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3 Dec 2007 : Column 896W—continued
Energy: Ministers
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will list the Ministers in his Department, and its predecessor, who have had held the post of Energy Minister since 1 May 1997, giving the start and end date of their tenure in each case. [169887]
Malcolm Wicks: I am the current Minister for Energy, having been appointed on 29 June 2007. I was also Minister for Energy between 12 May 2005 and 9 November 2006.
Other Ministers for Energy, since May 1997, were:
John Battle: 6 May 1997 to 28th July 1999
Helen Liddell: 29 July 1999 to 10 January 2001
Brian Wilson: 11 January 2001 to 14 May 2001 and 13 June 2001 to 13 June 2003
Stephen Timms: 14 June 2003 to 8 September 2004
Mike O'Brien: 9 September 2004 to 11 April 2005
Lord Truscott: 10 November 2006 to 28 June 2007
Energy: Wastes
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much electricity was generated from municipal waste in the UK as a percentage of total electricity produced in the latest period for which figures are available; what plans he has to increase this amount; and if he will make a statement. [170603]
Malcolm Wicks: In 2006 (the last year for which data are available) 0.3 per cent. of electricity in the UK was generated from municipal solid waste (biodegradable part only) combustion (source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2007).
Government plans on energy from waste are set out in the “Waste Strategy for England 2007” and the Government’s energy policy was set out in the “Energy White Paper”, both of which are available from the House of Commons Library.
Fuel Poverty
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many households in (a) St. Albans constituency, (b) each borough in Hertfordshire and (c) England (i) are classified as living in fuel poverty and (ii) have been classified as living in fuel poverty in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [168001]
Malcolm Wicks: Constituency level estimates of fuel poverty are available only for 2003 from the Fuel Poverty Indicator dataset (available online at http://www.fuelpovertyindicator.org.uk/). This estimates that there were approximately 2,700 households in fuel poverty in St. Albans. The following table shows fuel poverty levels also taken from the fuel poverty indicator website for all the local authorities in Hertfordshire;
| Local authority name | Total |
The most up-to-date national fuel poverty rates were published in “The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy 4(th) Annual Progress Report 2006” (available online at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file29688.pdf) holds the following table on page 8:
| Number of households in fuel poverty in England, 1996—2004 | ||
| million | ||
| Total fuel poor | Vulnerable | |
Fuel Poverty: Greater London
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many (a) people and (b) households in each London borough (i) are classified as living in fuel poverty and (ii) were classified as living in fuel poverty in each year since 1997. [169245]
Malcolm Wicks: London borough level estimates of fuel poverty are available only for 2003. The following table shows fuel poverty levels taken from the Fuel Poverty Indicator dataset (available online at http://www.fuelpovertyindicator.org.uk/) for all the London boroughs.
| London borough | Estimate of number of fuel poor households |
Heating: Carbon Emissions
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions his Department has had on reducing carbon dioxide emissions; and what consideration he has made of the potential effect of electric heating on carbon dioxide emissions. [168058]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department plays a key role in delivering the Government's public sector agreement of leading the global effort to avoid dangerous climate change, particularly in relation to promoting carbon trading, encouraging the adoption of renewable and low carbon technologies, and addressing the removal of barriers to behavioural change in order to improve energy efficiency. As such, Ministers and officials have regular discussions both in and outside Government on these issues. For example, I took part in the zero carbon homes taskforce meeting on 26 October which is looking at addressing the barriers to implementation of the 2016 zero carbon homes target. Officials have been in discussion with industry on the competition for a commercial-scale carbon capture and storage demonstration project launched on 19 November. Ministers and officials have been discussing with a number of stakeholders ways of encouraging more renewable electricity generation. As announced in the Energy White Paper we are also considering a number of policy options to reduce the carbon impact of heat, including low-carbon electric heating in order to determine a strategy for heat.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will have discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the potential environmental effects of use of electric heating. [168128]
Malcolm Wicks: I have held regular discussions with the Department of Communities and Local Government on a range of strategic energy issues and I am also a member of the 2016 zero carbon taskforce, established to identify the barriers to implementation of the 2016 zero carbon target and put in place measures to address these. I took part in the meeting of the taskforce on 26 October alongside the Minister for Housing.
The Government are committed to addressing both the causes and consequences of climate change. As announced in the Energy White Paper we are considering a number of policy options to reduce the carbon impact of heat in order to determine a strategy for heat.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which (a) Department and (b) Minister has lead responsibility for reducing heat emissions. [169847]
Malcolm Wicks: Tackling climate change is a matter for Ministers in all Departments. Responsibility for action to reduce heat emissions involves the work of many Departments and Ministers including Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport.
Heating: Conservation
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to develop a strategy on heat as indicated in the Energy White Paper; and what the timetable is for its production. [169729]
Malcolm Wicks: As announced by the Prime Minister on 19 November, a call for evidence on heat will be published in January 2008. Following this, Ministers will look at options and a timetable for developing a heat strategy.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will publish in full the Office of Climate Change report on sustainable heat. [169943]
Malcolm Wicks: The Office of Climate Change heat project has been running since January 2007 looking at how CO2 emissions from heat could be reduced. As announced by the Prime Minister on 19 November, a call for evidence on heat will be published in January 2008.
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the reasons were for the decision to delay giving names of claimants to the Legal Complaints Services to advise on solicitors’ charges following the Rother Valley pilot; and which Ministers took that decision. [170557]
Malcolm Wicks: In reaching agreement to take forward the Rother Valley pilot project with the Legal Complaints Service the Department was concerned to make sure our obligations under the Data Protection Act and other considerations in using claimant data were taken fully into account. My officials are now considering the outcomes from the pilot and discussing with the Legal Complaints Services and others the best way of taking this work forward in the light of the practical experience and other relevant initiatives. I will be meeting the Legal Complaints Service and key stakeholders in the new year to determine next steps.
Mining: Coal
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many meetings with ex-coalminers his Ministers have had in coalfield communities in each of the last two years. [169193]
Malcolm Wicks:
I met former miners and their representatives in Cardiff in March 2007. I also meet the NUM and representatives of coalfield communities
through the Coal Health Ministerial Monitoring Group. My officials also meet with representatives of the coalfield communities at the English, Scottish and Welsh Monitoring Committees.
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