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21 Mar 2007 : Column 905W—continued

To date, 1,480 businesses in London have registered an interest in London 2012 contract opportunities of which 143 are interested in construction opportunities. In respect of submitted applications for contracts
21 Mar 2007 : Column 906W
during the construction phase, applications are currently being reviewed and details of successful applicants will be made available once contracts have been awarded.

Tourism

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which UK cities received the highest number of tourist visitors in each of the last 10 years. [128846]

Mr. Woodward: Table 1 shows the UK cities with the highest number of visits by overseas residents from 2000 to 2005. Due to methodological changes to the International Passenger survey in 1999, comparisons with earlier years would be misleading, and are therefore not reported.

Table 2 shows the UK cities with the highest number of overnight visits by domestic residents for 2005-06 only, as data for previous years would involve disproportionate costs to obtain.

Information on domestic same day visits is not available at this level of detail.


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Table 1: Visits by overseas residents to the UK (all purposes of trip)—Top 5 towns 2000-05
Top Towns/Cities Total visits( 1) (Thousand)

2000

London

13,150

Edinburgh

910

Manchester

560

Birmingham

520

Glasgow

430

2001

London

11,450

Edinburgh

850

Manchester

550

Birmingham

450

Glasgow

400

2002

London

11,600

Edinburgh

850

Birmingham

670

Manchester

590

Glasgow

400

2003

London

11,700

Edinburgh

770

Manchester

740

Birmingham

720

Glasgow

420

2004

London

13,390

Edinburgh

940

Manchester

770

Birmingham

730

Glasgow

540

2005

London

13,893

Edinburgh

1,134

Manchester

824

Birmingham

728

Glasgow

684

(1 )Excludes Day Visits
Source:
International Passenger Survey, ONS

Table 2: Overnight visits by UK residents (all purposes of trip)—Top 5 towns May 2005-April 2006
Top Towns/Cities Total visits (Thousand)

London

10,434

Manchester

2,613

Edinburgh

2,237

Birmingham

2,075

Glasgow

1,964

Source:
United Kingdom Tourism Survey

House of Commons Commission

Air Pollution

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate the House authorities have made of the volume of (a) carbon dioxide, (b) methane, (c) perfluorocarbons, (d) nitrous oxide and (e) carbon equivalent released by the incineration of waste from the House of Commons estate when calculating the estate's carbon footprint. [120729]

Nick Harvey: Only residual waste after recycling has taken place is sent for incineration with energy recovery. In 2006 residual waste collected from the parliamentary estate amounted to 1,299 tonnes. This material was combusted at an energy recovery facility regulated by the Environment Agency, generating 725,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. The recovered energy is classed as renewable energy by the UK Government, in line with Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market.

Recovering energy from waste is acknowledged in the Stern review as an effective weapon in combating climate change, displacing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel power generation sources.

The carbon footprint associated with the combustion of this waste is made up of a number of components:


21 Mar 2007 : Column 908W

Direct emissions of GHG

GHG emissions from waste combustion are calculated in two steps. First, an estimate is made of the percentage of fossil and non-fossil carbon in the waste. Second, the emissions from the combustion of the fossil carbon within the waste are calculated. Emissions of non-fossil carbon do not contribute to global warming and are therefore not taken into account.

Methane is not produced in combustion plants. The remaining greenhouse gases are released in trace quantities relative to emissions of carbon dioxide. Because their concentrations in the emission gases vary according to the composition of the waste, the total GHG effect expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (Teq) is estimated using emission factors developed by DEFRA, based on measured emissions averaged across UK energy recovery facilities.

Direct GHG emissions following the combustion of residual waste from parliamentary estates amounts to 415 Teq, of which 295 Teq is carbon dioxide.

GHG emissions from waste transportation

A saving in GHG emissions is realised when residual waste from the parliamentary estates is combusted, since the energy recovery facility is just 12 miles from the House. Previously the waste was being transported to landfill further away from the estate.

The GHG emission factor developed by DEFRA for waste transportation varies between 0.37 and 0.49 kg carbon dioxide equivalents per tonne of waste transported, depending on distance travelled. For transportation of 1,299 tonnes of parliamentary estates waste, this amounts to a GHG emission of between 0.48-0.65 Teq. Since this is less than 1 per cent. of the emissions of direct or avoided emissions, the GHG saving in transporting the waste a shorter distance will be omitted when presenting net emissions.

Net GHG emissions

The carbon footprint associated with the combustion of waste from the parliamentary estates is obtained by subtracting avoided emissions from direct emissions.

This equates to a net GHG saving of 20 Teq. Therefore 20 Teq should be subtracted when determining the total carbon footprint of parliamentary estates.

Treasury

Agriculture: Subsidies

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on using the reserve to cover the contingent liability for disallowances arising from the single farm payments under the Common Agricultural Policy; whether he plans to use the reserve to cover the full amount of disallowance; and if he will make a statement. [127971]

John Healey: The Government’s policy on access to the reserve is set out in paragraphs 1.44—1.47 of the ‘Consolidated Budgeting Guidance from 2007-08’. As reflected in their spring supplementary estimate, Defra
21 Mar 2007 : Column 909W
have been granted a non-cash reserve claim to allow provisions for disallowances to be made in their 2006-07 accounts.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2007, Official Report, column 1675W, on what date he was informed that the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs intended to claim £305 million from the reserve for the contingent liabilities for provision for disallowance arising from Common Agricultural Policy schemes. [128157]

John Healey: The Treasury and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are in constant contact on a wide range of issues.

British Nationality: Research

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the purpose was of the ‘What it means to be British' research commissioned by his Department from Opinion Leader Research in 2005. [126032]

John Healey [holding answer 8 March 2007]: The Treasury has commissioned no such research.

Census

Mr. Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ask the Office for National Statistics to rework 2001 census data for the new parliamentary constituency areas once they are formally agreed. [128034]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 March 2007:

Climate Change Taskforce

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how vacancies on his climate change taskforce were advertised; and if he will make a statement. [123381]

John Healey: The Chancellor does not have a climate change taskforce.

Deborah Mattinson

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times he has met Ms Deborah Mattinson in an official capacity since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [124444]


21 Mar 2007 : Column 910W

John Healey [holding answer 1 March 2007]: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communication officers, (c) press officers and (d) promotional officers are employed in his Department; and what estimate he has made of total expenditure on communications for the Department on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available. [104221]

John Healey: The Treasury employs eight press officers. It has no marketing officers. Information on total communications spending is not held centrally.

Departments: Advertising

Mike Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department’s total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to (a) television, (b) radio and (c) print media. [128039]

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for East Devon (Mr. Swire) on 30 November 2006, Official Report, column 834W and the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 17 May 2006, Official Report, column 1075W.


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