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26 Nov 2008 : Column 2151W—continued
£9.6 million of grants allocated before April 2008 are currently outstanding for 176 larger projects. £82,000 of grants allocated before April 2008 to householders are currently outstanding for 87 installations.
Only the Householder stream remains open for new projects. £2.9 million under this stream has been allocated to projects since April 2008.
Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2
A list of projects that have received funding under Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme since April 2008 has been placed in both Libraries of the House.
Bio-energy Capital Grants and Bio-energy Infrastructure Schemes
12 projects have received a total of 16 grant payments, totalling £283,000.
The ETF is funding eight ongoing offshore wind projects with grants to the following wind farms: Kentish Flats; Barrow Offshore; Robin Rigg (OERL); Robin Rigg (SOL); Gunfleet; Inner Dowsing; Lynn Offshore; and Rhyl Flats.
The following projects are running: Wind turbine experimental rig; Novel Protection Methods for Active Distribution Networks with High Penetrations of Distributed Generation; Characterisation of Wind Power Output; Demand Side Participation; Investment, access and pricing of transmission in systems with significant penetration of wind power; UK Generic Distribution System and Planning and Operation of Active Distribution Networks; Analysis of system operation in systems with significant penetration of renewable generation; Update of offshore GB SQSS; Multi - terminal DC Transmission Systems for Offshore Wind; and Dynamic Economical and Environmental Impact of Dynamic Demand in Frequency Response Services and Grid integration of Wind Generation. The total value of grants is £940,000.
£47.4 million has been allocated to the Carbon Trust's technology programmes in 2008-09, including more
funding for their SME loan scheme and the similar scheme in the public sector operated by Salix Finance Ltd.
ETF funding is provided to the Carbon Trust as part of their annual grant funding from DECC. It is used to fund activities in the following areas:
Innovations: development of commercially promising low carbon technologies through partnerships, funding, expert advice and large-scale demonstrations;
Enterprises: creation of new, high-growth, low-carbon businesses;
Investments: finance for emerging clean energy technology businesses that demonstrate commercial potential;
Insights: explaining the issues and opportunities surrounding climate change and carbon reduction, and developing low carbon strategies that engage Government and business;
Loans: interest free loan scheme, which offers loans of up to £200,000 for SMEs installing energy efficient equipment;
Public sector loans: public sector "invest to save" schemes for energy efficiency (delivered by Salix finance);
Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme: promotion and management of the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme for energy saving technologies, which provides enhanced tax relief for businesses investing in designated energy efficient equipment.
As at the end of October, the Carbon Trust had claimed £17 million of the £47.4 million ETF funding for 2008-9 and this has been spent as follows:
| Total expenditure (1 April to 31 October) (£ million) | |
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the merits of extending the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to cover surface transport; and if he will make a statement. [230059]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: A UK Government discussion paper setting out some of the issues associated with road transport’s potential inclusion in the EU ETS was published on 24 May 2007 and can be found at:
The European Commission's January 2008 proposal on revising the ETS directive stated that further analysis of the costs and benefits of extending the support to surface transport was needed, before deciding whether this was the most appropriate way of tackling rising emissions from this sector. As a result the Review does not recommend the inclusion of surface transport in the ETS from phase 3 (2013 to 2020).
Steve Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what basis his Department set the quantity of emission allowances to be auctioned in
the second stage of the European Emissions Trading Scheme; for what reasons his Department has not auctioned the maximum number of allowances possible at this stage; what additional revenue he estimates he would have received from such an auction; and if he will make a statement. [239549]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 25 November 2008]: The Government published a consultation on the proportion of allowances to be auctioned in Phase II of EU ETS in March 2006 and our response in August 2006. This set out our decision to auction or sell 7 per cent. of the overall UK emissions cap. Our decision took account of the consultation responses as well as the final level of the cap and total number of allowances to be allocated in Phase II. This means that 86 million allowances will be auctioned during the period 2008 to 2012.
Up to an additional 36.9 million allowances could be sold during the phase because allowances from closures and any surplus new entrant reserve will be added to the auctioning ‘pot’ up to the maximum 10 per cent. of the cap (120 million allowances) allowed by the directive to be sold by member states. Any surplus allowances above this limit will be cancelled.
These arrangements are set out in detail in the UK's National Allocation Plan for Phase II which has been submitted to the European Commission and approved under the terms of the directive.
It is not Government policy to speculate on revenues from EU ETS auctions.
Fuel Poverty: Disabled
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people in receipt of mobility benefit received (a) discounts on their bills and (b) assistance in another form from energy companies in the last 12 months. [238259]
Joan Ruddock: Energy suppliers voluntarily provide a range of social assistance to households vulnerable to fuel poverty, including discounts on their bills. Following the announcement in Budget 2008, energy suppliers agreed in April, to increase how much they are spending on social programmes. This year they will be spending collectively £100 million, rising to £125 million in 2009-10 and £150 million in 2010-11. This will be spent on a number of initiatives including social tariffs, rebates and trust funds. A breakdown to show recipients of this help per benefit is not available.
Ofgem monitors suppliers’ social assistance and published a review of this in August 2007 which was updated in October 2007. Both reports can be found online at:
Fuels: Scotland
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the average annual fuel bill for households in Scotland has changed in each of the last 10 years. [239263]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 25 November 2008]: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member before Prorogation.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Livestock Industry
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2008, Official Report, column 1333W, on meat and dairy consumption, what the timescale is for the work being undertaken to establish the extent to which all points in the meat production chain contribute to greenhouse gas emissions; what steps he intends to take once that work is completed; and what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the UN's estimate that 18 per cent. of global greenhouse gas emissions are related to animal production. [237638]
Jane Kennedy: Emissions from agriculture and livestock production and consumption are very complex and our aim is to continue to improve our knowledge over time.
Our work to tackle emissions from meat production includes a workstream on agriculture and climate change which aims to enable the agriculture, forestry and land management sector (which includes livestock farming) to fulfil its potential in contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation. As part of this we are looking to establish a cost-effective package of policy measures to help reduce emissions. This will inform the sector’s contribution to meeting the UK's carbon budgets under the Climate Change Bill. This work is supported by a strong programme of research (around £5 million per year), which includes studies on ruminant nutrition regimes to reduce methane and nitrogen emissions from livestock, research to improve the productivity of dairy cattle and a study to assess the level and type of farming activity in the livestock sector that UK resources can sustain in order to reach UK greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and ammonia targets.
The Government have made no official assessment of the 18 per cent. global estimate from the Food and Agricultural Organisation report Livestock's Long Shadow. We note however that it includes life-cycle emissions associated with livestock production and consumption. These emissions include not only emissions from enteric fermentation and agricultural waste disposal, but also emissions associated with feed production and from deforestation related to livestock production. The uncertainties with estimates of this type are significant, but the order of magnitude of the emission estimates is likely to be correct.
The most recent available GHG Inventory for the UK shows that direct emissions from livestock were 3.1 per cent. of total emissions in 2006.
Home Energy Efficiency Scheme
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of efficiency measures installed under the (a) Warm Front scheme and (b) Home Energy Efficiency scheme which were installed in rural areas. [234715]
Joan Ruddock: Action to tackle fuel poverty is a devolved matter, as such this response is restricted to action undertaken in England (under the Warm Front Scheme) only.
The following table illustrates the proportions of measures delivered, through the Warm Front Scheme, in rural and urban households presented as a percentage split of all measures delivered between 1 April 2005 and 30 March 2008. Rural definitions follow closely those used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Percentages for urban households are derived by subtracting figures for rural households from total measures provided.
| Measure category | Rural households | Urban households |
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many boiler replacement grants awarded through the Warm Front scheme have included monies for maintenance insurance provided by Eaga plc. [236512]
Joan Ruddock: No boiler replacement grants awarded through the Warm Front scheme have included monies for maintenance insurance provided by Eaga.
Two years of cover and two annual service visits are applied to all gas boiler replacements provided through the Warm Front Scheme. However, neither are paid for by individual household grant monies. Householder contributions for measures above the grant limit are not related to funding for maintenance or aftercare assistance.
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applicants for a Warm Front grant aged (a) under and (b) over 60 years who were informed that they would need to pay a contribution (i) took up the grant and (ii) did not proceed in each year since the introduction of the scheme. [236740]
Joan Ruddock: The following tables illustrate the number of households assisted by the Warm Front Scheme where the eligible householder was either (a) under or (b) over 60 years of age, of these how many were asked to contribute to the cost of work and of these how many have (i) paid this contribution and (ii) those that did not proceed, as at 27 October 2008.
| Contribution requests made (under 60s only) | ||||
| Scheme year | Assisted households (under 60s only) | Paid | Did not proceed | Total |
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