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8 Dec 2009 : Column 323W—continued
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to his Department was of provision of office facilities to (a) special advisers and (b) press officers in the 2008-09 financial year. [302974]
Joan Ruddock: The Department manages the cost of office facilities centrally as a departmental overhead and it is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown of costs for specific departmental functions.
Energy Saving Trust: Advertising
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was spent on advertising through each medium by the Energy Saving Trust in each of the last five years. [303392]
Joan Ruddock: The Energy Saving Trust has spent the following on advertising through each medium over the period 2005-10.
| Amount (excl VAT) (£) | |
Energy: Conservation
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much central Government funding has been spent on energy efficiency measures in (a) local authority, (b) housing association and (c) private homes in City of York local authority area in each year since 1996. [304507]
Joan Ruddock: Funding to encourage take-up of energy efficiency measures in Great Britain is available primarily through three schemes: the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Warm Front, and the Decent Homes programme. However, only Warm Front and Decent Homes are funded from the public purse. Table A illustrates the investment made under Warm Front on measures to improve the energy efficiency of homes, by tenure, in the City of York since the scheme began in 2000.
Local authority and housing association homes are assisted through the Government-funded Decent Homes programme, as well as councils' own capital resources. Central Government has allocated City of York council £22.5 million for capital investment in their housing stock since 2001 through Decent Homes, as illustrated in Table B.
| Table A: Warm Front spend in the City of York by tenure | ||||||||||
| Tenure | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
Energy: Meters
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the (a) average and (b) maximum premium being paid by customers using pre-payment meters for (i) gas and (ii) electricity compared to customers paying by direct debit. [303531]
Mr. Kidney: The most recent figures on tariffs are those for November 2009. The new rules outlawing undue price discrimination came into force on 1 September.
According to the latest available figures from Ofgem, prices for an average consumer using 3,300 kWh of electricity per year, indicate an average annual differential of £28 (pre-payment compared with direct debit) and a maximum differential of £60.
For an average consumer using 20,500 kWh of gas per year, November 2009 prices indicate an average annual differential of £49 and a maximum differential of £107.
Ofgem produces estimates of domestic household energy bills, and these reflect current prices as at November 2009. The maximum and average differentials given here mean the difference between direct debit and pre-payment tariffs available to consumers by a single supplier within one region.
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to amend the system of pricing for pre-payment fuel meter customers. [303644]
Mr. Kidney: E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power, EDF Energy and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) have chosen to equalise their prepayment meter tariffs with standard credit for both gas and electricity. In addition, Centrica has equalised its electricity prepayment meter tariffs with standard credit.
New rules came into force on 1 September outlawing undue price discrimination and ensuring price differences between different payment methods for electricity and gas are cost reflective.
In their latest Quarterly Price Report, published 7 December 2009, Ofgem reported that tariff differentials for prepayment meter customers now, on average, reflect cost differences. This report can be found online at:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/ensuppro/Documents1/Quarterly%20Wholesale%20Retail%20Price %20Report%20November%202009.pdf
Energy: Prices
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of households in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales which defaulted on energy bill payments in the last 12 months. [304195]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 7 December 2009]: Neither Ofgem nor the Department collect data on numbers of households that have defaulted on their energy bill payments.
Nuclear Power
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what work he is undertaking with the International Atomic Energy Agency to assist states to develop a civil nuclear energy industry while minimising the risk of nuclear weapons proliferating. [304471]
Mr. Kidney: The UK is a committed member of the IAEA and wants the Agency to maintain and strengthen its position at the centre of international efforts to ensure a safe and secure nuclear energy future. We are the fourth largest funder, make significant voluntary contribution to its Technical Cooperation and Nuclear Security Funds, and DECC leads work with the Agency on a variety of civil nuclear related matters.
Since 1981, the UK has provided a Support Programme (UKSP) to IAEA Safeguards. The UKSP has an annual budget of about £1 million and provides support, inter alia, with training of IAEA inspectors, analytical services and expert consultancy. Support to the IAEA's Nuclear Security Fund was doubled this year, up to £4 million. The UK also plays a key role in the IAEA's security work and the revision of the IAEA's recommendations for the physical protection of materials. DECC is also leading work on the UK-led Nuclear Fuel Assurance, one of several concepts being considered under an IAEA led initiative to provide states with an assured supply of nuclear fuel, and the Nuclear Centre of Excellence.
UK engagement with the IAEA is set out in the UK policy document "Road to 2010" (Cm 7675, published 16 July this year) - a detailed plan of action in the run up to the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in May 2010.
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