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15 Dec 2009 : Column 1125W—continued
Power Failures
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) Ofgem, (b) EDF Energy and (c) the Energy Ombudsman on the power cuts at Dartford Creek cable bridge on 20 July 2009. [306568]
Mr. Kidney: In October 2009 officials from the Department discussed the progress of their Interruption Incentive Scheme Audit with Ofgem and had further discussions with EDF Energy on the incident, recovery and follow up. No discussions have taken place with the energy ombudsman regarding this incident.
Renewable Energy
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to offer to other renewable technology projects the same grandfathering principles it is proposed to apply to offshore wind projects. [307616]
Mr. Kidney: Support under the Renewables Obligation is grandfathered at point of accreditation for all technologies except biomass.
The "Government Response to the Statutory Consultation on the Renewables Obligation Order 2009", published in December 2008 set out our decision not to grandfather existing biomass and waste plants following evidence from the biomass industry:
"that grandfathering existing stations at 1 ROC/MWh while banding up new stations would be detrimental to a competitive market for the fuel stock."
We are currently carrying out work with the Renewables Advisory Board, the Renewable Energy Association and biomass stakeholders to assess whether moves in biomass fuel prices might warrant such action at the next banding review starting October 2010.
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the statement of 9 December 2009, Official Report , columns 359-71, on Pre-Budget Report how many households he expects to install (a) micro wind turbines and (b) solar panels. [307623]
Mr. Kidney: Based on the tariffs proposed in the Renewable Electricity Financial Incentives Consultation, our modelling suggests that by 2020 there will be approximately 20,000 small scale domestic wind turbines and 800,000 domestic scale solar photo voltaic (PV) installations.
These projections are based on modelling which relies on a number of assumptions which in reality will be uncertain. Therefore actual installation numbers may differ from projected installation numbers.
Renewable Energy: EU Law
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on ensuring that the transmission charging methodology in the UK is in line with the EU Renewables Directive. [305735]
Mr. Kidney: My officials recently responded to a European Commission request for a paper explaining how the transmission charging methodology in the UK is compliant with the renewables directive. Officials also attended a hearing at the European Parliament on 1 December at which the Commission was represented. The Commission agreed with our conclusion that the methodology is compliant with the directive.
Sellafield
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 12 October 2009, Official Report, column 490W, on Sellafield, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report from Sellafield Ltd regarding the contamination event which took place on 20 June 2008. [303510]
Mr. Kidney: Yes. The report is Sellafield Ltd's own document and certain information is being withheld at the company's request to ensure site security, and to protect personal identities and commercial interests.
Wind Power
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with (a) Vattenfall, (b) London Array Ltd. and (c) the Port of Ramsgate on the suitability of the local workforce for maintenance and support operations for Thanet Offshore and the London Array windfarms. [305097]
Mr. Kidney: The Department has not had any discussions with (a) Vattenfall (b) London Array Ltd. or (c) the Port of Ramsgate regarding the suitability of the local workforce for maintenance and support operations for the Thanet and the London Array offshore wind farms as this is a matter for the market.
The Government are supporting the development of the appropriate skills on a nationwide basis through the Sector Skills Councils and through providing support for the National Skills Academy for Power. We are also working with the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) to develop a skills strategy for the sector. As part of this, the BWEA is developing a programme of apprentice training for the start of the next academic year which will provide training for a new generation of turbine technicians.
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the potential employment opportunities represented by the maintenance and operation of Thanet Offshore and the London Array windfarms when completed; and what steps he has taken to put in place training arrangements for the local community to provide skills relevant to employment in windfarms. [305098]
Mr. Kidney: The Department has not made any assessment of the potential employment opportunities represented by the maintenance and operation of the Thanet and London Array offshore wind farms when completed.
We have not put in place training for the local community to provide skills relevant to employment in wind farms as this is a matter for the market. I refer my hon. Friend to my answer today to parliamentary question number 305097 in respect of action that the Government are taking to support the development of these skills on a nationwide basis.
Cabinet Office
Charity Commission: Conferences
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) away days and (b) conferences that took place outside the Charity Commission's buildings attended by civil servants in the Charity Commission there have been since 2005; and what the cost was of each. [307465]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the commission to reply.
Letter from Andrew Hind, dated 14 December 2009:
As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on how many (a) away days and (b) conferences that took place outside the Charity Commission's buildings attended by civil servants in the Charity Commission there have been since 2005; and what the cost was of each (307465).
Our expenditure on conferences and away days for each financial year is set out below:
| £ | ||
| Conferences | Away days | |
A proportion of expenditure on conferences is spent on our staff attending external conferences for professional development purposes. It is important to note that the conferences hosted by the Commission are attended by charity sector representatives to enhance the quality of governance across the charity sector. We do not have access to detailed data on attendance.
Generally, away days are attended by Charity Commission staff for training and strategic development purposes, with the occasional guest speaker who may be a civil servant. We do not hold data on the number of events held each year because these often occur at a divisional team level and budgetary control is exercised on the cost, not the volume of occurrence.
I hope this is helpful.
Charity Commission: Operating Costs
Mr. Leech: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost of running the Charities Commission was (a) in the 12 months before the introduction of the Charities Act 2006 and (b) in the last 12 months; and what the projected costs to the Commission of implementing and enforcing compliance with the Act will be in the next 12 months. [307437]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.
Letter from Andrew Hind, dated 14 December 2009:
As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on what the cost of running the Charity Commission was (a) in the 12 months before the introduction of the Charities Act 2006 and (b) in the last 12 months; and what the projected costs to the Commission of implementing and enforcing compliance with the Act will be in the next 12 months (307437).
The Charities Act 2006 received Royal Assent on 8 November 2006, although the introduction of many of its provisions has been spread over a series of Commencement Orders between February 2007 and January 2009. Several provisions of the Act have not yet been introduced and the timing and detail of these provisions have yet to be agreed and will go beyond 2010/11.
The Act places a number of statutory objectives on the Commission and our whole budget is, effectively, devoted to meeting these objectives:
(a) The total cost of running the Charity Commission in the year before the Royal Assent was received (2005/06) was £31.6m.
(b) The total cost of running the Charity Commission last year (2008/09) was £31.8m.
(c) The total cost of running the Charity Commission this year (2009/10) is forecast to be £30.9m.
(d) The Charity Commission's funding baseline for 2010/11 is £29.5m.
The overall regulatory nature of the Charity Commission's responsibilities means that it is not possible to differentiate between future costs relating purely to the provisions of the 2006 Act and other more general duties.
I hope this is helpful.
Death: Dietary Supplements
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths attributable to the use of food supplements were recorded in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [307120]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths attributable to the use of food supplements were recorded in each of the last 10 years. (307120)
The information requested is not available. The accurate reporting of deaths by specific causes depends on the complete recording of all relevant causes of death by medical practitioners and coroners. Medical practitioners are required to complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) to the best of their knowledge and belief. Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires only those conditions that contributed directly to death to be recorded. The MCCD is not designed to collect information on possible risk factors or exposures related to the development of disease.
ONS reports on mortality figures by cause using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). There are no ICD codes for adverse reactions to food supplements.
Death: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the main causes of death were for (a) men and (b) women living in Leeds, West constituency in each of the last 10 years. [306991]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the main causes of death were for (a) men and (b) women living in Leeds, West constituency in each of the last 10 years. (306991)
The tables attached identifies the main causes of death for (a) males and (b) females in Leeds, West parliamentary constituency for each of the years 1999 to 2008 (the latest year available).
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