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13 Jan 2009 : Column 550W—continued
Rescue Services: Telecommunications
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the (a) effect and (b) cost of introducing administered incentive pricing for radio frequencies on the Royal National Lifeboat Institute service. [245185]
Mr. McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
As part of their consultation on proposals to introduce administered incentive pricing for maritime and aeronautical radio, Ofcom have stated that they expect RNLI’s licence fees to fall compared to the current level.
As such, the effect on RNLI is likely to be a reduction in their licensing costs.
Energy and Climate Change
British Energy: EDF Energy
Greg Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, Official Report, column 2133W, on
British Energy: EDF, if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreements made with EDF requiring it to release any British Energy sites. [242554]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have put a copy of the agreements made by HMG and the NDA with EDF relating to the disposal of British Energy sites in the Libraries of the House.
British Energy: Invesco
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, Official Report, column 2133W, on British Energy: EDF, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) agenda and (b) minutes of the meeting held with Invesco. [242553]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: No. I can say that the meeting with Invesco was held at the request of Invesco, the second largest shareholder in British Energy after HMG. There was no agenda, nor was a formal minute taken. Invesco and HMG expressed their respective views about a possible takeover offer for British Energy by EDF. The details of what was discussed are commercially confidential.
Energy: Disadvantaged
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to require energy companies to inform customers about assistance available to vulnerable groups in their social tariff schemes; and if he will make a statement. [245070]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Suppliers agreed at the Fuel Poverty Summit organised by Ofgem in April to provide greater visibility of their offers. Following this Ofgem have worked with the suppliers to ensure that information about their social tariffs and programmes and a contact phone number for consumers to check their eligibility, is available on all the suppliers’ websites.
Energy suppliers have committed to collectively spend £100 million this year, rising to £125 million next year and £150 million by 2011 on social assistance. In order to meet this commitment to Government suppliers need to inform their customers about the assistance available to vulnerable groups through their social tariff scheme.
Expenditure on suppliers’ social assistance is monitored by Ofgem and early indications from suppliers to them is that since this time last year the numbers of customer accounts on social tariffs have at least doubled and will exceed the 600,000 customer accounts originally suppliers estimated that would benefit this winter which is a good indication of the level of awareness of the assistance suppliers offer.
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with energy suppliers on the introduction of social tariffs for (a) domestic fuel oil and (b) liquid petroleum gas. [241471]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Suppliers of domestic oil and liquid petroleum gas serve a small but important market and are significantly more numerous than those supplying mains gas and electricity. The Government have not held discussions about social programmes with these companies.
The big six gas and electricity suppliers offer energy efficiency measures as part of their statutory obligations under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) scheme. Customers who use domestic oil or liquid petroleum gas to heat their homes can benefit from these programmes offered by their electricity suppliers.
In addition, mains gas continues to be cheaper and more convenient than other heating fuels. The Government have encouraged the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) to incentivise the large gas distribution networks to provide connections to households in deprived communities. Under the 2008-13 Gas Distribution Price Control, Ofgem has introduced incentivisation measures that should provide at least 20,000 connections in 400 communities.
Nuclear Power: Insurance
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 125WH, on nuclear industry finance, what consultations his Department conducted on the insurance arrangements for the management of Sellafield. [244590]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: None. Like insurance arrangements for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s 18 other sites, those for Sellafield are a matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the site licence company.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Advertising
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months. [243712]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office's advertising expenditure in the 2007-08 financial year, excluding agencies and executive NDPBs, was £454,075. The main advertising campaigns funded included public information campaigns concerning fireworks safety, vehicle theft and unknown callers.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when his Department appointed a senior information risk owner in accordance with the report, “Data Handling Procedures in Government” and the accompanying document “Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action”; and what grade the person holds within the Department. [245368]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has had a senior information risk owner (SIRO) appointed at director level and a member of the departmental board since 2003.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 12 November 2008, Official Report, column 1209W, on departmental marketing, how much his Department's (a) agencies and (b) executive non-departmental public bodies have spent on advertising in the last 12 months. [243543]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) spent £454,075 on advertising during the 2007-08 financial year. The NIO's agencies recorded total expenditure of £213,518 on advertising during this period. The main advertising campaigns funded included public information campaigns concerning fireworks safety, vehicle theft and unknown callers.
Information for the NIO's executive non-departmental bodies is an operational matter for each of the bodies, who operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective chief executives.
Details of the NIO's non-departmental public bodies can be found in the NIO 2008 departmental report:
All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 12 November 2008, Official Report, column 1209W, on departmental marketing, what advertisements were funded during 2007-08. [243544]
Mr. Woodward: The high volume of transactions within the Department's advertising expenditure codes means that details of all the advertisements funded during 2007-08 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, the main advertising campaigns funded included fireworks safety, vehicle theft and unknown callers.
Departmental Television
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008, Official Report, columns 885-6W, on television, from where the televisions were purchased; how many of the televisions (a) had (i) built-in freeview receivers (ii) digital receivers and (b) were widescreen, (c) were LCD and (d) were high definition. [243453]
Mr. Woodward: Five televisions were purchased from approved contracts for electrical supplies. All five of these are widescreen and LCD, and three of the five have built in freeview digital receivers and are also HD ready.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008, Official Report, columns 885-6W, on television, which channels his Department pays for. [243455]
Mr. Woodward: In addition to BBC channels, paid for through license fees, the Department also subscribes to Sky and Setanta packages.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008, Official Report, columns 885-6W, on television, how much his Department's (a) agencies and (b) executive non-departmental public bodies have spent on (i) televisions and (ii) receiving digital television in the last 12 months. [244056]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office's Agencies spent £5,452 on purchasing televisions and £300 on receiving digital television in the 2007-08 financial year.
Information for the Northern Ireland Office's executive non-departmental bodies is an operational matter for each of the bodies, who operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective chief executives.
Details of the NIO's non-departmental public bodies can be found in the NIO 2008 departmental report:
All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Electronic Equipment
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 12 November 2008, Official Report, column 1211W, on electronic equipment, how much his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on electronic equipment in the last 12 months. [243436]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) spent £24,603 on electronic equipment during the 2007-08 financial year. This figure only includes non-capital items as electronic equipment costing more than £1,000 could be captured only at disproportionate cost.
The NIO's Agencies recorded total expenditure of £433,511 on electronic equipment during this period, this figure is made up as follows:
| Agency | Expenditure (£) |
| (1 )These agencies are able to produce capital items within their figures and include electronic goods such as X-ray scanners, telecommunications and radio equipment. | |
Information for the NIO's executive non-departmental bodies is an operational matter for each of the bodies, who operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective chief executives.
Details of the NIO's non-departmental public bodies can be found in the NIO 2008 departmental report:
All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of managing public money and the Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety.
Defence
Afghanistan: Defence Equipment
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the issue of mercury-tipped ammunition to regular British troops serving in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [246604]
Mr. Quentin Davies: In accordance with The Hague convention of 1899 (Declaration III), ratified by the UK on 30 August 1907, the MOD does not procure or use mercury-tipped ammunition.
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department’s estimate was in 2006 of the duration of the incursion of British troops into Helmand province; and what his current estimate is. [245485]
Mr. Hutton: When the then Defence Secretary announced our deployment to Helmand on 26 January 2006, Official Report, column 1532, it was described as a three-year deployment.
However, we have always made clear that we would keep the commitment of UK forces under review.
As the Prime Minister said in his 12 December 2007 statement, and has been made clear subsequently, the UK’s strategy for Afghanistan is long-term and based on a comprehensive approach to security, political, social and economic development. We are therefore planning to maintain forces in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future.
Armed Forces: Bereavement
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps his Department takes to assist those who have lost an immediate relative in the armed forces to claim bereavement entitlement; [246891]
(2) what the bereavement entitlement for families of service personnel is. [246892]
Mr. Kevan Jones:
The next of kin of all those who die in military service are allocated a services visiting officer who will provide long-term support and act as a focal point for the family in obtaining specialist advice and assistance from various service organisations and civilian agencies. The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) Veterans Welfare Service works closely with the visiting officer to make immediate contact with the next of kin and to ensure information on entitlement is made available promptly. Where there is a spouse or partner, a welfare officer from the SPVA will visit him/her with the visiting officer within 15 days to provide help
and advice in completing claims, where appropriate, for an armed forces pension or a claim under the armed forces compensation scheme, as well as to offer general advice on state benefits and welfare matters. Where there is no spouse or partner, the SPVA writes to the next of kin or any other individual known to be dependant on the deceased, through the families visiting officer within a week of the death, providing them with a guidance booklet on what to do after death which includes advice on state benefits. However the services of SPVA Welfare are not only restricted to immediate dependants, such as a widow, as they will also visit other family members, e.g., parents, if requested and this is normally arranged through the visiting officer.
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