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12 May 2008 : Column 1408W—continued
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on carbon offsetting in each of the last three years; and to which companies payments for carbon offsetting have been made in each such year. [204107]
Kevin Brennan: The majority of central Government Departments are members of the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF). The GCOF aims to fulfil the Government’s commitment to offset emissions attributable to all official and ministerial air travel in central Government. It is available to all central Government Departments and provides a simple and cost effective way to offset, as well as ensuring high environmental integrity. The GCOF runs for an initial period of three years (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09). Cabinet Office and DEFRA have offset an extra year (2005-06).
The GCOF is being managed by EEA Fund Management Ltd., who won the contract to source and deliver 255,000 Certified Emission Reduction Credits, with a provision for a further 50,000 credits, over three years from a range of Clean Development Mechanism (COM) projects. Credits will be supplied from the project portfolio of Trading Emissions plc, to whom EEA is the investment adviser.
Each GCOF participant will be able to provide cost figures for their contributions to the fund. Figures currently available cover 2005/06 (where applicable) and 2006/07. Data are currently being collected for the 2007/08 reporting year and will be available later in the year.
DEFRA has paid £60,014.07 into the GCOF, to offset some 6,056tCO2e from a variety of sources from April 2005 to April 2007.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has paid £4,635.35 into the GCOF from April 2006 to April 2007. DCSF has also paid Climate Care £94.08 to offset carbon emissions generated from the Sustainable Schools consultation exercise and launch events held during 2006/07. DCSF are committed to offsetting carbon emissions generated from the production of all Sustainable Schools materials.
Departmental Consultation Papers
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) consultation papers and (b) new regulations have been issued by his Department and its predecessors in each year since 1 January 1997; and if he will make a statement. [201199]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families, and its predecessors, (the Department for Education and Employment and the Department for Education and Skills up until 28 June 2007) have issued (a) 370 consultation papers and (b) 1,639 new regulations since 1 January 1997. The annual breakdown is shown in the following table.
| Number | ||
| Consultations issued | Regulations issued | |
Departmental Pensions
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the (a) rate and (b) cost was of employer contributions for each public sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement. [200728]
Kevin Brennan: Employer contribution rates for the Teachers' Pension Scheme from 1990-91 to the present are shown in the following table. The increase in the contribution rate on 1 April 2003 reflected a change in the way the scheme was financed with pensions increase (i.e. the inflation increases in the value of pensions in payment) now reflected in the total contribution rate paid by members and their employers rather than being met separately by the Exchequer.
| Period | Rate of charge (percentage) |
The values of contributions received for each year are shown in the following table.
| Cost (£000) | |
| (1) Data for 1990-91 have been estimated based on the total contributions made. | |
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2008, Official Report, columns 402-3W, on departmental public expenditure, if he will provide a
breakdown of the proportion of his Department’s budget which is not devolved to schools or local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [203923]
Jim Knight: Pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2008, Official Report, columns 402-3W, being 18 per cent. the following list provides a breakdown of the proportion of budgets not devolved to schools or local authorities in DCSF.
| Percentage | |
Departmental Public Participation
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many public consultations were held by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years; and how many respondents took part in each consultation. [198632]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Education and Skills (DFES) launched 45 consultations in calendar 2005 and 44 consultations in calendar year 2006. In calendar year 2007 DFES launched 36 consultations between January and June, and the Department for Children, Schools and Families launched 15 consultations between July and December.
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