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9 Oct 2006 : Column 563W—continued
Electricity Prices
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department's latest estimate is of the price per kilowatt hour of electricity from (a) tidal lagoons, (b) marine current turbines, (c) offshore wind, (d) onshore wind, (e) biomass and (f) solar power; and if he will make a statement. [89096]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not routinely publish estimates of the cost of generating electricity from various renewable energy sources. Estimates of generation costs from different technologies depend on the assumptions made about factors such as capital costs, discount rates and operation and maintenance costs.
However, the latest estimates of the cost of electricity generation from onshore and offshore wind can be found in Chart Bl of the DTIs “The Energy Challenge: Energy Review”, published in July 2006(1).
(1) http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file31890.pdf
| Type of installation( 1) | Price (pence/kWh) |
| (1) New build | |
The Department also published in February 2004 “Results of Renewables Market Modelling”(1), which it had commissioned from OXERA. Table 3.7 of the document lists the lower bound entry costs of energy crops (biomass) and marine technologies (which encompass tidal lagoons and marine current turbines) for 2004.
(1) http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file2207.pdf
| Type of installation( 1) | Entry cost (pence/kWh) |
| (1) New build | |
Finally, the Department commissioned from Enviros Consulting a report entitled “The costs of supplying renewable energy”(1), published in September 2005. Table 6.7 gives estimates of the cost of generation from solar, wave and tidal technologies in 2004.
(1) http:www.dti.gov.uk/files/file21118.pdf
| Type of installation( 1) | Cost of generation (pence/kWh) |
| (1) New build | |
The Government are committed to the development of various renewable technologies so that they become competitive with conventional sources of electricity generation. To this end, the Government announced in the Energy Review their intention to extend the Renewables Obligation.
Electricity Transmission
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2006, Official Report, column 133W, on electricity transmission, what estimate he has made of the expected contribution of the Government’s Microgeneration Strategy to reducing carbon dioxide emissions attributable to electricity transmission and distribution losses; and if he will make a statement. [87670]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department of Trade and Industry has not made a specific estimate of the expected contribution of the Government’s Microgeneration Strategy to reducing carbon dioxide emissions attributable to electricity transmission and distribution losses.
However, a report carried out by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the DTI (“The Potential for Microgeneration: study and analysis”) suggests that by 2050, microgeneration could help to reduce household carbon dioxide emissions by 15 per cent. p.a. The measures outlined in the Microgeneration Strategy are aimed at removing the barriers facing the microgeneration industry and help microgeneration achieve this potential.
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the current surplus of electricity generating capacity above peak demand. [87613]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 24 July 2006]: The current Great Britain (GB) plant margin (the amount by which the installed generating capacity exceeds the annual peak demand) is given by National Grid in its GB Seven Year Statement (SYS). In table 3.3 of the May 2006 update to the 2006 SYS, National Grid project an annual plant margin of 21.3 per cent. at:
http://www.nationalgrid.com/NR/rdonlyres/D4863A68-641D-43DE-92F5-33BAC10CD8CD/7577/quarter1.pdf
Emissions Trading
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is contemplating to reinforce the operation of the EU emissions trading scheme in the UK. [87427]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 24 July 2006]: Strengthening the EU ETS through discussions with the European Commission and other member states is a Government priority. The Energy Review report outlined five areas where we would seek agreement to changes that would strengthen the scheme post 2012. But we will keep open the option of further measures to reinforce the operation of the EU ETS in the UK. In the event that this is necessary to provide greater certainty to investors, there are a number of potential options which we would need to analyse in further depth, but we would favour market-based mechanisms.
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to create (a) a buy-out price and (b) a price floor within the EU emissions trading scheme; and what assessment he has made of the proposal by the Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board in relation to this. [87615]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 24 July 2006]: I have no plans to create either a buy-out price or a price floor within the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board members may have their individual views, but I am not aware of a collective proposal by the board on this matter. The EU ETS will remain the best long-term mechanism for securing emissions reduction across the EU and has the potential to form the basis of a long-term global carbon trading market. The Government’s recent report on the Energy Review highlighted that Government will continue to work with their international partners to strengthen the EU ETS to make it more effective.
Employment Act
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 1115W, on the Employment Act, how many respondents there were to the Flexible Working Survey in each region. [89200]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The table shows the number of respondents(1 )surveyed in each region and Scotland and Wales.
(1 )These are unweighted. For analysis the data obtained from the Omnibus Survey are weighted to ensure that demographic profiles match those of all adults in Great Britain aged 16 or over. Details of the weighting technique used can be found in the DTI Employment Relations Research Series No. 39—Results of the Second Flexible Working Employee Survey (www.dti.gov.uk/files/file11441.pdf).
| Respondents from the DTI Second Flexible Working Employee Survey 2005 | |
| Number | |
| Source: BMRB Omnibus Survey, January 2005. | |
Employment Agencies
Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions in the last five years an employment tribunal, on application from the Secretary of State, has made an order prohibiting a person or employment agency from carrying on an employment business; and what the grounds were of each order. [91323]
Jim Fitzpatrick: In the last five years the employment tribunal has made 12 orders prohibiting a person or employment agency from carrying on an employment business.
The grounds for each of the 12 orders are explained in the attached judgments, which are to be placed in the Libraries of the House for their information.
Employment Regulation
Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many hours per week of inspection time are devoted to the enforcement of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003; and how many hours were devoted to this in the first year of operation of the Inspectorate. [90263]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI's Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has a team of 12 regionally based inspectors, two of whom work part-time hours. The Inspectorate also includes a management team of three, some of whom also undertake inspections, and a support team of four handling calls to a dedicated helpline.
The Inspectorate investigates every relevant complaint it receives which indicates a possible breach of the legislation and also undertakes targeted checks of agencies where risk assessment indicates infractions may be more likely to occur. It does this by visiting agencies’ premises, where appropriate, and examining the records.
We do not have any data on record to indicate how many hours per week were devoted to enforcement of the Conduct Regulations in the first year that the Inspectorate was in operation. The Act and Conduct Regulations came into force in November 1976 and enforcement was carried out through the Department of Employment Regional Offices.
End-use Monitoring
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to introduce a pilot programme of end use monitoring as recommended in the Quadripartite Select Committee first joint report of session 2005-06. [91445]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government are currently preparing their response to the Committee's report, which will be publicly available at the end of this month.
Energy
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the tripartite discussions on energy consents between the Wales Office, the National Assembly for Wales and his Department to be concluded. [88595]
Malcolm Wicks: The tripartite group has undertaken a thorough examination of the issues associated with the possibility of a transfer of consents responsibilities to the Welsh Assembly Government. The group has not yet formally submitted options to Ministers as work was put on hold while the Energy Review was being undertaken. The Wales Office, DTI and the Welsh Assembly Government now need to consider how this work can be concluded, taking into account Government's commitment, working closely with the devolved administrations, to introduce fundamental changes to the planning system for major energy projects as announced in the Energy Review Report.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to respond to the recommendations of the tripartite working group on energy project consents in Wales. [88693]
Malcolm Wicks: The tripartite group has undertaken a thorough examination of the issues associated with the possibility of a transfer of consents responsibilities to the Welsh Assembly Government. The group has not yet formally submitted options to Ministers as work was put on hold while the Energy Review was being undertaken. The Wales Office, DTI and the Welsh Assembly Government now need to consider how this work can be concluded, taking into account Government’s commitment, working closely with the devolved Administrations, to introduce fundamental changes to the planning system for major energy projects as announced in the Energy Review Report.
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