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3 Mar 2009 : Column 1520W—continued
Fuels: Prices
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of trends in the pump price of (a) liquefied petroleum gas and (b) other motor fuels in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [258687]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: DECC does not hold disaggregated data on the retail price of liquid petroleum gas. Petrol and diesel prices are published weekly and are available at:
A more extensive assessment can be found in DECC's ‘Quarterly Energy Prices' publication, which is available at:
Home Energy Conservation Act 1995
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to improve the implementation of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995. [255166]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: DEFRA consulted on the future of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) in late 2007 and set out possible options for its future, which included repeal. Policy responsibility for HECA now rests with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and there will be an announcement on its future shortly.
Marine Renewables Deployment Fund
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009, Official Report, column 1379W, on Marine Renewables Deployment Fund, which projects are being supported by the Marine Renewable Deployment Fund; and how much the Fund has provided for each such project in each year since the Fund was established. [257672]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: A breakdown of funds provided and in each financial year for the six research related projects and one infrastructure project supported by the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund since the Fund was established is given as follows:
| Financial year (£) | |||||
| Contractor | Description | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | Total |
|
Draft performance measurement standard for tidal stream devices | |||||
Members: Correspondence
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 20 October 2008 on behalf of Mr. Peter Kendall regarding Government grants for home insulation. [259080]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I replied to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon the (Steve Webb) on behalf of Mr. P Kendall on 26 February.
Renewable Energy
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the economic recession on the renewable energy sector; and if he will make a statement. [258313]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The current global economic climate is one of a number of factors determining investment in renewable energy projects. The Government are working to create the right conditions for rapid deployment of renewable energy—both to meet challenging climate change goals and maintain energy security.
The global recession will affect availability and cost of capital to all firms, not just renewables. For the most part vertically integrated companies are well placed to manage their own capital requirements. Smaller companies may find it harder to raise capital but Government are providing a range of financial help in addition to the main financial support provided through the renewables obligation.
We also have a range of measures already in place to bring on more renewables development, including onshore and offshore wind, in order to meet our targets. Our Renewable Energy Strategy, due to be finalised in spring 2009, will build on these to provide an attractive framework for investment. Furthermore, the Secretary of State announced in the pre-Budget report that we would be extending the renewables obligation (RO) until 2037. This will ensure that investors can plan with confidence for the future so that over the next decade the market will continue to deliver the renewables projects that we need to achieve our 2020 target.
We take very seriously the concerns that some developers have raised regarding renewable energy developments in the current economic climate. We are maintaining a close dialogue with developers and stand ready to consider any evidence they bring to our attention.
Renewable Energy: Public Sector
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to increase the proportion of energy used in public sector buildings which comes from renewable sources. [258982]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We are making it a priority to increase the proportion of renewable energy in the public sector estate and have commissioned the Sustainable Development Commission to come up with a series of recommendations on how we should do this. They will report in early April.
Renewable Energy: Scotland
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) whether he has had recent discussions with Scottish Executive Ministers on the effect of the National Policy Statements for Renewable Energy on marine spatial planning in (a) waters out to 12 nautical miles off the Scottish coast and (b) the renewable energy zone off the Scottish coast; [259200]
(2) what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy on the operation of Marine Scotland; [259208]
(3) whether he has had recent discussions with Scottish Executive Ministers on the effect of the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy on their consenting powers for (a) offshore and (b) onshore renewables under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. [259209]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To date there have been no assessments of the effects of National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Marine Scotland nor have there been discussions with Scottish Executive Ministers on NPSs as they are at early stage of drafting. However, there will be public consultation on my Department's NPSs later in 2009 and my Department will want to engage with the Scottish Executive on them before then.
With the exception of certain oil and gas pipelines that cross into Scotland, the IPC will only have powers to determine applications for nationally significant energy
infrastructure projects in England and Wales and the territorial sea adjacent to England and Wales and the Renewable Energy Zone (except those parts where Scottish Ministers have functions), where a relevant NPS is in place. Therefore, the NPSs only directly apply to decisions for new infrastructure in those areas. However, energy policy is generally a reserved matter and the Scottish Executive must have regard to policy statements on energy as a relevant consideration in decisions. NPSs are, for these purposes, a statement of Government policy, so we expect that NPSs will be a relevant consideration for decisions by Scottish Ministers on energy infrastructure in Scotland.
Sight Impaired
Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what guidelines his Department follows in respect of making printed materials and forms accessible to people suffering red/green colour blindness. [245714]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) follows the Central Office of Information (COI) recommendation that the use of red and green together as text/background should be avoided. DECC also follows the COI recommendation that using yellow and blue together should also be avoided.
Warm Front Scheme
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to using installers approved by the manufacturers of central heating boilers for installations under the Warm Front scheme. [255633]
Joan Ruddock: Eaga selects installers based on a competitive tendering process, in line with European public procurement regulations. Installers are chosen according to a range of criteria, including price tendered, customer service, health and safety procedures and financial probity.
At present Warm Front does not limit procurement to installers specifically approved by manufacturers, as this would lead to a restricted installer base. This could potentially result in higher prices and could disadvantage small and medium-sized enterprises.
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was (a) budgeted for and (b) paid out in grants to individual households for (i) renewable energy installations and (ii) energy efficiency measures in each year since 1997; and what the equivalent figures are for 2008-09 to date. [257666]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 23 February 2009]: Under previous grant programmes which started in 2002 the following grants were paid to householders:
Major PV Demonstration Programme with a budget of £31 million committed £11.5 million to small scale projects including householders.
| Major PV Demonstration | |
| Financial y ear | £ |
Out of a budget of £12.5 million the Clear Skies scheme paid the following household grants:
| Household grants paid by Clear Skies | |
| £ | |
Currently under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme a £2,500 maximum grant amount can be claimed per household for up to three technologies and grant levels vary according to the technology installed. Out of a total budget of £36 million the Low Carbon Buildings Programme phase 1 has paid out the following amount in household grants:
| Low Carbon Buildings Programme grants paid to householders | |
| £ | |
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