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12 Jan 2009 : Column 124W—continued
Rutherford Indemnity Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The key criteria that the NDA uses in assessing potential insurers is value for money.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his statement of 19 November 2008, Official Report, column 126WH, on nuclear industry finance, what additional assessment the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority made of the availability of private sector insurance for the public body to manage Sellafield. [244591]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Sellafield site is managed by Sellafield Ltd., a company not a public body. The low level waste repository facility near Drigg is similarly managed by a private company. It was necessary to provide the contractor for this facility with a nuclear indemnity but before doing so I am told that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) approached the private nuclear insurance market in 2007 in connection with insurance for nuclear liability claims to courts outside the UK and not party to the Paris and Brussels Convention. It became clear from these discussions that commercial insurers were not prepared to quote on these potential liability claims. This established an insurance industry position in principle, in light of which the NDA and its professional advisors concluded that the position that insurers would take on the specific issue at Sellafield was clear and therefore no additional conversations were required.
River Severn: Tidal Power
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate DTZ made of the (a) employment cost and (b) cost to the local economy of the Cardiff-Weston Barrage in its economic impact assessment presented to the Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study; and if he will make a statement. [246400]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The aim of the DTZ study is to provide an initial assessment of the potential economic impacts of proposed Severn Tidal Power schemes, including a Cardiff-Weston barrage, on the regional economies of Wales and the South West of England. In assessing economic impact the study has focused on those sectors that are expected to be most significantly impacted by tidal power development. Where possible, impacts have been quantified in terms of employment and gross value added variances.
I plan to consult on the interim findings of the Severn Tidal Power feasibility study early in the new year; the DTZ report will be published at the same time.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which consultants have been commissioned to work on the Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study; in what area of work each has been commissioned; and when he plans to publish their reports. [246401]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: A consortium led by Parsons Brinckerhoff were awarded the contract to manage a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Severn Estuary and initial technical options assessment.
In addition, PricewaterhouseCoopers were appointed to advise on how a Severn tidal power scheme could be financed, the potential ownership options and possible government support mechanisms. DTZ were also appointed in collaboration with MDS Transmodal and Arthur D. Little to undertake an initial assessment of the potential regional economic impacts of a Severn tidal power scheme.
Subject to internal review these reports will be published alongside the public consultation in early 2009.
Sellafield
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the monetary value is of the contract signed between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Nuclear Management Partners for the management of Sellafield; for what period the contract will last; what options for its extension are contained in the contract; and what provision there is in the contract for the foreign corporate partners to repatriate any profits to the US and France respectively. [244227]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Under the terms of the Parent Body Agreement signed with the NDA, Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) and Sellafield Ltd., NMP was appointed as the Parent Body Organisation and owner of the shareholding in Sellafield Ltd. on 24 November 2008. The Parent Body Agreement, which has no direct monetary value, is for an initial term of five years. The agreement contains extension options for two further five-year terms and one two-year term, totalling a potential 17 years, which the NDA is entitled to exercise in any order. During this contract period, NMP are entitled to receive dividends based on the fee earned by the Site Licence Company (SLC), Sellafield Ltd. This fee is dependent on the quality and effectiveness of the SLC's performance. The fee is currently anticipated to be worth around £50 million a year. There are no provisions in any of the contracts in relation to the entitlement of foreign corporate partners to repatriate any profits to the US and France respectively.
Voluntary Organisations
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department plans to publish a third sector strategy. [242515]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created on 3 October 2008, bringing together the Climate Change Group of
the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) with the Energy Group of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). Third sector organisations have a key role in helping us to solve the twin challenges of climate change and energy supply and we are considering the most effective way of working with third sector organisations to achieve our aims, building on DEFRA's Third Sector Strategy, which was published in November 2008, and the focus on the third sector in the BERR Better Regulation Executive's Simplification Plan, which was published in December 2008.
Warm Front Scheme
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the number of additional households that could be raised out of fuel poverty for each £1 million increase in the planned budget of the Warm Front scheme in the financial years (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [242514]
Joan Ruddock: Based on the existing specification, the Government expect Warm Front to assist between 25,000-30,000 households for every £1 million spent in each of the aforementioned years.
We do not have estimates for the number of these households that will be brought out of fuel poverty. This is because fuel poverty is dependent on variables such as fluctuations in energy prices and household income which are not possible to accurately forecast.
DECC is currently looking closely at the existing eligibility criteria for Warm Front to ensure that we are reaching those most in need. In doing so, we shall be considering the comments and recommendations made in the National Audit Office’s Value for Money report on Warm Front which is due to be published in early 2009. Any proposed changes would be announced in due course.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average waiting time was between applicants applying for assistance under the Warm Front scheme and the delivery of such assistance in the latest period for which figures are available. [246878]
Joan Ruddock: The latest period for which figures are available is 1 April 2008 to 1 November 2008. The average waiting time for heating measures under Warm Front was 66 working days, against a contractual target of 120 working days. The average waiting time for insulation was 38 working days, against a contractual target of 40 working days.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many claims for assistance with heating made through the Warm Front scheme were rejected by his Department in the last period for which figures are available. [246879]
Joan Ruddock: All eligible households that apply to the scheme are entitled to a Warm Front grant. The measures they receive will depend on the heating and insulation requirements of the property.
Warm Front does not record the number of ineligible households that approach the scheme seeking assistance.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many individuals have received assistance from the Warm Front scheme in the last 12 months. [246881]
Joan Ruddock: Between 1 December 2007 and 30 November 2008, 233,178 households received assistance from the Warm Front scheme.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the Warm Front scheme in assisting vulnerable individuals who require heating for their homes; and if he will make a statement. [246882]
Joan Ruddock: The National Audit Office (NAO) is currently performing a value for money review of Warm Front. The NAO anticipates publishing its report early this year.
DECC is also currently looking closely at several aspects of the scheme to ensure that we are providing the best value possible to our vulnerable customer base.
Warm Front Scheme: Finance
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was allocated by his Department for the Warm Front scheme in the last period for which figures are available. [246880]
Joan Ruddock: The Warm Front budget for the financial year 2008-09 is approximately £395 million.
Warm Front Scheme: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many individuals received assistance from the Warm Front scheme in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire in the last year. [246877]
Joan Ruddock: The following table illustrates the number of households who received Warm Front Grants in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire between 1 April 2007 and 30 March 2008.
| Households assisted | |
| Number | |
Health
2008 National Capabilities Survey
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the 2008 National Capabilities Survey. [245640]
Dawn Primarolo:
The 2008 National Capabilities Survey (NCS) is not a document, it is a process by which the national extent of emergency preparedness is surveyed
and assessed. For reasons of national security, it would not be appropriate to publish the detailed findings of the NCS or place the NHS National Report in the Library.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) adults and (b) children were admitted to accident and emergency departments in the north-east after drinking alcohol in each of the last four years. [245805]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments there were in NHS organisations in England in the most recent quarter since figures are available from his Department's Quarterly Monitoring of Accident and Emergency Services dataset. [245983]
Mr. Bradshaw: National health service trusts self-report the number of accident and emergency (A&E) services they provide against definitions provided by the Department.
For the quarter ending September 2008, national health service trusts in England self-reported a total of 203 type 1 (major) accident and emergency services.
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to hospital in which the patient had a primary or secondary diagnosis which was alcohol related at the start of his or her stay there were in 2007-08, broken down by primary care trust. [244788]
Mr. Bradshaw: Data on admissions in 2007-08 are not yet available. We expect these data to be available early in the new year.
Ambulance Services: East of England
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of ambulances despatched responded within eight minutes of an emergency call in the east of England in each month since May 2005; and if he will make a statement. [244205]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information on performance is published by the Information Centre in the annual statistical bulletin, ‘Ambulance Services, England’. Data by month are not available. The annual bulletins are available on the Information Centre for health and social care website at the following links:
‘Ambulance Services, England 2005-06’ is available at the following:
‘Ambulance Services, England 2006-07’ is available at the following:
‘Ambulance Services, England 2007-08’ is available at the following:
Ambulance Services: Floods
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the level of readiness of the ambulance service to respond to incidents of flooding; and if he will make a statement. [242715]
Mr. Bradshaw: Under the Civil Contingences Act 2004, ambulance trusts are expected to respond appropriately to civil emergencies, including flooding.
The 2008 National Capability Survey (100 per cent. response from NHS organisations) assessed that the NHS, and particularly ambulance trusts, have contributed to multi-agency Local Resilience Forum (LRF) flood plans which have been submitted to, and reviewed by, the Environment Agency (EA).
NHS ambulance trusts are, therefore, fully involved in the flood planning process, are statutory consultees of the EA, and participate in multi-agency flood related exercises, as well as participating on LRF and associated multi-agency working groups. Recent exercise scenarios have included coastal flooding, tidal surges, fluvial flooding, surface water flooding and flooding caused by torrential rain conditions. “Lessons learned” from these exercises and real flooding events, are used by the Ambulance Service, with the relevant agencies in individual LRFs, to develop specific medical assistance protocols for the care and effective transportation of patients from flooded areas.
Ambulance trusts receive quarterly updates of EA Flood Plans pertinent to their geographic area of operational responsibility.
Ambulance Services: Standards
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the arrival of (a) volunteer responders, (b) paramedics and (c) other ambulance service staff stops the clock for the purposes of recording the ambulance target arrival times. [246552]
Mr. Bradshaw: For the purposes of reporting ambulance response time standards, the ‘clock stops’ when the first emergency response vehicle arrives at the scene of the incident. For the purposes of the Category A (life-threatening) eight-minute standard, an emergency response may only be by:
an emergency ambulance; or
a rapid response vehicle equipped with a defibrillator to provide treatment at the scene; or
an approved first responder equipped with a defibrillator, who is accountable to the ambulance service; or when a health care professional is at the location of the incident, equipped with a defibrillator and deemed clinically appropriate to respond by the trust. A first responder is not a substitute for an ambulance response and an ambulance response should be dispatched to all calls attended by an approved first responder.
For the purposes of the Category A and B 19-minute standard, a permitted response is a fully equipped ambulance vehicle able to transport the patient in a clinically safe manner. This may be a car or ambulance as determined by the information received by the caller.
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