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20 May 2009 : Column 1478W—continued
| Employee jobs (thousand) | ||||
| Government office regions | ||||
| Levels | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | UK |
| Source: Business Statistics Division, ONS Customer Helpline 01633 456776 | ||||
Gifts and Endowments
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what financial threshold applies to (a) Ministers, (b) senior civil servants and (c) special advisers for the registering of hospitality or gifts with their Department. [271954]
Mr. Watson: The requirements on Ministers in relation to the registering of hospitality and gifts is set out in the ministerial code. For civil servants, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 March 2009, Official Report, column 712W.
Copies of the ministerial code can be found in the Library of the House or on the Cabinet Office website at:
Public Bodies
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many public sector regulatory bodies have been (a) created and (b) abolished since May 1997. [272017]
Mr. Watson: The annual Cabinet Office publication “Public Bodies” provides information on all non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), including those with regulatory functions. In 1997 there were 857 NDPBs sponsored by UK Government. By 2008 the number had fallen to 790. Copies of “Public Bodies” dating back to 1997 are available in the Libraries of the House.
Public Sector: Public Consultation
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the use of citizens' juries. [271956]
Mr. Watson: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Edward Miliband) gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 3 March 2008, Official Report, column 2206W.
In relation to the last citizen's jury held by the Cabinet Office, on the Draft Legislative programme in October 2007, the Government's assessment was that it was helpful both in informing the development of that document and in shaping the consultation process for future draft programmes.
Trade Unions
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2009, Official Report, columns 943-4W, on trade unions, whether the office working space provided by the Cabinet Office to trade union representatives may be used for political activities. [270167]
Mr. Watson: Union Representatives are all civil servants and as such are bound by the Civil Service Code.
The rules relating to civil servants' involvement in political activities, including trade union representatives, are set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answers to the hon. Member for Chichester of 25 February 2008, Official Report, column 1185W, on trades unions, and of 2 February 2009, Official Report, columns 943-44W, on trades unions, what the (a) location and (b) size of the office facilities provided for the exclusive use of each of the recognised trade unions in (i) his Department, (ii) Government Communications and (iii) the Central Office of Information is; and what the notional monetary value of such provision was in 2008-09. [271911]
Mr. Watson: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 2 February 2009, Official Report, columns 943-44W.
Energy and Climate Change
Biofuels
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of whether the practice of attributing carbon neutrality to all biomass is compliant with Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol. [249617]
Joan Ruddock: The practice of attributing carbon neutrality to biomass at the point of use is consistent with article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol because the carbon stock changes reported under this article take account of biomass harvesting for subsequent use.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the emissions to air of (a) carbon dioxide and (b) nitrogen oxides which would arise if the UK were to achieve its targets for the usage of biomass as fuel as set in the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation 2008. [249619]
Joan Ruddock: If the UK were to achieve the estimated potential for the use of biomass for heat and power, as set out in the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation 2008, and assuming that biomass is carbon neutral, this could save around 20 Mt carbon dioxide compared to the fossil fuel alternative. This methodology does not account for losses of carbon dioxide during production, processing and transport, whose impact will vary on a case by case basis. Some of these savings will occur within the Emissions Trading Scheme. On nitrogen oxides, Government has modelled the potential impact of an increase in use of biomass in the domestic sector against a range of scenarios. We estimate this could result in an additional 0.8-9.1 ktonnes NOx over a baseline for 2020 of 87.1 ktonnes, depending on the amount of heat produced and the level of performance of the biomass unit.
British Nuclear Fuels
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the salary of the chief executive of British Nuclear Fuels plc was in each of the last 10 years. [267062]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
The salary paid to the chief executive in each of the last 10 full years is as follows:
| Year ending 31 March | Salary (£) |
Full details of the remuneration paid to the chief executive are published in BNFL’s annual report and accounts.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2008, Official Report, column 557 on departmental records, what estimate he made of the cost of answering the Question; and if he will make a statement. [272248]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The cost of answering the hon. Member’s question, in terms of expenditure incurred and the time and effort spent by officials to retrieve the relevant files, is estimated to exceed the current disproportionate cost threshold of £750.
Fuel Poverty
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households were estimated to be in fuel poverty in each (a) region and (b) London local authority area in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available. [276268]
Joan Ruddock: Regional fuel poverty figures are not available prior to 2001. The following table shows a regional breakdown of fuel poverty for 2006, the most recent year for which data are available.
| Region | Number of fuel poor households 2006 (thousand) |
Local authority data on fuel poverty are not available for 1997. The most recent year for which local authority levels of fuel poverty are available is 2003 and the following table shows these for local authorities in London.
| Local authority | Number of fuel poor households 2003 (thousand) |
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