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20 Apr 2009 : Column 295W—continued
The Department holds no records that show that any of these properties have been sold for housing developments.
The Northern Ireland Office’s executive non-departmental bodies operate independently of Government. I would encourage the hon. Member to write to the respective chief executives when requesting details of operational matters. Details of the Northern Ireland Office’s non-departmental public bodies can be found in the Northern Ireland Office 2008 Departmental Report:
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether his Department has adopted the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management Programme. [266736]
Mr. Woodward:
My Department’s offices are principally located in Northern Ireland where the Northern Ireland
Executive has responsibility for taking forward the Sustainable Development agenda. We work in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Executive and Departments in taking forward this agenda, which does not at this stage include the adoption of the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management Programme.
Departmental Computers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many laptop computers have been provided to (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005; and at what cost. [268263]
Paul Goggins: The following table provides details of the laptop computers provided to Ministers, special advisers and civil servants in the Northern Ireland Office since 2005.
| Ministers | Special advisers | Civil servants | ||||
| Number | £ | Number | £ | Number | £ | |
Departmental Lost Property
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost of replacing lost or stolen property from his Department was in the last 12 months. [268040]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office (excluding its Agencies and Executive NDPBs) has incurred no costs in replacing lost or stolen property in the last 12 months.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on (a) the purchase of and (b) bills for (i) BlackBerrys and (ii) other mobile telephones for (A) Ministers, (B) special advisers and (C) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005. [268241]
Mr. Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office groups expenditure for BlackBerrys and mobile phones together.
Expenditure for the purchase of these items is posted against telecommunications expense headings which contain spend for other goods and services. Therefore extracting the purchase costs required could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Total departmental spend, excluding Agencies and Executive NDPBs, on BlackBerry and mobile phone charges from 2005-06 to 2007-08, is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | Expenditure (£000) |
The decrease in spend in 2007-08 reflects a new contract which has reduced line rental costs.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) BlackBerrys and (b) other mobile telephones have been provided to (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005. [268290]
Paul Goggins: Records for the number of mobile telephones and BlackBerrys are maintained on a rolling basis and therefore it is only possible to give an accurate picture of the total number currently in use.
As of 1 April 2009, 28 BlackBerrys are being provided by the Department; One to Ministers, two to special advisers and 25 to civil servants. On the same date, 341 mobile phones are being provided, two to Ministers and 339 to civil servants.
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance his Department issues on whether members of staff may claim for travel in first class carriages on trains if there are no seats in standard class. [268541]
Mr. Woodward: All travel is undertaken in accordance with Departmental rules and guidance. Staff travelling standard class may not upgrade to first class.
Offensive Weapons
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people aged 16 to 18 years have been charged with violent offences involving the use of a knife in Northern Ireland since 2007. [268724]
Paul Goggins: These data are collated by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I have asked the chief constable to reply directly to the hon. Gentleman, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Prisons: Construction
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advance preparation work on the new Magilligan Prison is expected to be undertaken in the 2009-10 financial year. [268978]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) is procuring programme management, design and business case services to take forward the redevelopment of Magilligan Prison.
Programme management services have been selected and will be in place by June. It is intended that the organisations responsible for design and business case services will be appointed and in place by July and August respectively.
In addition, NIPS has established a project office to take forward a range of issues with the relevant bodies.
In 2009-10 NIPS anticipates starting the design phase and preparing an initial draft of the outline business case.
Prisons: Food
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the policy of the Northern Ireland Prison Service is on whether food and other supplies for prisons should be purchased locally. [268979]
Paul Goggins: All food and other supplies for the Northern Ireland Prison Service are tendered under European competition and awarded in line with the European procurement directives and public contract regulations 2006 and amendments.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service actively encourages local small and medium size enterprises to participate in procurement competitions in line with Northern Ireland public procurement policy.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many written questions from hon. Members on policing matters in Northern Ireland were answered via referrals to the Chief Constable in (a) January and February 2008 and (b) January and February 2009. [268728]
Paul Goggins: The Department changed its policy on answering police operational questions in September 2008. Prior to this date information requested was obtained from the Chief Constable and then included in a substantive answer. The Department now refers such questions to the Chief Constable for him to respond directly to the Member. A copy of the letter is then placed in the Library.
In January and February of 2008 no questions were referred to the Chief Constable. The Department did, however, obtain information from the PSNI on 26 occasions over this period.
In January and February of 2009, 27 questions were referred directly to the Chief Constable.
Energy and Climate Change
Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has lead responsibility for the Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies. [266668]
Joan Ruddock: The lead responsibility for the advisory committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies (ACCAT) transferred from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to the Department of Energy and Climate Change following its creation in October 2008.
Carbon Emissions
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to attract private sector funding for his Department's programmes designed to improve the energy efficiency of domestic properties. [269515]
Joan Ruddock: Energy supply companies are required to meet carbon reduction targets by promoting the installation of energy efficiency measures under CERT. Insulation measures make up a significant percentage (62 per cent.) of energy suppliers’ progress towards their targets to date (as end December 2008). We are currently consulting on expanding the CERT by 20 per cent. and on extending a CERT mechanism beyond March 2011 to 2012. We hope that these two proposals, in combination with work to improve the exchange of information between the insulation industry and energy suppliers, should help to generate greater continuity and confidence in the market and lead to appropriate investment.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the effectiveness of incentives to increase energy efficiency. [269518]
Joan Ruddock: The Government’s package of policies and measures to tackle energy efficiency is reviewed on a regular basis to take account of latest evidence and data. We first published our Energy Efficiency Action Plan in 2004 and this was revised in 2007. The Government also undertook evaluations of their energy efficiency strategy during development of the 2006 Climate Change programme and the 2007 Energy White Paper.
The Heat and Energy Saving Strategy, currently under consultation, has provided a fresh opportunity to revisit our energy efficiency strategy. In doing so, our aim is to ensure the policies we put in place are capable of delivering the increased challenges over the next decade, particularly in light of the new legally-binding target to cut UK greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent. by 2050.
Carbon Emissions: Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding has been provided through phase two of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme in each year since the programme was established. [266666]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Since January 2007, we have provided the following amounts:
| Funding committed (£) | |
Carbon Emissions: Canada
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the full exploitation of the oil sands in Canada. [264575]
Joan Ruddock:
Data contained in the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggest that the hypothetical full exploitation of energy in unconventional oil resources globally would release
in excess of 2,670 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. The Government have not made a separate estimate for the oil sands of Canada.
Coal Fired Power Stations
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will review his Department’s policy in respect of electricity generation from coal-fired power stations. [265836]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 23 March 2009]: Yes, we have publicly announced we are doing so.
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change by what dates he expects the consultations on carbon capture readiness and a new framework for coal-fired power stations to conclude; and how long after that he expects to make a decision on the construction of the proposed units at Kingsnorth power station. [269276]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The response to the “Towards Carbon Capture and Storage” consultation which covered carbon capture readiness is due for publication shortly. The timetable for the planned new consultation on a new framework for coal fired power stations has not yet been set.
I am not able to comment on the timing of the announcement of decisions in respect of live planning applications and therefore am unable to be precise about when a decision will be made on the proposed Kingsnorth power station following the conclusion of that consultation.
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the tonnage of coal used in electricity generation in the UK in each year since 1997. [266770]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The tonnage of coal used in electricity generation in the UK for 1997 to 2007 is given in the following table. Figures for 2008 will be published on 30 July 2009.
| Coal used by UK electricity generation (thousand tonnes) | |
| Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2008, table 2.7, available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/statistics/source/coal/page18529.html | |
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