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31 Mar 2009 : Column 1160W—continued
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of progress towards meeting the target of reducing Government estate carbon dioxide emissions by 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11, relative to 1999-2000 levels. [266781]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
Government are committed to achieving a reduction in the carbon dioxide emissions from its estate of 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11. Progress against this target is reported annually in the Sustainable Development in Government report. The latest assessment of performance, published in December 2008, shows that Government had made a reduction of 6.3 per cent. by 2007-08, an improvement of 2 per cent. from the previous year. The Government delivery plan for sustainable operations and procurement shows that Government have plans in place to achieve the further reductions required by 2010-11.
Carbon Emissions: Canada
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will hold discussions with his Canadian federal and provincial counterparts on the quantity of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the extraction of oil from the tar sands in Alberta, Canada. [263276]
Joan Ruddock: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be discussing how to limit global carbon dioxide emissions to prevent damaging climate change with all key international partners this year, including Canadian counterparts, given the importance the UK places on securing a global deal at Copenhagen in December.
The UK appreciates that every country’s position and needs are different, which is why we support the principle of ‘common but differentiated’ responsibilities—but we nevertheless will be urging all partners to take as much action as they are able to address the threat of damaging climate change.
The Federal Government have drafted legislation to introduce targets based on carbon capture and storage (CCS) on oil sands facilities and electricity power stations, which states that new plants from 2012 must be capture ready and using full CCS from 2018. In December 2008 Canada and the UK signed a Joint Statement on CCS, agreeing to work closely to develop and promote CCS technologies. This will involve exchanging experience and information on the development of regulatory frameworks, mechanisms for deploying CCS projects in developed and developing countries and the demonstration of key elements of the CCS chain. We will also share the learning developed from our respective commercial-scale demonstration projects.
Coal Fired Power Stations
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on preparations for a public consultation on a UN framework for coal-fired power stations; and if he will make a statement. [265968]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 24 March 2009]: The proposals on a new framework for coal-fired power stations will go beyond the proposals in last year’s consultation on carbon capture readiness. It is too early to go into further details.
Coal: Pollution Control
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, columns 294-5W, on coal: pollution control, on what date his Department committed £2.2 million to an oxy-fuel combustion carbon capture and storage project; how much has been spent to date; and if he will make a statement. [266826]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd was sent an Offer Letter Contract on 1 November 2007 by the then Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform stating an agreement to provide grant funding of some £2.2 million towards the development of an Oxy-fuel combustion project. £301,374.60 of that grant has been spent to date.
Committee on Radioactive Waste Management
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the work of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management. [266784]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: During 2009 CoRWM is expected to deliver three reports to Sponsoring Ministers covering interim storage arrangements, research and development and the geological disposal process more generally; in each case setting out the Committee's recommendations on these issues. These reports and responses from Government will be made available in respective Parliaments/Assemblies. We will assess these reports and recommendations when we receive them.
Under its terms of reference, CoRWM is required to agree with its Sponsoring Ministers (Department of Energy and Climate Change and the devolved administrations) a three-year rolling programme and budget for its work on an annual basis. The Committee is also required to submit an annual report to Ministers by 30 April each year on the delivery of the agreed work programme.
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average daily consumption of (a) electricity and (b) gas of each of the buildings occupied by staff of his Department is. [257596]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The average daily consumption of DECC's London headquarters in 3 Whitehall Place is 5685 kWh of electricity and 2805 kWh of gas. The average daily consumption of DECC's offices in Atholl House, Aberdeen, is estimated as 377 kWh of electricity and 439 kWh of gas.
Departmental Internet
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the cost to his Department of the Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment website. [266670]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The cost of the strategic environmental assessment website for the current financial year totals £18,135.00 excluding VAT.
Departmental Public Appointments
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which of the public appointments for which his Department is responsible are due to be (a) renewed and (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records his Department keeps in respect of such appointments. [254238]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information on appointments made by the Department will be published in its annual report which will be available on its website in due course. Vacancies may be advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website at:
The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication “Making and Managing Public Appointments”. For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the “Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies”. Copies are in the Libraries of the House.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which former (a) hon. Members who left Parliament since 1997 and (b) Members of the House of Lords from each party have been appointed to positions on public bodies within his Department’s responsibility; and who made each appointment. [267538]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 27 March 2009]: None.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what (a) capital funds and (b) resource funds his Department has brought forward from its (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 budgets for use in (A) 2008-09 and (B) 2009-10; and what schemes this funding is being used to support. [267399]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department of Energy and Climate Change brought forward £50 million of capital expenditure on the Warm Front programme from 2010-11 into 2009-10 and received additional funding of £50 million for 2008-09 and £50 million for 2009-10, also on the Warm Front programme, as announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report. No resource funds have been brought forward.
Electricity Generation: Licensing
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much revenue from licence fees was received by Ofgem in each of the last 10-years. [266783]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Ofgem was established in 1999. The following table shows the total revenue received by Ofgem from licence fees during the years audited to date:
| Total Ofgem revenue (£ million) | |
Electricity Supply: Finance
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was collected in (a) transmission use of systems and (b) distribution use of systems charges in each public electricity supplier area in each of the last five years. [266618]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: According to National Grid the following amounts were collected in transmission use of system charges (the revenues for 2004-05 were for England and Wales only).
| £ million | |
The following table shows the distribution use of system charges by distribution network operator area.
| £ million | ||||||
| DNO | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | Total |
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