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17 Jun 2009 : Column 348W—continued
Fuel poverty is caused by the interaction of three things: income, fuel prices and energy efficiency. Therefore, households with low income or very high energy bills are more prone to being fuel poor. In 2006, average household income for households in the north-west was below that of England as a whole, while the average
energy efficiency rating, as measured by SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) was similar to that for England overall.
The combination of national programmes such as Warm Front, Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and Decent Homes and local programmes and delivery through local government, partnerships, energy suppliers, Eaga and NEA (such as Warm Zones and the Central Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) are all important in tackling fuel poverty across England. Government do not direct programmes to specific areas but the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) programme to be launched this autumn is proposed to take place in areas of the lowest income decile as measured in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation.
Lighting: East of England
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding his Department has allocated to the encouragement of usage of light emitting diode variety light bulbs in (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and (b) the East of England since it was established; and if he will make a statement. [278849]
Joan Ruddock: The Government have not allocated funding specifically to the east of England to encourage the use of light emitting diodes (LEDs). However, we recognise the potential that LED lighting can offer and the Energy Saving Trust is funding a number of trials in social housing communal areas, of which one is in Suffolk. Businesses are also encouraged to invest in efficient lighting solutions, including LEDs where appropriate, through the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme. In addition, the Government are working with NHS trusts through the Forward Commitment process to challenge the industry to develop lighting efficiency.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 28 April 2009, on an emissions performance standard for power generation. [279440]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 12 June 2009]: I apologise for the delay in responding and will do so shortly.
Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many full-time equivalent members of staff in (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case. [279816]
Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate change is not directly involved in the management of any Olympics projects but the Department and its advisers take part in discussions with the relevant authorities on a range of issues involving the supply of energy and materials for the site and the games.
Renewable Energy: Housing
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what financial incentives his Department provides to encourage the (a) construction and (b) adaptation of homes to incorporate (i) renewable energy technologies and (ii) sustainable building materials. [278873]
Joan Ruddock: The Government play an important role in providing incentives to increase take-up of small scale renewable on-site energy technologies. These technologies have a key role to play in meeting our 2020 renewable targets, and will be essential in achieving our legally binding 2050 target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent. Presently, the main sources of financial support for these technologies come from the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) and the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).
The LCBP is an £86 million capital grant programme supporting households, communities and the public sector to install small scale onsite energy technologies. A further £45 million was allocated to the programme in Budget 2009, bringing total funding to £131 million. The programme aims to demonstrate how energy efficiency and onsite energy technologies can be combined in a range of buildings to reduce carbon emissions.
To incentivise the installation of microgeneration under CERT, the scheme provides suppliers with a ring-fenced market transformation option which allows them to achieve up to 12 per cent. of their overall CERT target by promoting measures for which there is not yet a developed market. To further incentivise microgeneration, suppliers may increase this market transformation ring-fence by a further 2 per cent. by promoting microgeneration measures; suppliers receive a 50 per cent. uplift in their carbon score within the ring-fence for this.
The LCBP and CERT have made an important contribution to developing a market for low-carbon small-scale generation in the UK. However, we fully acknowledge that we need to go much further if we are to meet our long-term goals. That is why we included powers in the Energy Act 2008 to introduce feed-in tariffs (FITs) for small-scale low-carbon electricity generation (up to a maximum limit of 5 megawatt capacity) through changes to electricity distribution and supply licences. We are currently working to develop recommendations on the design of the mechanism, including the tariff levels and the period during which they will apply, the detail of which we will consult on this summer. We have committed to have feed-in tariffs in place in April 2010.
Powers in the Energy Act also enable a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to be set up. The powers allow the RHI to provide financial assistance to generators of renewable heat, and producers of renewable biogas and biomethane. The incentive payments will be funded by a levy on suppliers of fossil fuels for heat. Our aim is to make the RHI as accessible, flexible and user-friendly as possible to potential investors in renewable heat at all scales, from domestic to industrial. We are currently working to develop the main features of the RHI scheme, which we will consult on towards the end of this year, and aim to have the RHI in place by April 2011.
In terms of renewable building materials, we provide funding and support for research and dissemination of technology development and information. This Department has part-funded the Renewable House at the Building Research Establishment in Watford which showcases renewable construction technologies on a domestic scale.
The Government also encourage the use of sustainable materials through tightening of Building Regulations. Significantly, we have made a commitment that all new homes must be zero carbon from 2016. To support this ambition the Government launched the Code for Sustainable Homes, which rates a home on a ‘whole house’ basis with a one to six star rating. The code scores new properties against nine categories, which, in addition to use of sustainable materials, include energy, water, waste and ecology.
The code is voluntary for private sector builders, however. If Government are funding the development, or if the development is being built on Government land code level 3 must be attained. Homes built to this standard must have a 25 per cent. improvement in energy efficiency over current Building Regulations, which may require the inclusion of renewable energy generation, and will include the use of materials with a lower environmental impact.
International Development
Balkans: Poverty
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the extent of poverty in (a) Kosovo and (b) other Balkan countries; and if he will make a statement. [279612]
Mr. Michael Foster: The World Bank’s October 2007 “Kosovo Poverty Assessment Report” estimated that approximately 45 per cent. of the population in Kosovo live below the national poverty line, and 15 per cent. of the population is considered extremely poor. A further 18 per cent. are seen as vulnerable to poverty.
Kosovo is the poorest region in the Balkans. The Department for International Development (DFID) also works in Bosnia and Herzegovina where 18.2 per cent. of the population is reported as living in relative poverty (World Bank, 2007), and in Serbia where the official government poverty figures for 2006 stood at 8.8 per cent.
Demos
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) private meetings and (b) public engagements Ministers in his Department have attended at which representatives from the think-tank Demos were present in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [279498]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: In the past 12 months, the Minister of State for International Development (Mr. Thomas) had one meeting with Demos on 12 May 2009 on joint departmental business with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. No other DFID Ministers have held private meetings with Demos.
It is not possible to provide details of public engagements attended by DFID Ministers at which Demos representatives were present without incurring disproportionate costs.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has any contracts with the think-tank Demos. [279499]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have any contracts with Demos.
Departmental Press
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) newspapers and (b) periodicals are delivered to the private office of each Minister in his Department; and at what cost in the latest period for which figures are available. [279422]
Mr. Michael Foster: The following newspapers and periodicals were delivered to the private offices of the Department for International Development's four Ministers in May 2009:
Daily Express (one copy)
Daily Mail (three copies)
Daily Mirror (one copy)
Daily Telegraph (three copies)
Financial Times (four copies)
Glasgow Herald (one copy)
The Scotsman (one copy)
The Guardian (four copies)
The Independent (two copies)
The Sun (one copy)
The Times (three copies)
The Economist (four copies)
Spectator (one copy)
Foreign Affairs (one copy)
Private Eye (one copy)
Evening Standard (one copy)
The total cost for this period was £567.74.
Developing Countries: Health Services
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the World Bank's health, nutrition and population support for poor people in developing countries from 1997 to 2008; [280245]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the World Bank's health programmes in developing countries between 1997 and 2008. [280217]
Mr. Michael Foster:
The World Bank's role in health, nutrition and population between 1997 and 2007 was recently evaluated by the Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) whose report was published in April. The evaluation provided a self critical look at World Bank support to health and we agreed with its key findings
that Bank health programmes had achieved mixed results. The Department for International Development (DFID) has not undertaken a separate assessment.
The Bank is committed to improving its performance in health, nutrition and population. The Bank's Health, Nutrition and Population Strategy published in 2007 sets a strong direction and is already helping to address several of the weaknesses identified by the IEG's evaluation.
Kosovo: HIV Infection
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the prevalence of (a) HIV/AIDS and (b) tuberculosis in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [279611]
Mr. Michael Foster: HIV prevalence is very low in Kosovo. The National Institute of Public Health in Kosovo (NIPH) stated that there were 67 HIV positive people in 2006. However, with a very young population, high unemployment and increases in drug use, Kosovo presents an environment where HIV infection could increase rapidly.
The tuberculosis notification rate in Kosovo remains high compared to other Balkans countries but the trend has been downwards. Although there was a slight rise in 2005 to 52 cases per 100,000 people, the number of new cases in that year was half the number reported in 2001.
Kosovo: Infant Mortality
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of (a) infant and (b) maternal mortality rates in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [279610]
Mr. Michael Foster: Health statistics in Kosovo are not reliable. Nevertheless, the figures available for Kosovo point to health indicators among the worst in Europe, despite the positive downward trend since 2000.
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) quotes the infant mortality rate for Kosovo as between 35 and 49 per 1,000 live births. For maternal mortality, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) reported a rate of 6.9 per 100,000 births in 2005.
Kosovo: National Income
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his latest estimate is of Kosovo’s (a) gross national income and (b) average earnings per head of population; and if he will make a statement. [279613]
Mr. Michael Foster: Kosovo’s statistical systems remain in an early stage of development and all data are therefore subject to high degree of uncertainty. Estimates for gross national income and average earnings per head are not available. However, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that in 2007 Kosovo’s gross national disposable income per capita was €1,845. This is projected to increase to €2,053 per capita in 2009, though may have to be adjusted depending on the impact of the global economic crisis. The gross domestic product per capita was listed as €1,611 for 2007 and €1,837 for 2009.
Kosovo: Unemployment
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of levels of unemployment in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [279609]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Statistical Office of Kosovo (SOK) lists the 2005 total unemployment rate as 41.4 per cent., with 83.7 per cent. of those considered to be long-term unemployed. The unemployment rate for women is 60.5 per cent. However, Kosovo’s statistical systems remain in an early stage of development and therefore data are subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The Department for International Development (DFID) has supported the Statistics Office of Kosovo to develop a National Statistics Development Strategy which is now being implemented.
South Ossetia: Overseas aid
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in South Ossetia; and what plans his Department has for the delivery of humanitarian aid to South Ossetia. [279206]
Mr. Michael Foster: A Department for International Development (DFID) monitoring mission in February 2009 reported that the humanitarian situation in South Ossetia appeared to have stabilised and that the remaining internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Georgia were living in more acceptable humanitarian conditions. However, with the exception of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), humanitarian organisations are still hampered in their ability to access conflict-affected areas despite assurances that unfettered access would be granted.
DFID has so far provided £4 million to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of the region and is continuing to monitor the situation. We are also supporting UK conflict prevention activities through a regional Conflict Prevention Pool which is jointly managed with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.
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