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21 Apr 2008 : Column 1758W—continued
Energy: Finance
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2008, Official Report, column 334W, on renewable energy: finance, how much of the £500 million allocated to be spent from 2002 on research and development and capital grants for emerging renewable and low carbon technologies has been spent; what the allocation of the spend has been to different categories of project; and what projects have been supported under each category. [199306]
Malcolm Wicks:
Spend so far (to end March 2008) under the programmes listed in the table, which were introduced at different points over the period, totals £233.5 million. All of these programmes except the Major PV Demonstration Programme and Clear Skies
are projected to continue to spend during the CSR period and in some cases well beyond.
Spend on the main programme activities are set out as follows. It has not been possible to provide a breakdown of the Clear Skies and R and D Programme spend by technology or projects supported under each category in the time available at proportionate cost.
Flexible Working
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which of the recommendations of the Walsh Review of flexible working he plans to implement; and when he plans to implement them. [199874]
Mr. McFadden: Imelda Walsh, HR director of J Sainsbury plc, is in the process of leading an independent review to consider the questions of what the age cut-off of an older child should be for the purpose of extending the right to request flexible working to parents of older children; and whether that extension should be staged. Ms Walsh will make her recommendations this spring. The Government will then consult on how they intend to proceed.
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress is being made on proposals to extend the right to flexible working to all parents with children under the age of 16 years. [200066]
Mr. McFadden: On 6 November last year, the Prime Minister announced that the Government have decided to extend the right to request flexible working to parents of older children. Imelda Walsh, HR director of J Sainsbury plc, was appointed to lead an independent review to consider the question of where the age cut-off of an older child should be set for this purpose. Imelda Walsh is expected to make her recommendations this spring.
Fraud: Internet
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department has responsibility for tackling the use of the internet to conduct fraud; and if he will make a statement. [198512]
Malcolm Wicks: My Department does not have direct responsibility for law enforcement nor does it regulate the services provided by the hundreds of UK internet service providers. The general law on fraud applies by whatever means it is conducted, including over the internet.
We are working closely with internet service providers to continue to develop practical measures to reduce the impact of harmful content, including the work they are doing to prevent fraud committed using the internet. The Office of Fair Trading, among others, provides advice to consumers on how better to protect themselves from such fraud.
Last year, the Government pledged to provide over £28 million to fight fraud.
A new National Fraud Strategic Authority.
A Lead Force, centred on the City of London Police, as a centre of excellence to increase the UK’s capability to investigate fraud and bring fraudsters to justice.
A National Fraud Reporting Centre, hosted by the Lead Force, to streamline the way that fraud is reported and to make the best use of the intelligence gathered.
Pilot projects to measure the impact and cost of fraud.
Reforms to the criminal justice system to make sure that fraudsters are brought to justice and that victims are better able to get redress.
The new powers enshrined in Part 3 of the Serious Crime Act will also will help provide the means to make the UK the most hostile environment for fraudsters.
The UK’s law enforcement authorities are also collaborating with police forces abroad to reduce the incidence of internet fraud being perpetrated in the UK from overseas.
Fuel Poverty: Inverness
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many (a) households, (b) children and (c) pensioners were living in fuel poverty in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency in each year since 1997. [200087]
Malcolm Wicks: The Scottish House Condition Survey, run by the Scottish Government, collects data on fuel poverty but the sample size is too small to produce meaningful estimates at a level below local authority. No low level modelling of fuel poverty has been conducted by the Scottish Government.
The following table shows estimates of the number of households in fuel poverty in the Highland Council region, the lowest geographical area at which it is produced, for each available year since 1997.
| Fuel p overty in the Highland Council r egion | |||||
| Fuel p oor | Not f uel p oor | ||||
| Thousand | Percentage | Thousand | Percentage | Total | |
Geothermal Power
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the potential thermal generation capacity of geothermal technologies in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [192949]
Malcolm Wicks: Between 1976 and the early 1990s the UK carried out a major Geothermal Research Programme at a cost in excess of £50 million. The key conclusions from the programme were that the UK was unlikely to see major developments based upon geothermal aquifers or the hot dry rock (HDR) method due to a limited resource, limited scope for their application and unfavourable economics.
The programme produced estimates of the potential geothermal resource for both HDR and aquifers. Its final report estimated the accessible HDR resource in the UK regardless of cost to be 1,500 Terawatt hours of electricity, that if exploited over 25 years would result in 60 TWh/year or 7,600 MW of net output power at 90 per cent. availability. However, once possible constraints were taken into account it estimated that the practicable HDR resource could be as low as 4 TWh/year or 500 MW over 375 years.
A final report of the Geothermal Aquifers Programme estimated the UK resource for three temperature ranges:
| Temperature range | Mtce (million tonnes coal equivalent) |
Although these figures are large the report estimated that the exploitable resource was much smaller when taking account of the coincidence of high heat load density and resource. It estimated that the possible take-up of the resource based on a total of 100 schemes being developed would produce a total saving of 0.35 Mtce per annum.
To make geothermal power a more attractive economic prospect in the UK now would depend on addressing the technical and practical constraints identified by this previous Geothermal Programme.
Notes:
1. Geothermal Hot Dry Rock UK Government R and D Programme 1976-1991, ETSU-R-59, 1992
2. Geothermal Aquifers Department of Energy R and D Programme 1976-1986, ETSU-R-39, 1986
Industrial Diseases: Compensation
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2008, Official Report, column 329W, on industrial diseases: compensation, how many of the 3,021 claimants paid an award after 27 March 2004 were advised that they could make a claim for an award under the Pneumoconiosis etc Workers’ (Compensation) Act 1979. [198750]
Malcolm Wicks: The 1979 Act is the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions.
It is not the role of the Department’s claims handlers to advise on eligibility for an award under the Pneumoconiosis etc. Workers’ (Compensation) Act 1979.
Low Carbon Buildings Programme
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations his Department received from the renewable energy industry prior to the relaunch of the domestic stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; and if he will make a statement. [199373]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department had a formal meeting with representatives of the microgeneration industry on 11 February 2008, and also had various discussions and correspondence with the industry around this time, both to discuss this issue and in the normal course of business.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what budget has been set for the domestic stream of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. [199376]
Malcolm Wicks: The Low Carbon Buildings programme has a £36 million budget of which £18 million is currently allocated for the household stream.
Mailing Preference Service: Complaints
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many complaints were made against the Mail Preference Service in each year since 2000. [191368]
Mr. McFadden: The number of complaints made to the Mail Preference Service in each year since 2000 are as follows:-
| Number | |
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he will reply to the letter of 29 January 2008 from the hon. Member for Walsall North concerning a constituent. [193546]
Mr. Thomas [holding answer 12 March 2008]: I apologise for the delay in responding to my hon. Friend. A response was sent on 31 March, I have arranged for a copy to be faxed to your office.
Sir Michael Spicer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects a reply to be sent to the hon. Member for West
Worcestershire in response to his letter of 21 December, Reference: PT/33280, transferred from his Department to Ofcom. [199121]
Mr. Thomas: The hon. Member’s letter was transferred to Ofcom for response. Ofcom have advised that their reply was dispatched on 1 April.
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Wycombe of 29 February 2008 on individuals registered in the UK in relation to businesses. [199343]
Mr. Thomas: I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member, this was due to an administrative error. A reply will be issued shortly.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the letters of 28 January 2008 and 6 March 2008 from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford on his constituent Mr. J. Burrows. [199895]
Mr. Thomas: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding, this was due to an administrative error. A response from my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Services was sent on 15 April 2008.
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