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22 Jun 2006 : Column 2042W—continued
Private Members’ Bills
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which Private Members’ Bills were drafted by his Department in each session since 1997; and which subsequently received Royal Assent. [78844]
Mr. Hain: Members will consider a range of possible subjects before introducing their Private Members’ Bills.
Government draftsmen do draft some Bills in advance, which are available as one of the options for Member’s to consider before they make their selection.
However, Members may make subsequent amendments or revisions to a Government drafted Bill, or use it as the basis for a Private Member’s Bill in the future.
The information requested is therefore not collected.
Renewable Energy
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps the Government are taking to increase the supply of renewable energy in Wales. [78867]
Mr. Hain: With up to 24 onshore and offshore windfarms either under construction or in planning, Wales has the potential to supply a huge amount of energy from renewable sources.
The Renewables’ Obligation is the Government’s main policy measure for supporting renewable energy, establishing a target of securing 10 per cent. of electricity from renewable sources by 2010. Programmes such as the Micro-generation Strategy and the Wave and Tidal Energy Demonstration Scheme support these actions.
Policies put in place by the Welsh Assembly Government complement these commitments. For example, the Assembly Government have set targets for renewable energy generation and has published Technical Advice Note 8 (TAN 8) to facilitate the development of renewable energy in the most appropriate locations.
Wales also offers significant opportunities for harnessing the renewable energy of waves and tides and the Assembly Government are supporting two projects through the Objective 1 programme: Wavedragon and Marine Current Turbines, including the Severn Barrage.
Work and Pensions Select Committee
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action has been taken by his Department to implement Work and Pensions Select Committee recommendations since the 2001-02 session; and if he will make a statement. [78847]
Mr. Hain: Responsibility for the implementation of Work and Pensions Select Committee recommendations rests with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Wales Office has no executive responsibility in this area.
Communities and Local Government
Departmental Re-branding
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the total costs at current prices of re-branding (a) the Department of the Environment as the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, (b) the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions as the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and (c) the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. [71585]
Angela E. Smith: The costs for re-branding:
(a) the Department of the Environment as the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions was £176,690;
(b) the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions as the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions was £25,250;
(c) the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was £52,117.
Deputy Prime Minister
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many civil servants worked in the Deputy Prime Minister’s private office at 10 April 2006; and what the cost of running his private office was in 2005-06. [71069]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I have been asked to reply.
Staff numbers and costs for my private office in 2005-06 will be accounted for in the usual way in the Department’s annual report and accounts.
Mineral Planning
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the public inquiries on decisions by mineral planning authorities to reject applications for opencast mining since the MPG3 planning guidelines were revised in 1999; and what the outcome of each inquiry was. [72627]
Yvette Cooper: Since revision of Mineral Planning Guidance note 3 (coal mining and colliery spoil disposal) in March 1999 there have been 11 local public inquiries into decisions by mineral planning authorities to reject applications for opencast coal mining. The information requested by my right hon. Friend is listed in the table.
| Description | Local authority | Decision type | Decision by Secretary of State | Date of decision |
Supported Housing
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on consultants’ services relating to Supporting People in the last two financial years; what amount has been allocated for these services for 2006-07; and how much of this expenditure has been for services for work on the Distributed Formula in each year. [76228]
Yvette Cooper: In 2004-05 £2.4 million was spent on consultancy services and in 2005-06 £1.1 million was spent on consultancy.
Valuation Office Agency
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency holds (a) dwelling house code and (b) value significant code data for (i) 10 Downing Street, (ii) 11 Downing Street, (iii) Flats 1-3, Admiralty House, Whitehall and (iv) Dorneywood. [78655]
Scotland
Departmental Hospitality
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes. [77439]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office records its hospitality expenditure in accordance with the principles of Government accounting. It keeps no separate record of expenditure by category of provision, and there are no plans to begin keeping any such detailed record.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of his staff are (a) under and (b) over 55 years of age. [77440]
David Cairns: As at 31 December 2005, the Scotland Office had 48 staff under the age of 55 and six staff over that age.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into his Department in each of the last three years. [77441]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not recruit staff directly; its officials are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs. One member of staff in 2003, two in 2004 and one in 2005 were over 55 years of age when they joined the Office.
Disability Access
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any building in his Department falls short of disability access regulations. [73057]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office’s main buildings—Dover House in London and Melville Crescent in Edinburgh—are listed buildings and cannot be altered without the consent of the relevant heritage body. Both buildings were initially assessed for compliance with the Act.
In the light of this assessment, all reasonable and practicable efforts have been made to adapt Dover House for use by the disabled. Subsequently, an access audit was commissioned to advise on longer term improvements that were required; these have been included in a programme of works which is due to be carried out during 2006-07. Where the audit drew attention to an issue that could not be remedied by building works, a management procedure has been introduced.
In Melville Crescent, all improvements and refurbishment works were completed, where reasonably practicable, and in accordance with Part 4 of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, while also in conjunction with British standard—BS 8300:2001.
Sickness Absence
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department have had (a) five or more, (b) four, (c) three and (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years. [73055]
David Cairns: All Scotland Office staff are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs and those Departments maintain sickness absence records. A complete picture, in the form requested, is however not available.
Culture, Media and Sport
Digital Switchover
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the results of the digital switchover trial in Bolton; what the effect of switchover was on (a) individuals on low incomes and (b) the elderly; how much switchover cost per (i) household and (ii) vulnerable household; and if she will make a statement. [79572]
Mr. Woodward: The purpose of the trial was to test the process for supporting elderly and severely disabled consumers through switchover. The majority of people in the digital television trial thought switching over was easy and liked watching digital television.
The trial also highlighted the importance of support from family and friends in installing and using the equipment and the need to give older and disabled people time to adapt to using new television equipment.
The full Bolton trial report was published in May; copies are available in both Houses and at www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk. We are considering the findings from the Bolton trial and other research. This will help to inform work on the detailed design and costs of the digital switchover assistance schemes.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Government has allocated for support to (a) individuals on low incomes and (b) the elderly (i) to purchase equipment and (ii) to obtain help with installation in preparation for the switch to digital television in each year up to 2012; and if she will make a statement. [79573]
Mr. Woodward: The costs of the digital switchover assistance scheme are being assessed as part of work to determine the licence fee settlement for the new Charter period. This work will draw upon a variety of sources including outputs from the Bolton Digital television trial which considered the needs of the elderly and disabled groups who will be entitled to help from the assistance scheme.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that the small slave transmitter on ordinance survey reference SX802596, at the junction with the Ashprington turn-off at Totnes Hill, will be converted from analogue to digital transmission; and if she will make a statement. [77517]
Mr. Woodward: I understand that there is no record of a transmitter sited at OS reference SX802596, either for television transmission or telecommunications. However the Totnes television relay transmitter is situated at reference SX805594, which is very close to the above location.
During switchover, which takes place in the Westcountry region in 2009, all transmitters (including the Totnes relay) will be converted for digital transmission. After switchover, UK digital terrestrial television coverage will match the current analogue coverage of 98.5 per cent.
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