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3 July 2007 : Column 1016W—continued


Householders
Date Northern Ireland Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands Yorks and Humber

94,944

192,630

1,256,040

862,757

282,830

271,311

233,152

2006

April

May

June

400

400

400

July

400

800

400

2,000

August

5,000

6,000

29,630

10,000

2,000

10,695

10,080

September

18,400

14,300

6,400

2,000

3,200

October

6,281

15,000

93,344

21,740

28,710

10,355

6,170

November

3,720

6,070

83,403

61,636

11,800

18,331

16,240

December

20,951

97,158

48,750

13,837

25,934

17,480

2007

January

46,600

25,520

101,817

43,737

15,496

20,397

12,336

February

16,600

9,743

122,881

124,411

38,704

25,423

24,02S

March

12,547

30,856

139,374

122,142

54,869

36,555

46,722

April

1,500

24,054

143,296

94,816

25,796

56,798

32,721

May

2,697

39,436

318,021

242,318

64,081

41,842

52,194

June

15,000

107,916

77,706

20,338

20,980

11,981

Total

4,765,057


Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much has been spent to date under phase two of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (a) in total and (b) in each region in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [145541]

Malcolm Wicks: At 5 pm on 26 June 2007, the expenditure under Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme was £2,006.50, which was an interim claim for a project in the East of England.


3 July 2007 : Column 1017W

Real-time national and regional data on both fund allocation and expenditure are available on the programme website:

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans his Department has to increase funding under phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; and if he will make a statement. [145728]

Malcolm Wicks: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 was launched in April 2006 with a £30.0 million budget. In Budget 2007, the Chancellor announced a further £6.0 million for household stream of the programme, as a final tranche of funding for Phase One to aid the transition to a more mature market for microgeneration.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans the Department has to raise the cap on grants per household under Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings programme; and if he will make a statement. [145729]

Malcolm Wicks: Since Budget 2007, the Householder stream of Phase 1 has been restructured, following discussions with key stakeholders. It was re-launched on 29 May 2007. As part of the restructuring, the grant cap was lowered to £2,500, as this provides a simple and fair way of allocating funds to installations across all technologies, helping to ensure we use the limited funds available to support as many household microgeneration installations as possible.

We will continue to monitor and report on grant commitments and payments. However, once the funds are fully allocated, this form of grant support for householders is expected to cease.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme: Finance

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much has been spent under Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (a) in total and (b) in each region of the UK in each month since the scheme has been operating; and if he will make a statement. [145753]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 26 June 2007]: At 5 pm on 26 June 2007, the expenditure under Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programmes was £2,006.50, which was an interim claim for a project in the East of England paid in June 2007.

Real-time national and regional data on both fund allocation and expenditure are available on the programme website: www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much funding under Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme has not yet been allocated; and if he will make a statement. [145754]


3 July 2007 : Column 1018W

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 26 June 2007]: Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme is a £36.0 million programme.

At 27 June 2007, Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme had allocated £16,394,070. The remainder, less programme management fees, remains to be allocated.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Department expects all the funding under Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme to be allocated; and if he will make a statement. [145755]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 26 June 2007]: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 was launched in April 2006 with a £30 million budget. In Budget 2007, a further £6 million was made available for the household stream. In May 2007, the household stream was re-launched following restructuring. In removing the monthly cap and making other changes, we cannot predict future demand with certainty. We will continue to monitor and report on grant commitments and payments. To ensure projects have sufficient time to complete we expect to allocate the majority of funding for Stream 2 projects in the first 18 months of the programme.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much money under Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme has not yet been allocated; and if he will make a statement. [145756]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 26 June 2007]: At 5pm on 26 June 2007, £1,688,839.81 of the £50,000,000 Low Carbon Buildings Programme fund had been allocated. The remainder, less programme management fees, has not yet been allocated.

Real-time national and regional data on both fund allocation and expenditure are available on the programme website: www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much funding was allocated to the low carbon buildings programme for 2006-07. [145802]

Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 27 June 2007]: The low carbon buildings programme has an £86 million budget over three years. The programme was launched in April 2006. Funds are not allocated on a yearly basis.

Mortgages

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) what steps the Government have taken since 1997 to encourage mortgage lenders to offer flexible types of loan; [145499]

(2) what steps the Government have taken since 1997 to encourage mortgage lenders to develop and market insurance policies to protect buyers and sellers against gazumping and gazundering. [145500]


3 July 2007 : Column 1019W

Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.

The UK has a competitive and diverse mortgage market, which includes flexible mortgage products. The flexible mortgage market has grown since the late 1990s. Recent research (2004) suggests that 21 per cent. of borrowers have mortgages with flexible features. Whether or not a lender decides to offer a specific product is a matter of commercial judgment for the firm in question.

The Government considers that, in an open and competitive insurance market, it is for insurers to choose what products and services they wish to offer.

The FSA commenced regulation of first charge residential mortgages in October 2004, and regulation of general insurance in January 2005.

FSA regulation helps people to make informed choices about their financial future and offers valuable consumer protections.

Mothers: Flexible Working

Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what work he is undertaking to promote flexible working hours for new mothers. [147148]

Mr. McFadden: In April 2003, the Government introduced the right to request flexible working for parents of children under the age of six, or 18 for disabled children. The law has been a success, and has been particularly helpful for mothers. For example, 47 per cent. of new mothers now work flexi-time compared to just 17 per cent. in 2002. In addition, the proportion of new mothers who have changed their
3 July 2007 : Column 1020W
employer when returning to work has halved from 41 per cent. in 2002 to 20 per cent. (Maternity and Paternity Rights Survey of Employees 2005).

The Government aim to implement the right to request flexible working for parents in a manner which fits with the needs of a high employment flexible labour market economy. The Government are working closely with employers, who are leading the way in addressing the causes of the gender gap with projects which include supporting mothers returning to work and creating better quality opportunities for staff working part-time. 115 organisations, from both the public and private sectors, have signed up as exemplar employers.

More generally, the Government encourage all types of flexible working across the work force by providing detailed guidance and promoting the benefits and encouraging the sharing of best practice. Business Link also provides practical support and advice for employers on starting, maintaining and growing a business. Employers and employees can also access advice from the ACAS website and telephone helpline.


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