity
Industrial Gas
Domestic Electricity
Domestic Gas

UK Rest of EU Median⁽³⁹⁾ UK Rest of EU Median⁽³⁹⁾ UK Rest of EU Median ⁽³⁹⁾ UK Rest of EU Median⁽³⁹⁾

1995 4.34 4.73 0.69 0.88 8.06 10.65 1.79 2.60

1996 4.19 4.67 0.51 0.93 8.04 10.88 1.80 2.58

1997 3.95 3.87 0.54 0.84 7.64 8.86 1.78 2.24

1998 3.92 3.74 0.56 0.77 7.29 9.30 1.72 2.14

1999 3.94 3.51 0.57 0.74 7.20 8.31 1.71 2.04

2000 3.66 2.99 0.61 0.98 7.06 7.90 1.66 2.04

2001 3.53 3.56 0.86 1.08 6.99 7.85 1.71 2.20

2002 3.46 3.24 0.84 1.04 7.02 8.03 1.82 2.18

2003 3.35 3.99 0.87 1.20 7.09 8.81 1.85 2.64

2004 3.66 5.07 0.95 1.25 7.52 9.57 1.99 2.56
Difference 1995–2004 per cent.
-15.7 +7.2 +37.7 +42.9 -6.7 -10.1 +11.2 -1.5

⁽³⁷⁾Prices include all taxes where not refundable on purchase
⁽³⁸⁾Prices converted to pounds sterling using annual average exchange rates
⁽³⁹⁾Based on the remaining 14 EU member countries excluding accession countries.
Note:
Where national prices are not available, data for the following cities have been used instead: Austria: Vienna, France: Paris, Germany: Dusseldorf, Greece: Athens, Ireland: Dublin, Netherlands: Rotterdam, Portugal: Lisbon, Spain: Madrid
Source:
Derived from the International Energy Agency publication, Energy Prices and Taxes Q2 2005

Including taxes⁽³⁷⁾
	Industrial Electricity	Industrial Gas	Domestic Electricity	Domestic Gas
	UK	Rest of EU Median⁽³⁹⁾	UK	Rest of EU Median⁽³⁹⁾	UK	Rest of EU Median ⁽³⁹⁾	UK	Rest of EU Median⁽³⁹⁾
1995	4.34	4.73	0.69	0.88	8.06	10.65	1.79	2.60
1996	4.19	4.67	0.51	0.93	8.04	10.88	1.80	2.58
1997	3.95	3.87	0.54	0.84	7.64	8.86	1.78	2.24
1998	3.92	3.74	0.56	0.77	7.29	9.30	1.72	2.14
1999	3.94	3.51	0.57	0.74	7.20	8.31	1.71	2.04
2000	3.66	2.99	0.61	0.98	7.06	7.90	1.66	2.04
2001	3.53	3.56	0.86	1.08	6.99	7.85	1.71	2.20
2002	3.46	3.24	0.84	1.04	7.02	8.03	1.82	2.18
2003	3.35	3.99	0.87	1.20	7.09	8.81	1.85	2.64
2004	3.66	5.07	0.95	1.25	7.52	9.57	1.99	2.56
Difference 1995–2004 per cent. -15.7	+7.2	+37.7	+42.9	-6.7	-10.1	+11.2	-1.5

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to help businesses cope with increased energy prices. [18205]

Malcolm Wicks: The Government take the recent increases in energy prices very seriously, and particularly their impact on the competitiveness of UK industry. In January this year my Department set up the Gas Prices Working Group with the Energy Intensive Users' Group and Ofgem, with the remit of examining the workings of the gas market and developing ideas for improving its operation. The group has now agreed a list of action points for the short to medium term, such as maximising gas supplies, encouraging demand side response and pursuing energy market liberalisation in the EU.

Gas is a substantial component of the UK fuel mix in electricity generation, so the movement in the gas price is probably the largest factor behind electricity price increases. The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is also having an impact on electricity prices. We recognise that some business stakeholders have argued for greater simplicity and streamlining of instruments aimed at the business sector in the wake of the EU ETS. This will be an important consideration in the Government's deliberations during the current review of the climate change programme.

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average cost in the United Kingdom is of 900 litres of home heating oil; and what that figure was in 2003–04. [18538]

Malcolm Wicks: The average cost of 900 litres of standard grade burning oil in August 2005 was £288.72. This compares with £158.13 in 2003 and £191.34 in 2004.

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