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3 Mar 2010 : Column 1202W—continued
South Africa: Natural Resources
Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will propose a joint commitment by the UK and South Africa to implement the extractive industries transparency initiative. [320105]
Mr. Michael Foster: The UK Government support the extractive industries transparency initiative (EITI) and collaborates with the EITI Board and Secretariat to promote the adoption and implementation of the initiative by resource rich countries. The EITI Chairman, Peter Eigen, has recently written to President Zuma encouraging South African implementation. The UK Government have no plans to propose to the president of South Africa a joint commitment by the UK and South Africa to implement the initiative.
Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions his Department has had with the government of Sri Lanka on humanitarian issues. [319876]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for international Development (DFID) remains in regular contact with the Government of Sri Lanka on humanitarian issues. The British high commissioner to Sri Lanka and our humanitarian adviser in Colombo frequently discuss issues of concern with Government representatives and the Presidential Task Force for the Development of the North. The Foreign Secretary also raised humanitarian issues with Foreign Minister Bogollogama when they last spoke on 5 February.
Energy and Climate Change
Atomic Energy Authority: Pay
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the salary was of the Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority in 2007. [319810]
Mr. Kidney: Details of remuneration for the UK Atomic Energy Authority's directors are disclosed in its annual reports and accounts.
Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2010, Official Report, column 735W, on the Carbon Reduction Commitment energy efficiency
scheme, what estimate he has made of the maximum potential cost to a local authority at the bottom of the Carbon Reduction Commitment league table; whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on levels of council tax bills of that scheme; and whether those costs will be classified a new burden. [319738]
Joan Ruddock: The Government have assessed the potential burdens of the CRC energy efficiency scheme on local authorities, and has determined that it will not constitute a new burden. Local authorities already report reductions in CO2 emissions from their estate against National Indicator 185.
Our analysis indicates that participating local authorities should, on average, see savings through reduced energy bills outweighing administrative costs and the cost of investing in energy efficiency measures. The potential savings on energy bills are far higher than the costs incurred through CRC penalties for those at the bottom of the league table.
Climate Change: Seas and Oceans
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely change in sea levels attributable to climate change after 2100; and if he will make a statement. [319969]
Joan Ruddock: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report indicates that, after 2100, sea levels will continue to rise for centuries to come, mainly because of continued thermal expansion of the oceans. However, the magnitude of this rise cannot be predicted precisely because it depends on a number of factors, including the effects of future greenhouse gas emissions on temperature increases and the dynamics of ice sheet melting.
The Netherlands Delta Committee report, published in 2008, estimated that thermal expansion and the likely contribution from land-based ice melt could cause global sea level rises in a range from 1.5 to 3 metres by 2200, compared to levels at the end of the last century. Urgent mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions would reduce projected sea level rise but not prevent it beyond 2100, so adaptation to sea level rise would also be needed.
Combined Heat and Power
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many micro-combined heat and power installations he expects to participate in the feed-in tariff scheme. [319793]
Joan Ruddock: A microCHP "pilot"-for installations with an electrical capacity of 2kW or less-will be included as part of the feed-in tariff scheme and will provide support for the uptake of up to 30,000 domestic scale microCHP installations. Because the industry is yet to become established we will review the support level as soon as 12,000 installations are reached, which we expect to be (based on industry projections) sometime in mid-2012.
Electricity Generation
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much energy generated from (a) coal, (b) gas and (c) nuclear sources was supplied to the National Grid in each week of January 2010. [319956]
Mr. Kidney: Official electricity generation data are only available on a monthly basis. The latest data are for December 2009, when major power producers supplied 14,899 GWh from gas, 8,345 GWh from coal and 5,229 GWh from nuclear. electricity output data for January 2010 will be available on 25 March 2010.
Official monthly electricity data taken from table ET5.4, at:
Energy Supply
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with which energy companies he has discussed the potential contributions of oil shale to the UK's energy supply; and when he expects the British Geological Survey to complete its reassessment of potential oil and gas shale resources in the UK. [320088]
Mr. Kidney: We have had no discussions on this issue. However my Department has asked the British Geological Survey, acting as consultants, to carry out a reassessment of potential oil and gas shale resources in the UK. We expect the results of this to be published in the second half of this year and will be making these available via DECC's Oil and Gas "Promote" website at the following address:
Energy: Conservation
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households resident in Stroud constituency have received assistance under the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme since its inception. [318977]
Mr. Kidney: The following table provides information as to how many households resident in Stroud have received assistance from the Warm Front Scheme(1 )since its inception.
(1) The Home Energy Efficiency Scheme which begun in 1991 was rebranded to the Warm Front Scheme in 2000.
| Stroud constituency | |
| Number | |
| (1) Up to 31 January 2010 | |
Energy: Housing
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the take-up rate of home energy efficiency improvements in the Energy Savings Trust Penistone area project has been to date; and which such improvements are (a) free of charge and (b) made at a cost to the householder. [319734]
Joan Ruddock: The total take-up of home energy efficiency improvements in the Energy Saving Trust Penistone area project is 273. Of the total, 121 of these have been free and the balance, 152, have been provided at cost to the customer.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the take-up rate of home energy efficiency improvements in the Home Energy Efficiency programme trials has been to date; and which such improvements are (a) free of charge and (b) made at a cost to the householder. [319735]
Mr. Kidney: The Warm Front scheme(1) (Home Energy Efficiency scheme) is currently piloting the installation of 100 air source heat pumps and 100 installations of external wall insulation for park homes. The scheme has also piloted the installation of solar thermal heating for 125 households. The cost of these installations is fully funded by the scheme, at no cost to the participating households.
(1) The Home Energy Efficiency scheme which begun in 1991 was rebranded to the Warm Front scheme in 2000.
Feed-in Tariffs
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of public (a) awareness of and (b) opinion on the effects on energy bills of the implementation of a feed-in-tariff scheme. [319566]
Joan Ruddock: The Government recognise that a number of its energy and climate change policies may have significant effects on energy bills. As such, analysis carried out to estimate the overall impacts on average domestic and non-domestic energy bills of the policies set out in the low carbon transition plan (including the feed-in-tariff scheme) was presented in the accompanying analytical annex. Consultation on the feed in tariff (from 15 July 2009 to 15 October 2009) received over 733 responses, 53 per cent. of which were from individuals, indicating there is considerable awareness of the scheme and its impacts.
Revised figures were published in the final impact assessment which accompanied the Government's response to the consultation.
Fuel Oil
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what recent representations he has received on the delay in the delivery of domestic heating oil to consumers; and if he will introduce measures to bring the regulation of domestic heating oil providers within the remit of Ofgem; [319707]
(2) what assessment he has made of the delay in the delivery of domestic heating oil as a consequence of the Christmas and new year holidays and of the snow in January and February 2010. [319843]
Mr. Kidney: Demand for heating oil increases in cold weather. Oil distributors worked hard in challenging conditions, particularly in more remote parts of the country, to supply customers during the worst cold weather experienced for 29 years. DECC officials received representations from the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) that heating oil distributors were facing increases in demand-at higher rates than they could make deliveries in large part as a result of the difficulties of access to properties due to ice and snow. DECC officials worked closely with FPS so that the enforcement of drivers' hours rules could be temporarily relaxed to enable deliveries to be made to customers as conditions improved.
With regard to the question of Ofgem, the Government do not believe that bringing these fuels under regulations having similar scope to the Gas and Electricity Acts would be an appropriate and proportionate form of regulation. These Acts deal with markets where there are natural monopolies which mean that competition cannot be expected on its own to protect consumers from the risk of exploitation. In contrast, there is no natural monopoly in the distribution of heating oil. In the UK there are around 200 different fuel distributors each with a national, regional or local presence, with competition between the companies involved. Overall, the Government support the retention of a competitive market for heating oil, believing this to be in the best interests of all customers. Both general consumer protection legislation, such as the Sale of Goods Act and Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations, and competition law apply to this sector.
Natural Gas: Imports
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what projection his Department has made of the proportion of UK gas demand that will be met by imports in (a) 2012, (b) 2015 and (c) 2020. [320359]
Mr. Kidney: Projections of net annual UK gas import dependency in (b) 2015 (43 per cent.) and (c) 2020 (45 per cent.) were published in July 2009 in Table 19 of the analytical annex to "The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan" which is (only) available online at
The equivalent estimate for (a) 2012 is 39 per cent. These projections of net annual import dependency are in line with the projections of post-transition plan net UK gas demand and net UK gas production shown in chart 22 of the analytical annex. The Department updates its projections of both UK gas demand and production from time to time so these estimates of future import dependency are subject to revision.
Renewable Energy
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what figures are represented in chart (a) 2.1 on page 39 and (b) 2.4 on page 44 of The UK Renewable Energy Strategy, Cm 7686. [320362]
Mr. Kidney: The data behind the charts referred to come from the analysis for the Renewable Energy Strategy. They are reproduced in tabular format as follows. A copy of this PQ will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
| Data behind chart 2.1 on page 39 of the Renewable Energy Strategy-renewable energy deployment in TWh of energy generation/use | |||
| 2008 | 2020 (current policies) | 2020 (new policies) | |
| Note: Electricity includes non RO | |||
| Data behind chart 2.4 on page 44 of the Renewable Energy Strategy-renewable electricity deployment in GW of installed capacity | ||
| 2008 | 2020 | |
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