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5 Mar 2010 : Column 1490W—continued
AWE Aldermaston
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether research at the proposed new hydrodynamics facility at AWE Aldermaston will be undertaken exclusively for defence purposes. [319053]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The work undertaken at the existing hydrodynamics facility at AWE Aldermaston exclusively supports defence activities including the requirement to maintain the skills base for the UK's deterrent capability. It is expected that this would also be the case for any replacement hydrodynamics facility.
Departmental Housing
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on (a) permanent and (b) temporary accommodation for civil servants in each of the last 12 months. [314198]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I will write to the hon. Member when I have obtained the information, and will place a copy in the Library of the House.
Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Willie Rennie:
In my answer of 22 February (Official Report, column 19W) I undertook to write to you with details on permanent and temporary accommodation for civil servants in each of the last 12 months.
Civil servants transferring within the Department in the UK may stay in temporary accommodation when they are sent on a long-term temporary basis to a different work location outside of reasonable daily travel of their home. They may also stay in temporary accommodation for a short period prior to occupying their permanent home following a transfer in the UK to a location which gives help with relocation expenses. The number of employees staying in temporary accommodation following a permanent or temporary transfer constantly fluctuates as employees enter or leave the accommodation. To obtain the numbers for each month would involve disproportionate cost, but on average, there are 250+ employees staying in temporary accommodation at any one time. This may be in private rented accommodation, service messes or staying with family or friends in the new area. Costs for each of the last 12 months are as follows:
| 2009 temporary accommodation | |
| Month | Amount (£) |
The responsibility for permanent accommodation costs at the normal place of work is a personal one. However, civil servants who are transferred on permanent terms to a new location where they may receive help with relocation costs may be eligible to receive assistance with Additional Housing Costs Allowance (AHCA). This payment provides a measure of help with additional housing
costs for the new permanent home following a move to a more expensive location. It is payable for nine years (inclusive of a taper in the last four years). There are currently 1300 employees in receipt of AHCA at some point in the nine year cycle. Payments to civil servants in each of the last 12 months are as follows:
| 2009 AHCA | |
| Month | Amount (£) |
Similar information from overseas areas could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip Northwood of 5 January 2010, Official Report, column 103W, on departmental marketing, how much his Department and agencies have spent on advertising, marketing, public relations and publicity in relation to the (a) Real Help Now and (b) Building Britain's Future themed campaign to date. [320460]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence has not conducted any Real Help Now or Building Britain's Future themed campaigns.
Departmental Theft
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many thefts of (a) personal items and (b) items which are the property of his Department have been reported from the London offices of his Department in the last two years. [320228]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence Police have recorded 26 thefts of personal property and nine thefts of MOD departmental property, from premises in London, during the period 1 February 2008 to 28 February 2010.
Middle East: Navy
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval assets of each type are tasked under Operation Calash. [320970]
Bill Rammell: One Royal Navy vessel is assigned to Op Calash. This is either a Type 22 or Type 23 Frigate.
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels are deployed in the middle east; and what are their tasks. [320971]
Bill Rammell:
The three Royal Fleet Auxiliaries deployed in the middle east are: RFA Bayleaf, supporting UK, NATO and Coalition forces in and around the Arabian Gulf; RFA Cardigan Bay, supporting the Iraqi
Training and Mentoring Team; and RFA Lyme Bay, supporting UK Mine Counter Measure forces working in the Gulf.
Trade Unions
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days staff of his Department and its agencies spent on trade union activity in the latest year for which figures are available; and what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of such activity. [320665]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence makes certain facilities available to civilian employees who are accredited representatives or members, but not paid officials, of Trade Unions and Staff Associations recognised by the Department.
Special Paid Leave or Unpaid leave may be given to accredited Trade Union (TU) representatives, for the following TU Activities, which are specifically concerned with TU policy:
Attendance at a conference of a MOD recognised TU, whether as a delegate or trainee delegate;
Representing a MOD TU on external bodies, relevant to employment in the Civil Service e.g. at TUC meetings;
Duty as organiser or treasurer.
Members of a recognised TU, who are not elected representatives, may be allowed reasonable time off, Special Paid Leave, for the following TU activities:
a conference of a recognised MOD TU, whether as a delegate or as a trainee delegate;
TU meetings at which branches consider the proposed resolutions for annual conferences;
branch committee meetings as a committee member who is not an accredited representative; and
representing the TU on external bodies relevant to employment in the Civil Service e.g. at TUC meetings.
The information regarding the amount of days MOD employees spend on TU activity, and its cost, is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Cabinet Office
Departmental Temporary Employment
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office from which companies her Department sourced temporary staff in each of the last three years; how many temporary staff her Department employed in each year; and what the monetary value of the contracts with each such company was in each such year. [320020]
Angela E. Smith: The information requested for the Cabinet Office is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Energy and Climate Change
Boilers: Government Assistance
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department takes to ensure that boilers to be replaced under the boiler scrappage scheme are in working order before replacement. [320304]
Joan Ruddock: The boiler to be replaced under the Boiler Scrappage Scheme must be in working order (unless the applicant is over 60) to be eligible for a voucher.
In the first place we rely on a declaration by the applicant. This is checked by an onsite audit of a percentage of applicants before the replacement boiler is installed.
There is also a signed declaration on the voucher by the installer and applicant that the boiler removed was working where this is applicable.
Carbon Emissions: Boilers
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 7.36, page 127, of the pre-Budget report, Cm 7747, what estimate he has made of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions likely to result from the manufacture of additional boilers as a result of the greener boiler incentive. [320370]
Joan Ruddock: Based on manufacturers' data on the lifecycle costs of a boiler, we estimate the greenhouse gas emissions from a boiler's manufacture are less than 1 per cent. of its lifetime emissions, with 99 per cent. associated with the fuel consumed during its operation.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 7.36, page 127, of the pre-Budget report, Cm 7747, what estimate he has made of the annual reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions likely to result from the greener boiler incentive. [320371]
Joan Ruddock: We estimate the annual reduction in CO2 emissions from the boiler scrappage scheme at 110,000 to 140,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 7.36, page 127, of the pre-Budget report, Cm 7747, what estimate he has made of the effect on greenhouse gas emissions of the greener boiler incentive. [320372]
Joan Ruddock: The Government have estimated that there will be a saving of 110,000 to 140,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
Collaboration Agreements
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent collaboration agreements on energy projects have been concluded with India; and what resources have been made available to support such collaboration. [319203]
Joan Ruddock: The UK recently announced a £4.9 million collaboration on solar technology, led by Research Councils UK with matched funding from the Indian Department of Science and Technology. Two projects will run for three years each with a focus on creating cheaper, more effective solar panel technology.
As part of the Joint Declaration by the UK and India on civil nuclear co-operation, the two countries have
agreed to jointly encourage research collaboration in this area. The UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Indian Department of Atomic Energy will consider potential scientific areas for this enhanced collaboration at a joint meeting in the UK in March 2010. The costs of this first step will be shared between the two parties.
DFID is supporting renewable energy initiatives in remote areas through development programmes in Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. In Orissa the project is focused on provision of solar lighting and in Madhya Pradesh it is focused on biogas cooking units. These renewable initiatives are part of bigger state level programmes and comprise only a very small part of overall funding.
DFID is supporting power sector reforms in two states, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, with an objective to achieve more efficient public sector units. The initiative in West Bengal is in partnership with the Department of Power and Non-conventional Energy Sources, Government of West Bengal (up to £11 million from June 2008 to March 2011). DFID has also supported capacity building of the power sector in West Bengal through the World Bank Trust Fund (up to $300,000 from June 2005 to March 2009). In Madhya Pradesh the power sector reforms project (2008-10, £20.4 million) supported evaluation of renewables in three key sectors (1) small scale industries, (2) municipal building and (3) water and waste water treatment. Under the next phase DFID India will be providing support to build capacity of the State Renewable Energy Agency.
DFID have also announced plans to provide the Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) with up to £10 million over the next five years. This funding will help to bring electricity and clean energy to millions of the world's poorest people by supporting renewable energy projects in India. As is routine, DFID is undertaking a full institutional assessment of TERI as part of their due diligence process before releasing funds.
Also with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, DFID is providing £285,000 through Winrock International India to develop sustainable business models for access to energy in remote rural areas.
Combined Heat and Power
Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to make an announcement on the feed-in tariff rate for micro-combined heat and power. [320256]
Mr. Kidney: The feed-in tariff rate for the micro-CHP 'pilot', designed to support up to 30,000 installations with a capacity of 2kW or below, will be 10p/kWh. This rate was published in the Government's Response to the Feed-in Tariff Consultation on February 1 and can be found on the DECC website.
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