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1 Dec 2009 : Column 713W—continued
(a) City and Guilds (6176) in Energy Awareness;
(b) Level 3 of the National Vocational Qualification 6049-03 (Provide Energy Efficiency Services);
(c) A qualification based on units one to five of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Home and Community Energy Advisers which qualification is awarded by a body which has been approved and quality assured by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator; or,
(d) A qualification that is recognised by a member state of the European Union, an EEA state or Turkey.
Climate Change Adaptation Sub-Committee
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what dates the Climate Change Adaptation Sub-Committee has met. [301715]
Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
The Adaptation Sub-Committee has so far met four times, on the following occasions:
30 July 2009
3 September 2009
23 October 2009
10 November 2009.
Departmental Legal Costs
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) cost and (b) purpose was of legal (i) representation and (ii) advice sought by his Department and its agencies in each year since May 1997. [300373]
Joan Ruddock: The Department is not able to determine this information without incurring disproportionate costs.
Departmental Official Cars
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of providing official cars for the use of (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the last 12 months. [301186]
Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, with responsibility for city and regional networks, on 16 July 2009, Official Report, column 80WS.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers (i) planned to attend and (ii) attended the reception held by his Department on 10 November 2009. [303396]
Joan Ruddock: This event was attended by all DECC Ministers and one DECC special adviser.
Exhaust Emissions: Shipping
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions from ships in 2008; what initiatives are being considered to encourage retrofitting of low carbon technologies; and if he will assess the effectiveness of the introduction of a carbon levy on imported goods with income used to tackle climate change in the developing world. [300500]
Joan Ruddock: Shipping is responsible for some 2 per cent. of global emissions. We continue to work on reducing overall emissions on shipping, and will be seeking a global sectoral approach to deliver this in the Copenhagen negotiations, where the UK will be calling for a 20 per cent. reduction from 2005 levels. Establishment of a carbon price in the shipping sector will help drive technical innovation by the industry. We are in discussion on a range of options for funding poorer nations' efforts to tackle climate change, but we do not believe an import levy is an effective or efficient means to do so as it provides no certainty of environmental benefits.
Fuel Poverty: Wales
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of fuel poverty in Wales of the rise in domestic (a) energy and (b) gas bills to 2020 outlined in the UK Renewables Strategy. [302376]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 30 November 2009]: Fuel poverty is a devolved issue and the response is therefore a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of fuel poverty in Wales in the last five years. [302549]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 30 November 2009]: Fuel poverty is a devolved issue and the response is therefore a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.
Nuclear Engineering: Training
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to ensure that sufficient numbers of specialist nuclear engineers are being trained. [301748]
Mr. Kidney: The Government recognises the challenge of ensuring that the UK has enough specialist nuclear engineers to maintain and decommission existing nuclear power stations as well as building new ones. The Office for Nuclear Development (OND) in DECC is working very closely with the employer led National Skills Academy for Nuclear, and Cogent (the Sector Skills Council for the nuclear sector) to address this challenge.
Specifically we are improving science provision in schools, have charged Cogent with taking forward a training strategy, and have helped set up the National Skills Academy for Nuclear to improve the supply of specialist skills at all levels, including nuclear engineering.
In addition, DECC Ministers have regular discussions with the energy industry about skills development issues relating to new nuclear build.
The OND is currently working in partnership with a number of bodies, including Cogent, to develop a high level skills and capability plan detailing exactly what skills will be needed, the volume of different skills and when they will be needed in order to be able to have new nuclear power plants built and generating electricity by 2018. With this detailed plan in place we will then work to identify and close any potential skills gaps in the nuclear workforce before they become critical.
Nuclear Power
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis was for the Prime Minister's announcement to the Confederation of British Industry Conference on 23 November 2009 that the Government had increased its plans for new nuclear capacity from 12 to 16 gigawatts. [303068]
Mr. Kidney: Government's policy is that it is in the public interest to allow energy companies to fund, develop and build new nuclear power stations and that Government will take active steps to make the conditions right for investment and enable new nuclear to come on line as soon as possible.
Energy companies have announced plans to build around 16 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity. The increase in new nuclear capacity results from the recent commitment of up to 3.6 gigawatts by a consortium of GDF SUEZ SA, Iberdrola SA and Scottish and Southern Energy plc following their purchase of a site near Sellafield from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Nuclear Power Stations: Cumbria
Paul Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the risks of fluvial flooding to the three sites
in Cumbria named in the National Nuclear Policy Statement as suitable for prospective new nuclear power plants. [302237]
Mr. Kidney: The Government assessed whether it is reasonable to conclude, at a strategic level, that a nuclear power station within the nominated sites at Kirksanton, Braystones and Sellafield in Cumbria could be protected against flood risk including the potential effects of climate change, storm surge and tsunami, taking into account possible countermeasures and mitigations.
This assessment included a consideration of fluvial flooding and the results of the assessment were published in the Nuclear National Policy Statement on 9 November 2009. This is available at:
In assessing flood risk the Government have been advised in particular by the Environment Agency and the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate. Sites were assessed against the climate change allowances in Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25) and UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09) findings.
The Government are consulting on their preliminary conclusions until February 2010 and will continue to work with the Environment Agency (and others) to ensure that the Nuclear National Policy Statement reflects up-to-date assessment of the strategic flood risk to the site. Detailed flood risk assessments would be required by the Infrastructure Planning Commission at the point at which any application for development consent came forward.
Power Stations
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his oral statement of 9 November 2009, Official Report, columns 30-33, on energy national policy statements, which generation technology will be used at each of the 20 gigawatt generation facilities which are under construction or have been consented to. [303555]
Mr. Kidney: The following table provides a breakdown of the power stations that are either under construction or have planning consents, by type. It is based on data from National Grid.
| Gigawatt | ||
| Type | Under construction | With planning consent |
Power Stations: EU Law
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which power stations in the UK have a limited life derogation under the Large Combustion Plant Directive; and when each is expected to close. [303393]
Mr. Kidney: The following power stations in the UK have opted out of the large combustion plant directive:
Ballylumford;
Cockenzie;
Didcot A;
Fawley;
Ferrybridge C;
Grain;
Ironbridge;
Kingsnorth;
Littlebrook D; and
Tilbury.
They must close by the end of 2015 or when they have run for 20,000 hours since 1 January 2008, whichever is the sooner. Within these constraints, decisions about when they will close are commercial matters for the operators.
Renewable Energy: Wales
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the UK Renewables Strategy, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the national cost of the renewable energy strategy by 2030 which will be borne by consumers in Wales. [302377]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 30 November 2009]: The cost of the Renewable Energy Strategy, including the impact on average consumer bills was set out in the overall impact assessment, published alongside the strategy in July 2009.
The Department has not made an assessment of costs borne by consumers in Wales.
Warm Front Scheme
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what the average waiting times were for (a) surveying of property, (b) completion of insulation improvements and (c) completion of heating improvements under the Warm Front scheme for each of the last 18 months, broken down by local authority; [301950]
(2) how many people applied for a Warm Front grant in each of the last 18 months, broken down by local authority; and how many such applications have not been processed to date. [301951]
Mr. Kidney: The data requested are not readily available and will have to be extrapolated from existing records. Eaga, the scheme manager, has advised the Department that this process may take up to 10 working days. Once the data are available a spreadsheet will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many recipients of Warm Front grants in each local authority area waited longer than (a) three months and (b) six months for heating improvements to be completed in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009; and how long such recipients have waited in each case. [301952]
Mr. Kidney: The data requested are not readily available and will have to be extrapolated from existing records, Eaga, the scheme manager, has advised the Department that this process may take up to 10 working days. Once the data are available a spreadsheet will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many requests for funding under the Warm Front scheme have been (a) made and (b) granted in each of the last three years. [302158]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 30 November 2009]: Eaga, the scheme manager, does not record the number of ineligible applicants who approach the scheme seeking assistance, as such, the total number of requests for assistance are not recorded.
However, the total number of people receiving assistance in each of the last three complete years, alongside the total number of qualifying referrals, are as follows:
| Qualifying referrals | Assisted households | |
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