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25 Mar 2009 : Column 496W—continued
Coal-fired Power Stations
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2009 to the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), Official Report, columns 998-99W, on departmental public consultation, if he will defer any decisions on applications for new coal-fired power stations until the completion of his Department's consultation on a new framework for coal-fired power stations. [265901]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Decisions on any applications for new coal-fired power stations, including the only current application (by E.ON UK plc for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for a 1600 MW coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth) will follow the conclusion of both the consultation on carbon capture readiness and the planned new consultation on a new framework for coal-fired power stations.
Departmental Lost Property
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether officials in his Department who have lost laptops that were the property of his Department in the last 12 months have been charged the full value of replacement. [266232]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department currently uses IT equipment and services including laptop computers provided by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff his Department employs; and at how many locations in London they are based. [265918]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 24 March 2009]: The Department currently employs 760 staff in three locations in London.
Departmental Press Releases
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) presentation and (b) handout used at the press briefing held by his Department on 9 February 2009. [257583]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [ h olding answer 23 February 2009]: There was no formal presentation, but a handout containing readily available background information on types of renewable heat technology was made available. The same information is found on pages 23-25 of the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy consultation document available at:
Departmental Public Consultation
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many public consultations his Department has conducted in the last 12 months; how long each consultation was open for; how many responses were received in each case; and what the cost of conducting each consultation was. [259691]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Between 3 October 2008 (when the Department was formed) and 23 March 2009, the Department of Energy and Climate Change conducted 14 public consultations of which two have now closed. All but one of the consultations are, or were, open for at least 12 weeks in line with HM Government’s Code of Practice. The number of responses received for completed consultations (on carbon units and offshore electricity transmission) was 43 and 24 respectively.
Providing the costs of conducting the consultations could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what payments for (a) polling and (b) other services his Department has made to (i) Deborah Mattinson and (ii) Opinion Leader Research Limited since its creation; and if he will make a statement. [261058]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Since its creation in October 2008, the Department for Energy and Climate Change has made no payments to Deborah Martinson or Opinion Leader Research.
Departmental Responsibilities
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has lead responsibility for (a) the Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies, (b) the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, (c) the Renewables Advisory Board, (d) the Civil Nuclear Police Atomic Authority, (e) the Coal Authority and (f) the UK Police Atomic Energy Authority. [255949]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has lead responsibility for the Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies, the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, the Renewables Advisory Board, the Civil Nuclear Police Atomic Authority and the Coal Authority.
Prior to 1 April 2005, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary was known as the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary (UKAEAC), and had been a
part of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) since its inception in 1955. The Energy Act 2004 made provision for the transfer of the constabulary from the UKAEA to a statutory police authority, called the civil nuclear police authority.
Departmental Training
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has provided voice coaching to any of its employees in the last 12 months. [260652]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has been formed by bringing together work previously covered by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. There are no centrally co-ordinated or funded voice coaching programmes provided for its employees. Funding for some learning and development is delegated to local business units. A disproportionate cost would be incurred in maintaining a central record of these activities.
Electric Vehicles
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that electrically-powered cars and other vehicles have ready access to electric points for charging batteries. [265131]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Transport has provided grants through the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Grant Programme (AFIGP) to support the installation of re-charging infrastructure through the Energy Saving Trust.
So far, 82 re-charging points have been installed with Government support. A number of private companies and local authorities have also installed re-charging points as well. We are currently negotiating with the EU to seek approval to extend the AFIGP.
On 15 January, the Secretary of State for Transport also announced £250 million to promote the take-up, and commercialisation within the UK, of ultra, low emission road vehicles. We anticipate that a small proportion of this funding will be used to support infrastructure for electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars.
Electricity Generation
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment the Government has made of the potential contribution of broadband communications to the development of a smart grid electricity network. [255174]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The ‘smart grid’ concept could potentially encompass a range of technologies including advanced communications and information management systems, advanced metering and automated control technologies, that would enable greater active management of the supply and demand on the networks. The Government have already announced a roll-out of smart meters to all homes with an indicative timetable for
completion of end 2020. Suppliers will also be required to roll out advanced smart meters to larger businesses over the next five years.
We are supportive of new proposals by Ofgem under its current Electricity Distribution Price Control Review that seek to encourage network operators to undertake greater innovation and trialling of new technologies and to develop new ways of operating their networks that might be needed in the future. These new proposals are in addition to the existing Innovation Funding Incentive and Registered Power Zone schemes which were introduced in 2005 to encourage innovative technical solutions.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to monitor levels of private sector investment in the electricity grid, with particular reference to (a) maintenance and (b) new capital projects. [265481]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Monitoring of investment in networks for both maintaining existing assets and creating new transmission/distribution capability falls to Ofgem. Ofgem have recently finalised the provisions of the transmission price control for the period 2007-12, with substantial increases in allowances for capital investment.
Energy: Consumption
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to encourage energy companies to curtail consumer demand for electricity. [264696]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Government place an obligation on energy suppliers to promote household energy efficiency through the carbon emission reduction target (CERT). DECC is currently consulting on increasing the CERT target by 20 per cent., which will require more activity from energy suppliers to promote energy saving measures in homes.
The CERT consultation is also proposing to introduce behavioural measures into CERT which includes real time displays and home energy advice which will give householders a better understanding of how they use energy and how to reduce their energy consumption.
Opinion Leader Research
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has paid Opinion Leader Research since its establishment. [265975]
Renewable Energy: Expenditure
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much central Government funding for renewable energy (a) research and (b) capital programmes there has been in respect of (i) nuclear power, (ii) biomass, (iii) wind power, (iv) hydroelectric power, (v) solar energy, (vi) marine power and (vii) anaerobic energy in each of the last 20 years. [250720]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 26 January 2009]: I have today placed in the Libraries of the House the information about known activities funded by DECC, BERR, DEFRA and DIUS.
Renewable Energy: Finance
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget for the Renewables Advisory Board in (a) 2008-09 and (b) each of the next five financial years is. [255933]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The budget for the RAB for the financial year 2008-09 is £301,366.
Budgets are currently being reviewed for the Department and the RAB annual budget for future years is yet to be allocated.
Renewable Energy: Urban Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many renewable energy plants serving urban areas there are in the UK. [265443]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In 2007 there were 1,436 renewable energy sites throughout the UK generating electricity (source RESTATS).
Once generation, whether renewable or conventional, is connected to the transmission networks the location of that generator will not necessarily relate to where the electricity is ultimately consumed. Generation is supplied around the transmission network to Distribution Network Operators who will then distribute generation to businesses and consumers in their areas line with their demand. National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) will balance that supply and demand for the whole network.
Warm Front Scheme
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households received only energy efficient light bulbs under the Warm Front Scheme in each of the last 10 years. [256853]
Joan Ruddock: All eligible households that apply to Warm Front receive energy efficient light bulbs and energy efficiency advice from a Warm Front assessor in addition to appropriate heating and energy efficiency measures.
The information requested is available from the current scheme manager from the introduction of the Warm Front scheme. Measures delivered by previous scheme managers working on Warm Front prior to 2005 are unavailable. The number of households that received only energy efficient light bulbs (alongside energy efficiency advice) in each scheme year is in the following table:
| Number of households who received energy efficient light bulbs and no other measures under the Warm Front scheme (eaga only) | |
| Scheme year | Number of households |
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to provide further clarification as referred to in his reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 4 February 2009 on Warm Front schemes. [263136]
Joan Ruddock: I replied to the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead on 25 March 2009.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many companies are registered to install energy efficiency products under the Warm Front scheme. [266078]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 24 March 2009]: There are currently 121 companies registered to install the range of energy efficient heating and insulation improvements delivered under the Warm Front Scheme. This figure excludes sub-contractors.
Women and Equality
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in her Office in each year since its inception; and how much has been spent in 2008-09 to date. [260298]
Maria Eagle:
Costs incurred on reimbursable expenses in 2008-09 will be available only when the Government
Equalities Office’ resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2009 summer recess.
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