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17 Dec 2008 : Column 878W—continued
Somalia: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the African Union force for Somalia to be fully deployed; and if he will make a statement. [243158]
Gillian Merron: The original mandate for the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISON) envisaged 8,000 troops. Currently around 3,500 are deployed within Somalia.
St Helena
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many inhabitants of St Helena have taken up residence in the United Kingdom in the last five years. [240849] [Official Report, 3 February 2009, Vol. 487, c. 7MC.]
Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any meetings with officials from St. Helena in the last two years. However, I had a constructive meeting with Councillor William Drabble during the Overseas Territories Consultative Council in October this year, and my hon. Friend, Meg Munn, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, met with Councillor Brian Isaacs at the same event in December 2007. Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government officials are in regular contact with St. Helena officials.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit (a) St Helena, (b) Tristan da Cunha and (c) Ascension Islands in the next 12 months. [240878]
Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no plans to visit St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha or Ascension Island in the next 12 months.
My hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Meg Munn) visited Ascension Island in January this year when she met with representatives of the employing organisations and private sector and former councillors.
Sudan: Armed Conflict
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan consequent upon the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court on 20 November 2008 for the three rebel leaders alleged to be responsible for attacks on international peacekeepers in Darfur; and if he will make a statement. [242809]
Gillian Merron: On 20 November 2008, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor submitted an application for arrest warrants for three Darfur rebels alleged to have been involved in attacks on African Union soldiers. These applications are now being considered by the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC. The ICC is independent and it would be premature to speculate on outcome of its internal deliberations.
We continue to call on all parties to the conflict to co-operate with the International Criminal Court. There can be no impunity for crimes committed in Darfur.
Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Government of Sudan to provide clearance for UN-AM Mission in Darfur airlift operations following its agreement on 26 September 2008; and what discussions the Special Envoy to Sudan has had with the government of Sudan on this matter. [242833]
Gillian Merron: As part of a tripartite agreement reached on 7 October with the UN and the African Union, the Government of Sudan undertook to provide clearance for airlift operations for the UN/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). This clearance has subsequently been granted. We expect airlift of cargo into Darfur to begin shortly.
We have underlined the importance of implementation of the tripartite agreement with the Government of Sudan, including through the UK Special Representative for Sudan, as well as in the UN Security Council, and will continue to monitor progress.
Syria: Terrorism
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to make representations to the Syrian government in respect of honours they have bestowed on convicted Islamist terrorist Sumar Kuntar; and if he will make a statement. [242525]
Bill Rammell: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Substantive answer from Bill Rammell to Stewart Jackson:
We are concerned that Syria has chosen to award its Order of Merit to someone guilty of such acts. We have no plans to make representations directly, but during my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to Syria, he discussed with President Asad the strategic choice that Syria faces in acting as a force for stability or instability in the region.
UN World Conference against Racism
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on UK participation at the Durban Review Conference; and if he will make a statement. [241167]
Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) on 26 November, Official Report, column 1794W, in which I expressed concern at the direction taken by preparations for the Durban Review Conference.
A further round of negotiations will take place in January 2009, after which the Government will assess their position.
Zimbabwe: Politics and Government
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of members and supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe who have disappeared since September 2008; and what reports his Department has received on the likely whereabouts of those who have disappeared. [242807]
Gillian Merron:
We have received reports that approximately 18 supporters of the MDC, including a two-year-old child, have been abducted in recent weeks and are still missing. In addition, Jestina Mukoko of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) and two ZPP colleagues were abducted on 3 and 8 December and have not been found. The Government have failed to produce these
missing people, despite Court Orders, and despite the efforts of their colleagues, lawyers, non-governmental organisations and the international community to locate them and secure their safe release or fair trial. We are seriously concerned for the safety of all those who have disappeared and condemn their extra-judicial abduction and detention. We continue to call, bilaterally, as well as in the UN Human Rights and Security Councils and with EU member states, for an end to all such human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
Energy and Climate Change
Departmental Reorganisation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the documents establishing the Department for Energy and Climate Change. [242078]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Cabinet Office paper explaining the machinery of government changes in which the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created, entitled “Machinery of Government: economy, business, climate change, energy and environment”, was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 13 October.
Energy: Imports
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average cost per tonne equivalent was of electricity imported via the interconnector with France in 2007. [244121]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: DECC does not hold information on the value of interconnector flows with France. The amount and value of interconnector flows to the GB market are determined by the commercial decisions made by market participants and grid operator to equilibrate the underlying demand and supply in the electricity market. The value of such supplies are therefore commercially confidential.
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average cost per tonne equivalent of imported (a) oil, (b) gas, (c) liquid gas and (d) shale oil and tar sands was in 2007. [244122]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The average cost of imported oil and gas in 2007 was as follows:
Crude Oil: 271 £/tonne
Natural Gas: 130,000 £/tonne (converted using an average density of 0.756 kg/cubic metre).
DECC does not hold any data on the cost of imported liquid gas (LNG), shale oil or tar sands.
Energy: Meters
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to prioritise help for pre-payment customers for the installation of smart meters; and what discussions he has had with energy providers on this matter. [242802]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government have confirmed that they will mandate the provision of smart meters to all domestic customers, and have given an indicative timetable for a roll-out. They will announce their decisions on how and when smart meters will be rolled out in the new year, and the approach to prepayment meters will be one of the matters we will consider in taking those decisions.
Energy: Per Capita Costs
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008, Official Report, column 1465W, on electricity: per capita costs, what method for calculating the annual cost of the Renewables Obligation per customer was used. [242618]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Ofgem base the calculation on an assumption about the amount of electricity used per annum by a household multiplied by the buyout price for the renewables obligation for that year multiplied by the percentage obligation for that year. This calculation gives the upper limit to the cost of the renewables obligation for that year.
Geological Disposal Implementation Board
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) on what date the Geological Disposal Implementation Board was set up; [242488]
(2) what the budget for the Geological Disposal Implementation Board is in (a) 2008-09 and (b) each of the next five financial years. [242489]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Geological Disposal Implementation Board (GDIB) is a civil servant programme board set up in October 2008 to manage the Government and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) arrangements for planning and delivery of a geological disposal facility as set out in the White Paper ‘Managing Radioactive Waste Safety: a Framework for Implementing Geological Disposal’. The board is a means by which civil servants from the relevant Government Departments can discuss the programme and prepare and present advice to Ministers. As such, the board does not have its own budget.
Organisations represented on GDIB are the Department of Energy and Climate Change, HM Treasury, the Welsh Assembly Government and the NDA as the Government's delivery body.
Other Government Departments, regulatory bodies and other organisations can be invited to contribute to supporting work.
Harworth Colliery
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the feasibility of re-opening Harworth Colliery. [242483]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: This is a matter for UK Coal plc, the mine operator.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Minister of State plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 21 October 2008 on smaller scale renewable schemes in the Energy Bill. [242436]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 11 December 2008]: There is no record of the hon. Member’s letter being received by this Department, officials have requested a copy of the letter and I will reply in due course.
Natural Gas: Rural Areas
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of barriers to gas provision in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [242072]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The cost to the customer is clearly the principal barrier to providing new connections to communities and households beyond the mains gas network, including rural areas. Because of the benefits that access to gas offers deprived and other households, the Government developed a model to provide connections to deprived communities by packaging a range of existing funding sources and using independent gas transporters. The successful application of that model was instrumental in persuading the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) to incentivise the large gas networks, such as Wales and the West, to connect deprived communities under the 2008-13 Gas Distribution Price Control.
Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the resource budget costs of nuclear decommissioning provisions by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [242145]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The funding requirements of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) were considered within the context of the 2007 comprehensive spending review. The settlement provides the NDA with £5.1 billion Government funding over the three years (ie £1.8 billion in 2008-09, £1.6 billion in 2009-10 and £1.7 billion in 2010-11) of which £1.4 billion is resource and £3.7 billion is capital. Together with the income that the NDA will earn from commercial activities in the period, it is estimated that the total funding available over the three years will be over £8 billion.
Renewable Energy: EC Action
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the (a) cost and (b) policy implications of meeting the likely UK share of the EU target of 20 per cent. of energy from renewables by 2020. [240309]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our assessment of the cost and policy implications of meeting the UK share of the EU 2020 renewable energy target was set out in our consultation document, which was published in June 2008, and can be accessed at
We are updating this analysis as part of the development of the Renewable Energy Strategy, which we will publish in spring 2009.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what modelling his Department has conducted on how the UK can meet its share of the EU target of 20 per cent. of energy from renewables by 2020; and if he will publish the results. [240314]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The analysis undertaken to support the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation document was published with the consultation document in June 2008, and can be found at:
We are updating this analysis as part of the development of the Renewable Energy Strategy, which we will publish in spring 2009.
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