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2 Apr 2008 : Column 1073W—continued
Business: Cyprus
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assistance his Department provides to Cypriot businesses wishing to (a) invest in the United Kingdom and (b) take part in joint ventures with UK companies; how much was made available for these purposes in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [192531]
Mr. Thomas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has the lead role within Government for delivering trade development and inward investment services for business. It brings together the work of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on international trade and investment.
UKTI and its network of partner agencies across the UK welcome, and are available to assist, foreign direct investment (FDI) projects seeking to locate in the UK from all over the world including Cyprus. However we dedicate specific resources to priority markets, in order to maximise taxpayers’ investment and Cyprus is not one of these.
Capita
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will provide a geographical breakdown of the 46,000 claims identified by Capita to his Department’s Yorkshire monitoring committee as not having made services claims for mining industrial diseases. [197662]
Malcolm Wicks: I am unsure to what the figure of 46,000 relates. Approximately 60,000 vibration white finger claimants were eligible to claim services on the basis of their medical staging for general damages but, for whatever reason, did not do so.
Coal Fired Power Stations: Kingsnorth
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the annual carbon dioxide emissions from the proposed coal-fired power station in Kingsnorth, Kent. [197291]
Malcolm Wicks:
The applicant estimates that if the proposed station was generating some 12 TWh of electricity per annum it would produce some 8.6 MTe
of CO2. However the amount of annual carbon dioxide emissions depends on the actual amount of electricity generated.
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the environmental impact of a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth, Kent. [197362]
Malcolm Wicks: The Secretary of State has a quasi-judicial role in deciding E.ON's application for his consent to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth. It would therefore be improper for him to express a view on whether he is in favour or against the proposal prior to taking a fully considered decision.
Coal: Concessions
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many residents in Bassetlaw constituency are in receipt of concessionary coal. [197859]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 31 March 2008]: There are currently 1,230 Bassetlaw residents who receive concessionary coal via the Department.
Coal: Mining
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of the note taken of the meeting of 20 March 2008 between Ministers, officials and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers on the future of the coal industry. [197380]
Malcolm Wicks: On 19 March 2008, I met my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping) and representatives of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers to hear their views about recent events in connection with the possible restart of Harworth Colliery. Information relating to internal meetings, discussions and advice is not disclosed, as to do so, could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Energy: Meters
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will publish the report he commissioned from Mott McDonald on smart meters; with which organisations he has discussed the report; and what the timetable is for the introduction of such meters. [198054]
Malcolm Wicks:
My Department is currently working up its impact assessment on smart metering, which will take account of the analysis by Mott MacDonald, as well as that of a number of other organisations. The Mott MacDonald report, with other analysis, will be published later this month, together with the Government's impact assessment and their response to the metering and billing consultation. As part of this process, my Department has held discussions with a range of interested parties, including
gas and electricity suppliers, meter owners and service providers, Ofgem and Energywatch. The Government will set out their views on the next steps on smart metering shortly.
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership: Finance
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what (a) funding and (b) other resources his Department plans to commit to the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. [191458]
Malcolm Wicks: There are no plans (a) to commit funds other than Travel and Subsistence (b) resources other than that necessarily involved in our membership of the GNEP Steering and Ministerial committees. Any future funding or resource commitment would be subject to further justification.
UK membership of GNEP allows us to help shape this international programme and help develop and share international best practice. It also helps position UK organisations to compete for international contracts and take part in collaborations that benefit their missions.
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much has been paid in compensation for (a) hearing loss, (b) vibration white finger and (c) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, broken down by constituency. [197474]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department publishes the data for Vibration White Finger and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease claims on our webpage:
These statistics are updated monthly and include the information requested.
A table containing the figures for hearing loss claims has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many claims for (a) vibration white finger and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have not been fully settled, broken down by constituency. [197475]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department publishes data for vibration white finger and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims on our webpage:
These statistics are updated monthly and include the information requested.
Lighting: Billing
Steve Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the role of the unmetered supply operator (UMSO) is in calculating local authority bills for street lighting; and if he will take steps to ensure that the charging policy
of the UMSO does not inhibit the development by local authorities of small-scale trials of low-energy street lighting technologies. [196375]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 25 March 2008]: Each unmetered supply operator (in this context, the electricity distributor or DNO) is obliged to prepare a use of system charging methodology approved by Ofgem which is designed to achieve a number of relevant objectives as set out in their licence. These include an obligation to review the Use of System charging methodology at least once a year and have a methodology that takes account of developments in the licensee's distribution business.
Ofgem would expect a DNO to ensure that its methodology takes account of developments in its distribution business and DNOs should be made aware of the results of any small scale trials of low-energy street lighting which may result in changes to a local authority's inventory. It is for the DNO and local authorities concerned to work together and a DNO to assess whether or not, as a result of such trials, a change is required to its Use of System methodology or Use of System charges. This would be a matter that the DNO would generally discuss with Ofgem.
Low Carbon Buildings Programme: Finance
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the budget for the low carbon building programme was in 2007-08; and what proportion of this budget has been spent. [196382]
Malcolm Wicks: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) phase 1 has a £36 million budget over three years. We did not set yearly allocations. For the 2007-08 tax year we have currently spent £5.1 million, including management fees.
Phase 2 of the programme has a £50 million budget over three years and we did not set yearly allocations. From April 2007 to the end of February 2008 we spent £1.3 million, including management fees. The total of grants allocated on phase 2 in this period was £7.4 million.
Recent changes to LCBP and planning requirements should help to boost uptake. All technologies under LCBP phase 2 will now receive 50 per cent. grant funding. This will make it a more affordable option and enable more organisations to take part. We have also extended the length of time householders have to apply for grants through to June 2010 for the remaining £10 million funds. In addition, from 6 April 2008 we will be relaxing the planning rules to make it easier for householders to install microgeneration technologies.
Metering: Finance
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the provision of smart meters on a national basis, broken down by main budget heading. [197739]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government are currently working up their impact assessment of smart metering, and will publish that assessment later this month, together with the Government’s response to the metering and billing consultation. The assessment will include a detailed examination of costs and benefits.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations he has received from companies associated with smart-meter production or sales. [197740]
Malcolm Wicks: In the course of developing its impact assessment on smart metering, my Department has been in discussion with a range of interested parties about the costs and benefits of smart metering. My Department has received written representations as part of this process, as well as in response to the metering and billing consultation.
Mining: Compensation
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the timetable is for the transfer of information to the Law Society on claimants under the Miners' Compensation Claim scheme as piloted in Rother Valley. [197661]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has already provided some information to the Legal Complaints Service (LCS). This will enable LCS to plan the next stages of their campaign which, I understand, is planned for autumn 2008. The Department will continue to work with LCS to ensure they have the information they require.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many requests from the Serious Fraud Office he has acceded to for information on mining compensation. [197663]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department is co-operating fully with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO)—however, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on ongoing inquiries.
My statement in December 2005 reported that, although their investigations are continuing, the SFO were not now focusing on any suspected fraud against the Department.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Foreign Workers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2008, Official Report, column 251W, on Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: foreign workers, what the nationalities were of the 12 foreign nationals employed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority since its establishment. [196645]
Malcolm Wicks: The nationalities of the 12 foreign nationals who have been employed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority since its establishment are as follows:
| Number | |
Nuclear Power Stations: Costs
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008, to the hon. Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins), Official Report, columns 1632-3W, on nuclear power stations: costs, what discount rate was assumed in carrying out the cost-benefit analysis. [197320]
Malcolm Wicks: The cost benefit analysis assumed in the central case a post tax real discount rate of 10 per cent. There were also low and high sensitivity cases in which rates of 7 per cent. and 12 per cent. respectively were used.
The full analysis can be found at:
Nuclear Power: Security
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how the Government plans to strengthen the capacities of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Nuclear Security Fund, as indicated at paragraph 4.21 of the National Security Strategy of the United Kingdom, Cm 7291. [196829]
Malcolm Wicks: The UK is a contributor to the Nuclear Security Fund (NSF) and provides a cost free UK expert to the fund. The UK seeks to further strengthen delivery mechanisms within the NSF by improving internal IAEA efficiency. We intend to do this by providing continuing assessment and feedback on project progress, exploring means to overcome difficulties and by encouraging the agency to streamline its operations. We will seek to feed our experience of working with the NSF into the current ‘2020 Review’ of the Agency’s operations.
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