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5 Mar 2010 : Column 1494W—continued
Departmental Consultants
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much consultants employed by his Department have been paid (a) in total and (b) in reimbursable expenses since its inception. [314002]
Joan Ruddock: Since its inception on 3 October 2008 the Department of Energy and Climate Change has spent £10,624,367 on consultancy services.
Examples include advice on Combined Heat and Power, the evaluation of capital grant applications and renewable energy advice for which AEA Technology Services were paid £1,600, 000 a scoping study and the development of the Carbon Reduction Commitment registry for which the Environment Agency were paid £930,000, and analysis to support renewables for which NERA were paid £151,000.
It is not possible to identify all reimbursable expenses without incurring disproportionate costs.
Departmental Disabled Staff
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of staff in his Department are disabled; and what the average salary in his Department is of (a) full-time disabled staff, (b) full-time non-disabled staff, (c) part-time disabled staff and (d) part-time non-disabled staff. [317889]
Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008 bringing together staff from Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The number of employees within DECC and who have declared a disability status was published in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) by the Office for National Statistics on 20 January 2010.
An extract is shown as follows:
| DECC Civil service employment and disability status( 1) | |
| Number /percentage | |
| (1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. | |
The median earnings for non-disabled and disabled employees is as follows:
| £ | ||
| Non-disabled | Disabled | |
| (1 )Data not available as disclosure could identify individuals. Note: Data compiled as at 31 March 2009. | ||
Eaga: Warm Front Scheme
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanisms his Department uses to evaluate the performance of Eaga Ltd. in carrying out its Warm Front contractual obligations; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of those mechanisms; and how many times Eaga Ltd. has not met those obligations in each of the last two years. [319994]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 3 March 2010]: The Department has Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in place to monitor Eaga's performance and hold regular meetings with Eaga at which time any concerns we have will be raised with them. Under the terms of the contract, my Department and Eaga will review the current KPIs this year. Furthermore, my Department engages independent Consultants and Quality Assessors, WYG, to audit Eaga's performance. Over the past two years the quarterly scorecards have shown that Eaga have principally met their key performance indicators. Provisions within the contract between the Department and Eaga allows the Department to claim and be paid service credits for any failure by Eaga to reach a set target for delivery against key KPIs. To date, the Department has not had to enforce the payment of service credits for failure to meet KPIs.
Energy Supply: Fees and Charges
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of households on social tariffs for (a) gas and (b) electricity. [320518]
Mr. Kidney: Ofgem publish annual estimates of the number of customer accounts on social tariffs.
At the end of March 2009, over 1 million customer accounts were on social tariffs, an increase of 118 per cent. from 460,000 customer accounts on social tariffs as at 31 March 2008.
Of the 1 million (1,004,000) customer accounts on social tariffs at the end of March 2009, 493,000 were for electricity; 470,000 were for gas and 41,000 were for duel fuel.
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the price per tonne of carbon in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in (a) 2012 and (b) 2015. [320574]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 4 March 2010]: DECC publishes estimated values of the EU allowance price for use in appraising savings from policies that reduce emissions in the sectors covered by the EU Emissions Trading System.
The current valuation of EU allowances for 2012 provides a range between £13 and £28 with a central value of £22. In 2015 the forecast is a range between £13 and £29 with a central value of £23. These values assume an EU 20 per cent. reduction on 1990 emissions, and do not factor in the potential for a higher EU target.
The current published values have not incorporated the impact of the economic recession. Revised values are being prepared and will be published shortly.
Fuel Oil: Prices
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has received any information on increases in domestic heating oil prices arising from difficulties in the delivery of heating oil during the recent severe weather. [320337]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 4 March 2010]: This winter we witnessed an increase in the price of heating oil, both wholesale and retail. Wholesale heating oil prices reached a peak of $729.75 (8 January 2010), a 14-month high. Retail heating oil prices reached a peak of 43.11p/1 (18 January 2010), a 15-month high. While distributors faced access problems due to poor weather conditions, heating oil prices are driven primarily by demand changes and crude prices, which increased in the same period.
The peak in prices follows on from a general upward trend in the price of heating oil and crude oil since the beginning of 2009. However current prices are still well below the record levels reached in July 2008. Indeed the retail heating oil price is currently 42.20p/l (1 March 2010), 33 per cent. below the 2008 peak, while the wholesale heating oil price is currently $689/tonne (1 March 2010), 53 per cent. below the 2008 peak.
Renewable Energy
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of electricity generated in the UK in each year since 1980. [320364]
Joan Ruddock: Table 1 shows the grams of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of electricity generated by major power producers in the UK since 1980.
| Table 1: Carbon dioxide emitted per unit of electricity | |
| gCO 2 /KWh | |
Provisional data for 2009 will be available after 29 July 2010.
Wood: Imports
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the proportion of wood pellets used in heat and electricity generation which was imported in the last 12 months. [320521]
Mr. Kidney: The Department does not hold information on the proportion of wood pellets used in heat and electricity generation that were imported. However, in 2008, three major power producers used either wood pellets or wood chip, usually co-fired with other fuels.
Wales
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many full-time equivalent staff of each grade are employed by his Department to assist special advisers. [321145]
Mr. Hain: One member of staff (administrative assistant) as part of her duties provides support to the senior civil servants and special advisers, in relation to travel and accommodation arrangements.
Communities and Local Government
Council Tax: Southend
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people have registered for council tax in Southend in each year since 1997. [320650]
Barbara Follett: Council tax is a property tax. Whether the resident(s) or the owner(s) of a property should be liable for council tax is for individual local authorities to decide.
Departmental Advertising
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in each of the last three years. [321031]
Barbara Follett: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 8 June 2009, Official Report, column 747W to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport (Ann Coffey).
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many designs for its website his Department and its predecessor has commissioned since 2005. [318656]
Barbara Follett: The Department's website was redesigned in October 2005 and in August 2007.
Departmental Languages
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided. [320412]
Barbara Follett: Records of the coaching received in foreign languages for staff in Communities and Local Government are not held by the Department. However, data obtained from training coordinators within the Department shows that in the last 12 months no Minister has received coaching in a foreign language and the following table gives the details of the civil servants who have received coaching in a foreign language during the last 12 months.
| Language | Cost (£) | Number of officials |
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