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18 Dec 2007 : Column 1466W—continued
Domestic Accidents
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many serious injuries there were in the home in the following age groups (a) under 16, (b) 16 to 24, (c) 25 to 65 and (d) over 65 in each of the last five years. [173553]
Mr. Thomas: The Department stopped collecting this information in 2002. However, information prior to 2002 can be obtained from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Electricity Generation: Wastes
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the volume of emissions generated by the incineration of waste for the purpose of electricity generation compared to the
burning of (a) coal, (b) gas and (c) oil for the same purpose; and if he will make a statement. [174568]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 17 December 2007]: The main emissions associated with electricity generation, together with the quantity of electricity generated by fuel in 2005 are shown in the table as follows.
| Emissions (thousand tonnes) | ||||||
| Bio-carbon( 1) | Carbon | Carbon monoxide | Nitrogen Oxide | Sulphur Dioxide | Electricity generated (GWh) | |
| (1) Carbon emissions derived from biomass, these are excluded from emissions inventories as they are part of the carbon cycle (2) Waste oils, municipal solid waste, sewage gas, landfill gas, straw and poultry litter. (3) An exact breakdown is not available, this figure includes non-biodegradable wastes, landfill gas, sewage sludge digestion, municipal solid waste combustion, co-firing with fossil fuels, farm waste digestion, poultry litter combustion, meat and bone combustion, straw and energy crops. However it excludes waste products from chemical processes. Source: National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2007 | ||||||
Foreign Workers: North East Region
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what (a) direct and (b) indirect expenditure has been incurred by One in (i) marketing the North East and (ii) offering a programme of assistance to move to the North East to workers from eastern Europe. [172022]
Mr. Timms: One NorthEast has invested £16.8 million in marketing the region in the UK and internationally over the last three years (year on year split shown in the following table). This spend includes the “Passionate People, Passionate Places” regional image campaign, national TV advertising and promoting the region to inward investors in key markets including the USA, India and China. It also covers all national and international tourism marketing which includes campaigns in Australia, Norway, Holland and New Zealand.
| £ million | |
One NorthEast has never had a programme targeted at encouraging workers to move to the north-east from eastern Europe.
Fossil Fuelled Power Stations: Planning Permission
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what advice is provided to local authorities considering applications for new, unabated fossil fuel power plants. [175425]
Malcolm Wicks: No specific advice has been issued to local authorities. However the Department has issued general guidance on how the section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 consenting regime works.
Fossil Fuels: Imports
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much he estimates will be spent on imports of (a) oil and (b) gas in (i) 2008, (ii) 2012, (iii) 2015, (iv) 2020 and (v) 2030 at 2007 prices. [173880]
Malcolm Wicks: Some of the gas and most of the oil produced on the UK Continental Shelf is exported rather than being consumed domestically, so the gross volume of imports is not equivalent to total UK consumption minus total UK production. The Department does not estimate the gross volume of imports of oil or gas expected in future years.
Projections of future net imports can be derived by subtracting projected UK Continental Shelf production from projected UK demand, although projections of the latter have been made for only the years 2010, 2015 and 2020. These are available in Annex J to the paper on Updated Energy and Carbon Emissions Projections published alongside the May 2007 Energy White Paper at:
Based on the published projections, net imports of oil in 2010 would be 176 million barrels; in 2015, 301 million barrels; and in 2020, 392 million barrels. The average price for oil so far in 2007 is $72/barrel, about £36/barrel. If net imports in future years were bought at that price, the cost would therefore be about £6.4 billion in 2010; £10.9 billion in 2015; and £14.1 billion in 2020.
For gas, net imports in 2010 would be about 36 billion cubic metres (bcm); in 2015, 68 bcm; and in 2020,79 bcm. The average wholesale spot price for gas so far in 2007 is 30p/therm, equivalent to about £109 million/bcm. Thus, if imports in future years were bought at 2007 prices, the cost would be about £3.9 billion in 2010; £7.4 billion in 2015; and £8.6 billion in 2020.
Illegal Immigrants
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many illegal immigrants have been discovered working for his Department and its agencies in the last year for which figures are available. [170501]
Mr. Thomas: No illegal immigrants have been discovered working for the Department or its agencies in the past year.
Meat: Imports
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much meat was imported from Brazil in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [174443]
Mr. Thomas: The figures in the following table are taken from HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics.
| UK imports of meat and meat preparations from Brazil | ||
| £ million | thousand tonnes | |
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to reply to the letter of 29 October 2007 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton regarding Mr. J Shah. [173126]
Mr. Thomas: The Department has no record of receiving my hon. Friend's letter. We have now received a copy of his letter. It appears that it is a matter for the Home Office and has been transferred to them for a response.
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will ensure that a reply is sent to the hon. Member for Walsall North's letter to the chief executive of Ofgem of 30 October; and what the reasons are for the time taken to send a reply. [174582]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 17 December 2007]: My hon. Friend will understand that, as an independent regulator, Ofgem is responsible for its operational activities, including dealing with correspondence. However, I understand that, in this case, Ofgem will respond very soon to my hon. Friend.
Nanotechnology: Finance
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much funding the Technology Strategy Board plans to allocate to nanotechnology in each of the next five years. [167528]
Ian Pearson: The Technology Strategy Board, established as an executive NDPB in July 2007, has inherited a number of nanotechnology-focused activities from the former DTI, including collaborative R and D projects, nanotechnology centres, and knowledge transfer network.
It is currently in the process of developing its strategic and delivery plans for the next three years starting April 2008, and the role of nanotechnology will be fully considered in developing these plans. During this period, the Technology Strategy Board will overall coordinate public sector investment worth more than £1 billion (including contributions from the English RDAs and the Research Councils), to provide business with a coherent package of technology and innovation support, to help companies turn good ideas into new products and services.
National Association of Cigarette Machine Operators
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he last held discussions with the National Association of Cigarette Machine Operators. [173267]
Mr. Timms: Departmental Ministers have not met the National Association of Cigarette Machine Operators in recent years.
Natural Gas: Regulation
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make it his policy to ensure that all suppliers of gas are regulated by the energy supply ombudsman. [175109]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 17 December 2007]: Gas and electricity supply is regulated by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem). The Energy Supply Ombudsman is not a regulator. It is an independent body that was established by the six major gas and electricity suppliers following an investigation by Ofgem into suppliers’ billing practices. It investigates billing and transfer complaints made by domestic customers who have been unable to resolve the matter with their supplier. Under the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007, redress arrangements will be put on a statutory basis, and will apply to all suppliers. The Government recently consulted on the scope of these new arrangements, including proposals to provide small businesses with access to the schemes. The individual schemes brought forward by industry will be subject to approval by the relevant regulator.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Finance
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the budget of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was in (a) each of the last five years and (b) each year of the 2007 comprehensive spending review period. [173159]
Malcolm Wicks: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority began operation on 1 April 2005. Its actual gross expenditure since then and its budget for 2007-08 and for each year of the 2007 comprehensive spending review period is as follows:
| Funded by: | ||||
| Total expenditure (£000) | Grant in aid (£000) | Commercial income (£000) | ||
| Forecast budget | Grant in aid | Forecast commercial income | ||
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