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12 Jan 2010 : Column 871W—continued
Population
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what account the 2008 population projections issued by the Office for National Statistics on 21 October 2009 took of recent trends of reductions in (a) net migration and (b) net migration from the A8 EU member states. [310514]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what account the 2008-based population projections issued by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 21 October 2009 took of recent trends of reductions in (a) net migration and (b) net migration from the A8 EU member states [310514].
The 2008-based national population projections assume future net migration to the UK of +180,000 a year from mid-2014 onwards, with slightly higher net migration assumed for the first few years of the projection period. These assumptions of future net migration are based on past trends in net long-term international migration to the UK and are calculated using a standard methodology first introduced for the 1991-based projections see national population projections reference volume available at:
The assumptions for the 2008-based projections are based upon final estimates of long-term international migration up to the end of 2007, plus provisional International Passenger Survey (IPS) estimates of long-term international migration for the year ending December 2008. Thus the calculation of the assumptions took into account the decline in long-term international net migration indicated by the provisional IPS estimates published by ONS on 27 August 2009.
With regard to net migration from the A8 EU member states, the 2008-based projections assume annual net migration from these countries (plus Bulgaria and Romania) declining from +25,000 for 2009-10 to zero for 2014-15 onwards. Again, the calculation of these assumptions took into account the decline in long-term international net migration from the A8 EU member states indicated by the provisional IPS estimates published by ONS on 27 August 2009.
Valuation Office Agency: Training
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 15 June 2009, Official Report, column 55W, on the Valuation Office: training, if she will place in the Library a copy of each document for the Staff Inspection Techniques training course provided by the National School of Government to the Valuation Office Agency. [309393]
Tessa Jowell: This is a matter for the National School of Government. I have asked the principal and chief executive to assist by writing to you.
Letter from Rod Clark, dated January 2010:
In the Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 9 January 2007 (Official Report Col 5WS), the then Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Pat McFadden MP) announced that the National School of Government was now a Non Ministerial Department. Consequently, the Minister for the Cabinet Office has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about the National School of Government.
The National School operates in a commercial environment with a business model which requires the full operating costs of the department to be recovered from the products and services provided to clients and customers. The publication of the information requested could prejudice the ability of the department to meet its financial target. I have, therefore, concluded that it would not be helpful to place a copy of the materials in the Library of the House.
I will, however, send this information to you.
Energy and Climate Change
Boilers: Scotland
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Executive on the possible extension to Scotland of the boiler scrappage scheme. [310377]
Joan Ruddock: The Department informed the Scottish Executive of its intention to operate a boiler scrappage scheme in England. As the scheme is an energy efficiency measure it is a devolved matter and it is for the Scottish Executive to take a decision on whether to operate a similar scheme in Scotland.
Energy Efficiency Schemes: Scotland
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will discuss with the Scottish Executive the location of the test hubs referred to in the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan. [310546]
Joan Ruddock:
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has discussed the location of the test hubs referred to in the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan with
the Scottish Executive. The Scottish Executive decided, in this case, that the test hubs should not be located in Scotland.
Energy: Prices
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the level of the average household (a) gas and (b) electricity bill; what the average bill was in each case in 1997; and if he will make a statement. [308165]
Mr. Kidney: The Department's latest estimates for the average annual domestic energy bills and provisional estimates for the year to 2009 and are published in 'Quarterly Energy Prices', published in December 2009:
For an average consumer using 18,000 kWh of gas per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), the average bill for gas in Great Britain was £328 in 1997 and £717 in 2009. Adjusting for the effects of inflation, in real terms equivalent bills were £349 in 1997 and £574 in 2009 relative to prices in 2000.
For an average consumer using 3,300 kWh of electricity per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), the average bill for electricity in the UK was £285 in 1997 and £461 in 2009. Adjusting for the effects of inflation, in real terms equivalent bills were £303 in 1997 and £369 in 2009 relative to prices in 2000.
UK domestic gas and electricity prices are the lowest and the fourth lowest in the EU15 respectively, with latest figures for the period January to June 2009.
Competitive energy markets are a key element of our energy policy. We think that companies competing for consumers is the most effective way of driving down energy prices. However, we are in close contact with the regulator and are monitoring retail energy markets closely. Government and the regulator between them have a number of potential options and we will be ready to take further action if we believe it is both necessary and in the customers' interests.
Recognising that energy is an essential commodity to vulnerable customers the Government negotiated the current voluntary agreement with suppliers to address the prices aspect of fuel poverty. The voluntary agreement comes to an end in March 2011 however, and we have included powers in the recently introduced Energy Bill to enable us to put social price support on to a statutory footing, building on the success of these voluntary arrangements. As announced in the Pre Budget Report, the Government will require energy suppliers to make available £300 million per annum by 2013-14 .This is double what energy suppliers have agreed to provide in the final year of the voluntary agreement and will mean being able to help more of the vulnerable households with their energy bills.
The Government are also actively promoting energy efficiency measures, as outlined in the Low Carbon Transition Plan:
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to eradicate fuel poverty in 2009; what steps he plans to take in the first six months of 2010; and if he will make a statement. [308167]
Mr. Kidney: The Government have a strong package of measures to help reduce fuel poverty among households. This is centred on tackling the three root causes of fuel poverty:
Reducing the demand for energy by improving home energy efficiency through schemes such as Warm Front, Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Community Energy Saving Programme and the Decent Homes Standard.
Ensuring competitive energy prices through a robust system of regulation aimed to protect all consumers.
Raising real incomes, including through winter fuel payments and cold weather payments alongside the wider tax and benefit system and through benefit entitlement checks under the Warm Front scheme.
More specifically, during 2009, the Government have:
Increased the grant limits for eligible households under the Warm Front scheme to £3,500 (or £6,000 where oil or new low carbon technology is recommended).
Launched the £350 million Community Energy Saving Programme to improve household energy efficiency and permanently lower fuel bills in areas of low income, where households are likely to have a greater than average propensity to be in fuel poverty.
Made changes to the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target so that from August 2009 an estimated £1.9 billion will be directed among the priority group of low income and elderly households up to 2011.
From April, increase the funding for the Warm Front scheme by £150 million to £345 million bringing the total funding to just over £1.1 billion for the current spending period.
Continue to promote legislation to implement mandated social price support schemes once the current voluntary agreement with suppliers comes to an end in 2011. These schemes will provide more of the most vulnerable consumers with help towards their energy costs.
Explore how best to provide help to the most vulnerable households within the Priority Group under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target for the proposed extension from April 2011 to December 2012. A consultation was launched on 21 December 2009.
The Government, through their fuel poverty review, will continue to build and strengthen the evidence base on fuel poverty and explore better ways of targeting help at the most vulnerable fuel poor households.
The Government's new Strategy for Household Energy Management, building on the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy consultation in February 2009, will set out the Government's plans for delivering and financing household energy management to all households, including the most vulnerable.
Furthermore the Government want all households to play a part in generating renewable energy. Although feed-in tariffs and the Renewable Heat Incentive will make payments over the life of installations, low-income households may still find it difficult to meet upfront costs. Building on the experience of Pay as You Save pilot project, the Government announced in the pre-budget
report, that we will consult on measures to help low-income households take advantage of these clean energy cash-back schemes.
Fuel Poverty: Leeds
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of fuel poverty in Leeds North West constituency. [309390]
Mr. Kidney: The Government have a strong package of measures to help reduce fuel poverty among households. This is centred on tackling the three root causes of fuel poverty:
Reducing the demand for energy by improving home energy efficiency through schemes such as Warm Front, Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Community Energy Saving programme and the Decent Homes Standard;
Ensuring competitive energy prices through a robust system of regulation aimed to protect all consumers; and
Raising real incomes, including through winter fuel payments and cold weather payments alongside the wider tax and benefit system and through benefit entitlement checks under the Warm Front scheme.
More specifically, during 2009, the Government have:
Increased the grant limits for eligible households under the Warm Front scheme to £3,500 (or £6,000 where oil or new low carbon technology is recommended)
Launched the £350 million Community Energy Saving programme to improve household energy efficiency and permanently lower fuel bills in areas of low income, where households are likely to have a greater than average propensity to be in fuel poverty
Made changes to the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target so that from August 2009 an estimated £1.9 billion will be directed amongst the priority group of low income and elderly households up to 2011.
From April, increase the funding for the Warm Front scheme by £150 million to £345 million bringing the total funding to just over £1.1 billion for the current spending period. The scheme assisted 309 homes in 2008-09 in the Leeds North West constituency in the last year alone.
Continue to promote legislation to implement mandated social price support schemes once the current voluntary agreement with suppliers comes to an end in 2011. These schemes will provide more of the most vulnerable consumers with help towards their energy costs.
Explore how best to provide help to the most vulnerable households within the Priority Group under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target for the proposed extension from April 2011 to December 2012. A consultation was launched on 21 December 2009
The Government, through their fuel poverty review, will continue to build and strengthen the evidence base on fuel poverty and explore better ways of targeting help at the most vulnerable fuel poor households.
The Government's new Strategy for Household Energy Management, building on the Heat and Energy Saving Strategy consultation in February 2009, will set out the Government's plans for delivering and financing household energy management to all households, including the most vulnerable.
Furthermore the Government wants all households to play a part in generating renewable energy. Although feed-in tariffs and the Renewable Heat Incentive will make payments over the life of installations, low-income households may still find it difficult to meet upfront
costs. Building on the experience of Pay as You Save pilot project, the Government announced in the pre-budget report, that we will consult on measures to help low-income households take advantage of these clean energy cash-back schemes.
Government Departments: Carbon Emissions
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what amount of carbon dioxide emissions arose from Government operations in (a) 2000 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [303520]
Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
Government are committed to achieving a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from its estate of 12.5 per cent. and from administrative road travel by 15 per cent. both by 2010-11. Progress against these targets is reported annually in the Sustainable Development in Government report.
The latest assessment of performance, published in December 2009 shows that emissions from the office estate in 2008-09 were 2,593,725 tonnes of CO2, representing a reduction of 10 per cent. against the 1999-2000 baseline year. Emissions from administrative road vehicles are baselined against a 2005-06 year, and at 2008-09 were 149,269 tonnes, representing a reduction of 17 per cent.
This information was published on the 18 December 2009, and is available on the OGC website:
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sustainability_programme _progress.asp
Information on reporting years prior to 2008-09 was collated and published by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) can be found on the SDC website:
Housing: Energy
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with house builders on inclusion of (i) solar water heating and (ii) photovoltaic electricity generation technology in new build homes. [306339]
Joan Ruddock: The Communities and Local Government Department (CLG) has announced a policy that all new homes will be zero carbon from 2016, with interim changes to the building regulations in 2010 and 2013.
The Minister for Housing and the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change participate in the 2016 Task Force which brings together senior representatives of industry and other stakeholders to oversee the progress of the zero carbon homes policy. House builders via the Home Builders Federation are represented on that body.
CLG is providing financial support to the Zero Carbon Hub, an industry-led body which is leading on the practical delivery of the policy. The Hub has established a number of task groups which bring together relevant stakeholders including house builders. Government observers on this group includes officials from this department who are therefore engaging with the relevant stakeholders on an ongoing basis.
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