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8 Feb 2010 : Column 724W—continued
Communities and Local Government
Building Alterations
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of independent living adaptations and equipment provided by local authorities which was (a) assisted and (b) funded solely by charitable funds in (i) the latest period for which figures are available and (ii) each of the last five years. [315462]
Mr. Ian Austin: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental ICT
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its agencies have spent on font licensing in the last three years. [315204]
Barbara Follett: The Department has had no expenditure on font licenses in the last three years.
The Planning Inspectorate has had no expenditure on font licences in the last three years.
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has had no expenditure on font licences in the last three years.
The Fire Service College could answer this question only at disproportionate cost.
Domestic Visits
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) venues and (b) locations the Minister for Housing has visited officially in London in the last three months; and what criteria were used to determine which boroughs and constituencies to visit. [314979]
Barbara Follett: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning regularly visits the many housing developments across the country benefiting from very significant levels of Government investment. Since November, he has carried out ministerial visits to Barking and Dagenham, Newham and South Harrow in London which have all served to demonstrate how this investment is being used to benefit local communities.
Mobile Homes: Licensing
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many responses were received to his Department's consultation on park home site licensing; and if he will place a copy of each response in the Library. [316443]
Mr. Ian Austin: The consultation on 'Park Home Site Licensing - Improving the Management of Park Home Sites' ended on 4 August 2009. There were 98 responses. The responses are currently being analysed and a summary of responses will be published as soon as possible.
Non-domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology the Valuation Office Agency used in its 2010 business rates revaluation to calculate the fuel margin obtained in the independent petrol filling station network; and what factors that methodology takes into account. [313927]
Barbara Follett: The Valuation Office Agency based its assessment on the rateable value of petrol filling stations for the 2010 revaluation on the fair, maintainable, throughput of the property in question and not the actual fuel margin on the site.
The five-yearly business rates revaluation is designed to ensure that each business pays its fair contribution to the national burden and no more. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government and over a million properties will see their business rate liability fall as a result of revaluation.
Over the past five years petrol filling stations have seen prices rising; turnover increasing and rents growing. It is only fair to other ratepayers that these changes are reflected in their business rate bills. However, the Government have put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on business properties facing increases.
This means that in 2010-11 no petrol station or other business property will see its rates increase by more than 11 per cent. as a result of revaluation, with increases limited to no more than 3.5 per cent. for small properties.
Energy and Climate Change
Boilers: Government Assistance
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent assessment is of the effectiveness of the boiler scrappage scheme in contributing to the objectives of his Department. [315890]
Joan Ruddock: The boiler scrappage scheme contributes to DECC's objectives to:
reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK; and
ensure the UK benefits from the business and employment opportunities of a low carbon future.
We estimate that the scheme will reduce CO2 emissions per year by 1.1 mtCO2 to 1.4 mtCO2. There are tens of thousands of small and medium sized UK businesses mainly in the installation sector, who are likely to benefit from the scheme.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the effects on plumbing and heating companies of the implementation of the boiler scrappage scheme. [315891]
Joan Ruddock:
There are 250,000 jobs across tens of thousands of businesses involved in boiler manufacture, sales and installation. The scheme provides support for a number of these businesses. Since the scheme allows the householder to choose whom they wish to install
the new boiler, it is not possible to predict the likely impact on individual businesses but we understand from talking to businesses that there has been a significant increase in inquiries.
Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what formula is to be used to calculate the reduction in UK carbon dioxide emissions as a direct result of implementing the Carbon Reduction Commitment. [315182]
Joan Ruddock: The carbon reductions from the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme will be determined by the emissions cap which will apply from 2013. In setting the cap, Government will consider advice from the Committee on Climate Change later this year on the available cost-effective emissions reductions and the potential in the CRC sector to contribute to achieving our carbon budgets.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what incentives will be available through the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme to encourage organisations to outsource work to the most energy-efficient provider. [315183]
Joan Ruddock: The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme will stimulate changes in behaviour and infrastructure to improve an organisation's energy efficiency through introducing financial and reputational drivers. An organisation's energy efficiency performance will be published in the league table and the top performers will receive recycled payment made by all the participants into the scheme. In addition all who improve their energy efficiency will improve their financial standing by more cost-effective use of energy. CRC participants will determine for themselves the most effective way to make these improvements. Furthermore, individual customers and organisations seeking to procure goods and services can choose to purchase from the most efficient provider by considering the providers' position in the league table.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely reduction in (a) UK, (b) European and (c) global carbon dioxide emissions as a direct result of implementing the Carbon Reduction Commitment. [315184]
Joan Ruddock: We estimate that by 2020 the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme will deliver at least 4 mt CO2 reductions per year among participants. In setting the cap, Government will consider advice from the Committee on Climate Change later this year on the available cost-effective emissions reductions and the potential in the CRC sector to contribute to achieving our carbon budgets.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what scientific (a) evidence and (b) advice he used in formulating the Carbon Reduction Commitment. [315186]
Joan Ruddock: As part of the development of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, Government considered a range of evidence and advice which is set out in the final impact assessment on the order to implement the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme published on the DECC website. We have also consulted extensively during the development of the scheme including in three formal written consultation exercises over the past three years.
Departmental Advertising
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on (a) television, (b) radio, (c) print and (d) online advertising in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11. [309943]
Joan Ruddock: The campaign advertising media costs for (i) September 2008 to March 2009 and (ii) April 2009 to March 2010 (invoiced costs only) are as follows. All costs are exclusive of VAT.
DECC was created in October 2008, just after the Save Money, Save Energy campaign advertising launched in September 2008.
(i) September 2008 to March 2009 (invoiced costs only)
a. Television: £4,738,855
b. Radio: £429,283
c. Print: £1,792,659
d. Online: £677,123
(ii) April 2009 to March 2010 (invoiced costs only)
a. Television: £2,196,624
b. Radio: £184,944
c. Print: £685,385
d. Online: £805,340
DECC spent the following amounts on recruitment press advertising:
(i) 2008-09: £58,428.50
(ii) 2009-10: £142,745.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on (a) print, (b) online, (c) television and (d) radio advertising in 2008-09; how much has been spent on advertising in 2009-10 to date; and what percentage of such advertising expenditure in each year was managed by the Central Office of Information. [311571]
Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) today to parliamentary question number 309943. All departmental campaign advertising was commissioned via COI.
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 21 October 2009, Official Report, column 1451W, on departmental air travel, what the updated figures are for each entry in the table where the abbreviation 'tbc' was used. [315579]
Joan Ruddock: The updated figures for departmental air travel in 2007-08 which have been reported through the Government Carbon Offsetting Facility where the 'tbc' abbreviation was used, and where this information is held centrally, are set out in the table.
| Participant | Domestic miles | Short-haul miles | Long-haul miles | Total miles |
| (1) BAPG-British-American Parliamentary Group; GLA-Greater London Authority; MPS-Metropolitan Police Service | ||||
Departmental Communication
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department publishes an annual report on departmental communications. [315601]
Joan Ruddock: The Department does not currently publish a separate annual report on departmental communications. There is a specific section in the departmental annual report which covers communications activities.
Feed-in Tariffs
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has considered the effect of accreditation requirements on levels of participation in the feed-in tariff scheme; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such requirements on the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. [314338]
Mr. Kidney: The certification requirements for the feed-in tariffs scheme are explained in the Government's response to the summer 2009 consultation, published on 1 February and available from the DECC website at:
The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) has successfully supported delivery of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme since 2006. We believe that the MCS has an important and necessary role to play in feed-in tariffs by providing independent assurance both to customers of microgeneration electricity installations, and to ensure value for money of the scheme. More information on MCS is available on the website:
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations his Department has received on harmonising the UK's feed-in tariff scheme with those of other EU member states. [315463]
Mr. Kidney: On 1 February the Government published their response to a consultation on feed-in tariffs for small-scale electricity generation, which is available in the Library of the House and from the Department of Energy and Climate Change website at:
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