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19 Jan 2009 : Column 999W—continued
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Bankruptcy
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many individuals were declared bankrupt in each year between 2000 and 2007. [247597]
Mr. McFadden: Table 1 shows the number of bankruptcies in England and Wales between 2000 and 2007. This information is also available on the internet at:
| Table 1: England and Wales | |
| Number | |
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the advisers so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case. [246658]
Mr. McFadden: A list of expert advisers used by BERR since 1997 is not held centrally and any information on such advisers could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Since 2003, the Government have published, on an annual basis, the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each pay band. This is published in the form of a written ministerial statement by the Prime Minister before each summer recess.
I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House to respond to the hon. Member directly.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 16 January 2009:
I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
Whilst we have engaged a number of consultants on various programmes and projects during this period, we have not engaged any third party ‘expert advice’ to help form organisational strategy or policies.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 16 January 2009:
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to your question (2008/448) what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department and its agencies since 1997; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the advisers so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case.
A list of expert advisers used by The Insolvency Service since 1997 is not held centrally and any information on such advisers could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost to his Department of provision of office facilities to (a) special advisers and (b) press officers (i) was in the last 12 months and (ii) has been since 1997-98. [244724]
Mr. McFadden: BERR does not hold sufficiently detailed information to answer this question and to produce it would involve disproportionate cost.
Small Businesses: Billing
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his latest assessment is of the implementation of the Government’s commitment to pay suppliers within 10 days. [247881]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 15 January 2009]: BERR is currently collecting data from other Government Departments and from its own delivery partners on performance in making payments to suppliers within 10 days of receiving a correctly rendered invoice. Although complete figures are not yet available, Government Departments and public bodies have embraced payment within 10 days and are working to implement this across their own organisation and to encourage suppliers to pass on these terms.
During November and December 2008, the first two months of recording the new target, BERR paid 93.1 per cent. and 96.9 per cent. of invoices within 10 working days respectively. Formal reporting by all Government Departments commenced at the start of January 2009 and will be reported to BERR on a quarterly basis.
Energy and Climate Change
Departmental Telephone Services
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what use (a) his Department and (b) service providers under contract to his Department make of (i) 0844 and 0845 telephone numbers and (ii) revenue-sharing telephone numbers for calls from members of the public; for which services such numbers are used; what prefixes are used for revenue-sharing numbers; how much revenue has accrued from revenue-sharing numbers in each of the last five years; what consideration his Department has given to introducing 03-prefixed telephone numbers for calls to all such services; and if he will make a statement. [247340]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Since its formation on 3 October 2008, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has made no use of 0844, 0845 or revenue-sharing telephone numbers for calls from members of the public. DECC already makes use of a 03-prefixed number, charged at the standard national rate, for general inquiries.
The Department is not at present party to any contracts, as the Transfer of Function Order related to the creation of DECC has not yet come into force.
Electricity Generation
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much electricity was generated from each primary source in the most recent year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [248438]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The most recent year for which figures are available is 2007. The following table shows generation from the main sources in 2007. Provisional figures for 2008 will not be available until the end of March 2009.
| Electricity generated (GWh) | |
| (1) Includes non-biodegradable wastes, coke oven gas, blast furnace gas, and waste products from chemical processes. (2) Hydro pumped storage. Note: Primary electricity is electricity obtained other than from fossil fuel sources e.g. nuclear, natural flow hydro and non-thermal renewables. Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2008, Table 5.6, as revised at: http://stats.berr.gov.uk/energystats/dukes5_6.xls | |
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of electricity generated in the UK was produced by (a) renewables, (b) coal, (c) gas and (d) nuclear energy in 2008. [248540]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Energy statistics for the calendar year 2008 will not be available until the end of March 2009. These will be provisional until the publication of the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics, 2009 at the end of July 2009. The latest available annual data are for 2007 and are as follows:
| Percentage | |
| (1) Includes non-biodegradable wastes, oil, coke oven gas, blast furnace gas, and pumped storage. Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2008, Table 5.6 as revised at: http://stats.berr.gov.uk/energystats/dukes5_6.xls | |
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of levels of fuel poverty in (a) Chorley, (b) Lancashire and (c) each county; and if he will make a statement. [245064]
Joan Ruddock: The most recently available sub-regional split of fuel poverty relates to 2003, and shows that in Chorley there were 2,600 fuel poor households and around 31,000 fuel poor households in Lancashire. Clearly, rising prices will have increased those figures significantly.
Fuel poverty estimates are available for all counties can be seen in the following table:
| County | Fuel poor households | Proportion of all households that are fuel poor (percentage) |
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