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1 Jun 2009 : Column 65W—continued
In making a decision to outsource the Northern Ireland Office and its agencies are mindful of their responsibility to achieve efficiencies and be cost-effective.
Departmental Furniture
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on furniture in each of the last five years. [273710]
Mr. Woodward: Departmental and agency expenditure on furniture in the last five years is shown in the following table:
| £000 | ||
| Department | Agencies | |
The Northern Ireland Office procures furniture across a number of sites which are mainly located in Belfast and London. This furniture is required to facilitate staff in providing a quality service and the expenditure has been incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Policing Board for Northern Ireland: Translation Services
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated cost of providing Irish translation services for Policing Board meetings is in the first 12 months in which such services will be required. [277321]
Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Northern Ireland Policing Board, which is independent of Government. The hon. Lady may wish to write to the Chief Executive of the Policing Board.
State Visits
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of the ceremonial protocol appropriate to visits to Northern Ireland by foreign heads of state. [276772]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
There is no standard ceremonial protocol appropriate to visits to Northern Ireland by foreign heads of state. Programmes for visits to the UK by foreign heads of state organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be tailored to the circumstances of each visit and arranged in full co-operation with relevant parties.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department plans to undertake research into personal carbon (a) trading and (b) rationing. [271286]
Joan Ruddock: The Government carried out an extensive study into personal carbon trading last year. This was one of a number of potential long term options being explored for making individuals better informed about, and involved in, tackling climate change. The aim was to try and understand the issues surrounding personal carbon trading better.
The study concluded that personal carbon trading has potential to engage individuals in taking action to combat climate change, but is essentially ahead of its time and expected costs for implementation are high. The findings are available on the DEFRA website at:
Climate Change: International Cooperation
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he plans to have with his international counterparts on measures to tackle climate change before the meeting in Copenhagen. [274091]
Joan Ruddock: In the build-up to the UNFCCC Conference in Copenhagen this December my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be discussing climate change with his international counterparts in a number of multilateral discussions, including through the Major Economies Forum, UN and G8, and through a range of bilateral discussions during the year.
Already this year my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has undertaken bilateral visits to the United States and China. He expects to make further bilateral visits to countries including Russia, South Africa and India during the year. In addition, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to attend next month’s Greenland dialogue, hosted by the Danish Government, bringing together many countries involved in the preparations for Copenhagen.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will seek to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department by siting its data centres in the UK in the north of the UK. [274900]
Joan Ruddock: The Department does not own or run any data centres.
Energy: Conservation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department’s employees have been engaged on the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy consultation since the consultation began. [275591]
Joan Ruddock: DECC have two members of staff directly engaged on the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy Consultation with contributions from various officials across the Department (at least six) as and when appropriate.
Fuel Poverty
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what pilot projects his Department has undertaken on the use of alternative forms of energy generation for the alleviation of fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement. [271436]
Joan Ruddock: On 23 April 2009, I announced that the Warm Front grant level for low carbon technologies for off-gas properties has increased from £4,000 to £6,000. This will increase the potential for Warm Front to provide renewable heating systems to some of England’s most energy inefficient housing.
New technologies will initially be tested in small-scale pilot programmes, before a decision will be made whether to integrate these as full measures offered through the scheme. Warm Front has already begun piloting solar thermal water heating and air source heat pumps.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what pilot projects run by organisations sponsored by his Department are designed to assess the suitability of alternative forms of energy generation for the alleviation of fuel poverty; which such pilots comprise part of his Department’s assessment of the Government’s future strategy on fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement. [271437]
Joan Ruddock: On 23 April 2009, I announced that the Warm Front grant level for low carbon technologies for off-gas properties has increased from £4,000 to £6,000. This will increase the potential for Warm Front, which is administered by a private company, eaga plc, to provide renewable heating systems to some of England’s most energy inefficient housing.
New technologies will initially be tested in small-scale pilot programmes, before a decision will be made whether to integrate these as full measures offered through the scheme. Warm Front has already begun piloting solar thermal water heating and air source heat pumps.
The Energy Saving Trust, grant funded by DECC, has been undertaking a number of field trials to assess the in-situ performance of sustainable energy technologies. None of these projects was specifically designed to address fuel poverty objectives although energy saving or lower cost energy supply have the potential to help alleviate fuel poverty.
DECC is currently undertaking a review of its fuel poverty policies, which will take into account the findings of any relevant pilot projects. Until the review has delivered its findings it would be inappropriate to consider whether to revise the Government’s Fuel Poverty Strategy.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) age, (b) construction type and (c) Standard Assessment Procedure ratings are of each domestic dwelling included in pilot schemes on the suitability of air source heat pumps for the alleviation of fuel poverty wholly or partly funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [271444]
Joan Ruddock: The Warm Front Scheme, which is aimed specifically at the fuel poor, has begun a piloting exercise for 200 Air Source Heat Pumps, to evaluate whether this technology should be brought in as a main measure offered through the scheme. Installation of the pumps is due to begin over the summer. DECC has not yet defined the property type which will be used on the pilot, although it is likely that the properties will all be off the gas grid.
The Energy Savings Trust will be incorporating a portion of these fuel poor properties into its own trial sample, for which it has provided Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) ratings for 35 non-Warm Front properties out of an intended 80, though it is not known how many of these are fuel poor.
SAP ratings range from 12 (G rating) to 77 (C rating) for the 35 properties for which data are available. There is a range of house types including detached bungalows, mid terraces and large detached houses. Six of the houses were built before 1900 and so have solid walls, although most of these also had extensions built more recently.
Insulation: Housing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many cavity walls (a) were planned to be insulated under the original illustrative mix of measures outlined under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and (b) are expected to be insulated following the changes arising from his Department’s proposals announced on 12 February 2009. [270561]
Joan Ruddock: The illustrative mix (a scenario produced for impact assessment purposes) published alongside the CERT Order, demonstrated that 2.9 million cavities could be insulated by 2011. This has now been revised to a central case (i.e. a mid-range estimate of what suppliers might achieve) of 2.5 million. This is an illustration of what is achievable under CERT, to demonstrate its cost-effectiveness, and is not a plan of measures to be installed, nor an expectation of what suppliers will do. It is based on a variety of factors including our understanding of the energy supply chain. It is at energy suppliers’ discretion which of the eligible measures they promote, with levels of consumer demand a key factor in determining the number of measures installed.
Warm Front Scheme
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will introduce a mechanism to reduce the cost of work undertaken under the Warm Front scheme. [249844]
Joan Ruddock: DECC is currently in negotiations with the Warm Front Scheme Manager, Eaga plc, about improvements that can be made to the current contract to deliver the scheme. A number of changes have now been agreed to the service procurement and delivery arrangements, including opening up the scheme to greater competition through liberalisation of both the equipment and installation supply chains, leading to improved value for money.
Further details of these new arrangements will be announced in due course.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many pensioners have received a Warm Front grant in each year since the introduction of the scheme. [270152]
Joan Ruddock: The table indicates the number of householders over 60 who have received assistance from the Warm Front Scheme since the scheme’s inception in June 2000, although figures for 2000-05 show an incomplete total.
| Number of Warm Front grants to applicants 60 or over | |
| (1) Figures for 2000-01 to 2004-05 are solely for the geographic areas of the scheme managed by Eaga. Data on the areas managed by Powergen during this period are not available. | |
Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what files are held by his Department on (a) the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and (b) the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Bill of Session 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [273839]
Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 21 April 2009, Official Report, column 557W.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what (a) statutory instruments, (b) departmental circulars, (c) consultation documents and (d) other documents he (i) has issued and (ii) plans to issue in the next 12 months consequent on the provisions of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000; and if he will make a statement. [274050]
Joan Ruddock: There have been no statutory instruments, department circulars or consultation documents issued on the provision of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000.
As required by the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, the Secretary of State publishes an annual progress report to give an update on progress against the targets set under the Act.
Except in relation to the annual report, there has been no decision made on the issue of any future documents. DECC is currently undertaking a review of its fuel poverty policies. Initial findings of this review are expected in the summer of 2009. It is too early to say whether there will be a consultation in the next 12 months as a result of this process.
Wales
EC Grants and Loans
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what above-Barnett formula additions to the Block Grant for Wales for the EU share of funding for Objective 1 and convergence programmes respectively there were in each year since 1999-2000. [276974]
Mr. Paul Murphy: EU funding is allocated in spending rounds, the most recent three running from 1994 to 2000, from 2001 to 2006 and from 2007 to 2013.
For the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 financial years, EU funding was provided within the Barnett formula as these years fell within the previous spending round.
For the 2001-06 round, where the UK bid for and secured a substantially bigger allocation from Europe, Wales benefited from allocations under a number of European Structural Funds, including Objective 1 which itself covered around 65 per cent. of the population of Wales, in the Valleys, West Wales, and large parts of North Wales.
There was already a baseline in existing Welsh provision, but on top of this, as recorded in the Wales Office Annual Reports submitted to the House, as well as the Main Estimates, the following total amounts of budget cover were made available to the Welsh Assembly, above the overall Block Grant, as receipts from the EU:
| £ million | |
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