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31 Mar 2009 : Column 1172W—continued
Solar Power: Research
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding his Department and its predecessor have allocated to research and development of photovoltaic processes as an alternative energy source in each year since 1995; and what use his Department makes of photovoltaic technology. [260886]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government have allocated the amounts mentioned below to research and development of photovoltaic processes as an alternative energy source since 1997. We do not have the information relating to 1995 and 1996 and the cost to obtain the information would be disproportionate.
| Research Councils energy R&D expenditure | ||
| £000 | ||
| Solar | Photovoltaic | |
| DTI/TSB renewable energy R&D expenditure | |
| Solar/PV ( £000 ) | |
Responsibility for renewable energy R&D was transferred to the Technology Strategy Board in 2007-08.
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the salary of the Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority was in each of the last 10 years. [267060]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The following table lists the salary paid to the chief executive officers of UKAEA for the last 10 years, as noted in the relevant UKAEA Annual Report and Accounts. Note that the salary for Mr. Harrison in 2006-07 includes his service as Dounreay Director prior to becoming CEO.
| CEO | Salary (£) | Note | |
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) final severance package and (b) pension arrangements were for the previous Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. [267061]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The previous chief executive, Mr Dipesh Shah, resigned from the UKAEA on 31 August 2006.
(a) All the arrangements associated with Mr Shah's resignation were included in the UKAEA annual report and accounts 2006-07, either in the figures for his salary (£111,420) or his pension as given as follows.
(b) The accrued pension and accrued transfer value for Mr Shah at the time of his resignation from the Board were £17,190 and £429,655 respectively. These pension entitlements are unfunded, and are included in the liability for unfunded pension arrangements noted in UKAEA's annual report and accounts. The transfer value does not represent sums paid or payable to Mr Shah, but represents a potential liability of the pension scheme or UKAEA.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Bank of Credit and Commerce International
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what fees have been paid by his Department to liquidators, receivers, administrators and business advisers managing the liquidation of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International since 1991. [260269]
Mr. McFadden: The Insolvency Service, an executive agency of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform made no payments to liquidators, receivers, administrators and business advisers managing the liquidation of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International since 1991.
Carbon Emissions: Manpower
Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his most recent estimate is of the number of people employed in the manufacture of low-carbon products. [265871]
Ian Pearson: A recent study by Innovas entitled “Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services: an industry analysis”, which was commissioned by the Department, reported that there were over 881,000 people employed in low carbon and environmental goods and services activities in the UK in 2007-08 (when including activities in the supply chain). Around 30 per cent. (272,000) of these jobs were in manufacturing activities.
The full report was published on 6 March 2009 and is available at:
Consumers: Advisory Services
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department has paid in grants to (a) Citizens Advice and (b) other independent consumer advice organisations in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [264209]
Mr. Thomas: The information is as follows:
(a) Citizens Advice (covering England and Wales) received an annual grant in aid for 2008-09 of £21.47 million. They are also receiving, as a result of the pre-Budget
report in November 2008, an extra £2.5 million for the period November 2008 to March 2009.
Citizens Advice Scotland received an annual grant in aid for 2008-09 of £3.018 million. They are also receiving an extra grant of £371,000 for the same period to help finance “CASTLE” their electronic case recording system.
(b) The only direct grants to other independent consumer advice organisations paid by BERR is money for the Face-to-Face Debt Advice Project. BERR funded 10 projects led by Citizens Advice with £16.8 million, and six non-Citizens Advice led projects with £9.0 million in 2008-09.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what (a) grade II, (b) grade II* and (c) grade I listed buildings have been owned by his Department since its inception. [266851]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 26 March 2009]: This Department does not own any buildings in the categories requested.
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what buildings are owned or operated by his Department under a private finance initiative (PFI) arrangement; and which companies are involved with each such PFI arrangement. [267402]
Mr. McFadden: This Department does not own or operate any buildings under a Private Finance Initiative arrangement.
Departmental Correspondence
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many letters from hon. Members his Department received in (a) January and (b) February 2009; and how many letters from hon. Members received in 2008 were responded to (i) in less than two weeks, (ii) in between two weeks and one month, (iii) in between one and two months and (iv) in over two months. [265941]
Mr. McFadden: Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members and Peers correspondence. The report for 2008 will be published shortly.
Departmental Domestic Visits
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many automobile factories the Secretary of State has visited on official business in the last 12 months. [261144]
Mr. McFadden: My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the member for Barrow and Furness visited Morgan, BMW Mini, Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has visited Ford and Nissan.
Departmental Empty Property
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the change in the annual cost to his Department of maintaining the empty public buildings owned by his Department as a result of the April 2008 changes to empty property rate relief. [267137]
Mr. McFadden: This Department owns only one building, situated in Edinburgh, which is currently fully occupied. All other buildings are leased.
Departmental Energy
Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps have been taken by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies to improve the thermal efficiency of their buildings in the last 12 months. [266747]
Mr. McFadden: This Department has recently undertaken a thermal efficiency survey on our 1 Victoria Street HQ Building and we are currently evaluating the outcome of the report which was received in mid-March 2009. The remaining parts of the HQ estate are not substantial enough to provide sufficient efficiency benefits to merit additional surveys. We shall be taking appropriate action to follow-up on the report in due course.
I have approached the chief executives of The Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
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