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16 Mar 2010 : Column 799W—continued
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets: Manpower
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets employed on the latest date for which figures are available. [320324]
Joan Ruddock: The latest date for which figures are available is 28 February 2010. At this date, DECC employed 1,103 officials (i.e. staff employed directly by DECC either permanently or temporarily). The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets employed 367 officials. Figures are provided on a full-time equivalent basis.
Stroud
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to Stroud constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2008. [321482]
Joan Ruddock:
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has implemented a large number of policies to address energy security, emissions reductions, low carbon economic growth and fuel poverty. Some of the key achievements are set out below, along with information on the number of households assisted by the Warm Front scheme in Stroud constituency. It would be disproportionately costly to provide statistical information on all the impact of all the policies to the level of detail
requested, but statistical information covering energy and climate change is available at
The UK is on track to cut emissions by nearly twice our Kyoto target (22 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008-12 compared to the target of 12.5 per cent. set out under the Kyoto agreement).
The Climate Change Act in 2008 set a target of at least 80 per cent. reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. Our first three carbon budgets legally bind the UK to a cut in greenhouse gases of 34 per cent. by 2018-22 against a 1990 baseline. In 2009, the UK's Low Carbon Transition Plan set out the long-term vision for climate change and energy and showing how we will meet the carbon budgets set out in the Climate Change Act.
In 2009, my Department published National Policy Statements on energy infrastructure which will lead to faster and fairer planning decisions and a diverse low carbon energy mix. An ambitious new framework for clean coal will also drive development of carbon capture and storage.
The UK's energy market is the most competitive in the EU and has attracted over £97 billion of investment from 1997 to 2008 (at 2005 prices). The UK also has the greatest installed capacity of offshore wind in the world.
In March 2010 the Government's household energy management strategy-Warm Homes, Greener Homes-set out plans for meeting the target of a reduction of 29 per cent. in (non-traded) carbon emissions in the household sector. The strategy will make it easier for people to take action, removing the deterrent of upfront costs by, for example, paving the way for 'pay as you save' energy efficiency loans.
Government will be providing more financial assistance to help people generate their own heat and electricity in low carbon ways, where appropriate, through 'clean energy cashback' schemes.
Warm Front scheme: Stroud constituency
DECC's Warm Front scheme provides grants for households on qualifying income and disability related benefits to install a range of insulation and heating measures in their homes. The number of households assisted in Stroud from April 2008 to 28 February 2010 was 626.
Wind Power: Planning Permission
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the fee accompanying an application for a wind turbine development is provided to the local authority responsible for initial assessment of the application; and if he will make a statement. [322440]
Mr. Kidney: Wind farms generating 50MW or more were considered by DECC under the Electricity Act 1989 up to 28 February 2010. As of 1 March 2010 applications for wind turbines generating 50MW or more are to be considered by the Infrastructure Planning Commission under the Planning Act 2008. In both instances none of the application fee was or is made available to the relevant local planning authority.
Planning implication fees for wind turbine generating stations generating less than 50MW in England and Wales are considered through the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the planning application fee goes to the relevant local planning authority that receives the application.
Leader of the House
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Leader of the House how many designs for its (a) internal website and (b) intranet her Office has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design. [321983]
Barbara Keeley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons does not maintain its own internal website or intranet. The Office is part of the Cabinet Office and staff therefore have access to the Cabinet Office intranet service.
Members: Pensions
Martin Horwood: To ask the Leader of the House how many and what proportion of its shares the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund held in (a) British Petroleum and (b) Royal Dutch Shell on the latest date for which figures are available; and what the monetary value was of those shares on that date. [322503]
Barbara Keeley: The investment of the assets of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund is a matter for the Fund's Trustees. The Chairman of Trustees will be writing to the hon. Member separately.
Work and Pensions
Children: Maintenance
Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what (a) circumstances and (b) proportion of cases interest is applied to arrears owed by non-resident parents in cases managed by the Child Support Agency. [320377]
Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what (a) circumstances and (b) proportion of cases interest is applied to arrears owed by non-resident parents in cases managed by the Child Support Agency. [320377]
The CSA does not apply interest charges to maintenance arrears and has not done so since April 1995. Section 43 of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 extinguished liability for any interest outstanding from periods prior to April 1995.
There are however exceptions for enforcement cases when interest can be charged following registration of a liability with the County Court. Interest in these circumstances is not calculated under Child Support legislation, but under general rules applying to court orders. In practice, this is only applied in cases involving applications for an Order for Sale, where the CSA may apply to the court for any interest accruing between the date a liability order was registered with the County Court and the application for an Order for Sale.
As of 31 December 2009 the CSA was dealing with 1,213,100 live and assessed cases. Only Order for Sale cases with a secured debt balance in excess of £5000 have interest collected on them. As at 31 December 2009 the CSA had referred 342 Order for Sale actions, which represents less than 0.3% of the live and assessed caseload.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many absent parents in (a) Scotland and (b) the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency are being dealt with by the Child Support Agency. [320797]
Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many absent parents in (a) Scotland and (b) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency are being dealt with by the Child Support Agency.
Latest figures show as at December 2009, the number of cases in Scotland is 111,050; of these 320 are in the Parliamentary Constituency of Na h-Eileanan an Iar. These figures include old scheme cases with a full or interim maintenance assessment as well as current scheme cases with a full maintenance calculation or default maintenance decision. Figures are adjusted to reflect those cases administered clerically.
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the Child Support Agency (CSA) has imposed a sanction of (a) deduction of earnings orders, (b) deduction from bank accounts, (c) seizure and sale of goods by bailiffs, (d) registering a charging order against assets, (e) obtaining a third party order to freeze assets in the bank accounts to which non-resident parties are entitled, (f) disqualifying the non-resident parent from driving, (g) gaining a warrant committing the non-resident parent to prison, (h) applying to a magistrates' court to impose a curfew for non-resident parents, (i) applying to the courts to search the non-resident parents against whom a curfew order has been made, (j) applying to the court to prevent a non-resident parent disposing of a property and (k) making administrative orders disqualifying non-resident parents from holding a driving licence or travel authorisation such as passports or both without the need to apply to the courts; and on what date the CSA gained the power to impose each type of sanction. [320870]
Helen Goodman
[holding answer 8 March 2010]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have
asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my right hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times the Child Support Agency (CSA) has imposed a sanction of (a) deduction of earnings orders, (b) deduction from bank account, (c) seizure and sale of goods by bailiffs, (d) registering a charging order against assets, (e) obtaining a third party order to freeze assets in the bank accounts to which non-resident parties are entitled, (f) disqualifying the non-resident parent from driving, (g) gaining a warrant committing the non-resident parent to prison, (h) applying to a magistrates' court to impose a curfew for non-resident parents, (i) applying to the courts to search the non-resident parents against whom a curfew order has been made, (j) applying to the court to prevent a non-resident parent disposing of a property and (k) making administrative orders disqualifying non-resident parents from holding a driving licence or travel authorisation such as passports or both without the need to apply to the courts; and on what date the CSA gained the power to impose each type of sanction. [320870]
There have been 65,535 new deduction of earning orders/requests set up in England, Wales and Scotland in the 12 months to October 2009. Deductions of earning orders were a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and have been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993.
In the period between August 2009 and October 2009, there have been 125 cases where a deduction order from a bank account has been sanctioned. Sanctioned has been interpreted as the application to freeze funds in the bank account of a non-resident parent. This power came into force in August 2009.
In England and Wales, there have been 17,730 distress actions (bailiff actions) in the 12 months to October 2009. In Scotland, in the 12 months to October 2009 there were 255 attachments. These powers were a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and have been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993.
In the 12 months to October 2009, there have been 2,995 charging orders in England and Wales. In Scotland, in the 12 months to October 2009 there were 1,395 Bills of Inhibition. Charging Orders were a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and have been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993.
There have been 2,025 third party debt orders to freeze assets in England and Wales in the 12 months to October 2009. In Scotland, in the 12 months to October 2009 there were 785 arrestments. Third Party Debt Orders were a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and have been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993.
When the CSA commences court proceedings for wilful failure and culpable neglect to pay child maintenance the court decides what sentence shall be imposed. Of such proceedings started across England, Wales and Scotland, 820 resulted in suspended committal sentences and 40 committal sentences. This power was a feature of the original Child Support Act 1991 and has been available to the CSA since its establishment in 1993. There were also 70 suspended driving licence disqualification sentences and 5 actual driving licence disqualification sentences in the 12 months to October 2009. This power was introduced by the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000; and was brought into effect in April 2001.
Powers to apply to a Court to impose a curfew on a non resident parent, search a non-resident parent against whom a curfew order has been made, prevent a non resident parent disposing of property or using administrative orders for driving licence disqualification or travel authorisation have not yet come into effect.
Further information relating to the Agency's use of enforcement powers is published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS). The latest copy of which is available in the House of Commons library, or via the internet at:
I hope you find this answer helpful.
Departmental Theft
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many thefts from her Department have been recorded in the last two years. [318989]
Jonathan Shaw: In accordance with guidance from HM Treasury, the Department maintains records of certain high-value property that it owns, such as specialist equipment and plant and machinery. In the past two years, no items recorded on the register have been reported as stolen.
Employment Schemes
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to page 97 of the pre-Budget report 2009, what temporary employment programmes will be phased out by 2012-13; and what estimate she has made of the likely savings to her Department in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the following three years. [313271]
Helen Goodman: As set out in "Building Britain's Recovery, Achieving Full Employment", in the projections of the public finances, the Government uses a National Audit Office audited assumption for claimant unemployment. If unemployment was to follow the latest assumption at the time of the pre-Budget report, this would imply savings of approximately £10 billion over the next five years from lower benefit spending alone, compared to the assumption at the time of the Budget.
We will continue to review the support that is available for jobseekers, and decisions on the Department's future expenditure limits and spending allocations will be taken at the spending review.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people had their claims for jobseeker's allowance processed in (a) five or fewer days, (b) between six and 10 days; (c) between 11 and 16 days, (d) between 17 and 21 days and (e) more than 21 days in (i) December 2009 and (ii) January 2010. [316962]
Jim Knight [holding answer 22 February 2010]: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
Jobcentre Plus measures performance on the processing of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claims through the Average Actual Clearance Time (AACT) target. The current target for 2009-10 is 11.5 days. This time is calculated across an average of all the claims cleared in any given month looking at the date the customer first contacted Jobcentre Plus or the customers first day of
unemployment, whichever is the later. The end date is the date a formal decision is made on the claim and a notification is issued to the customer on entitlement.
In addition to collecting AACT data our benefit processing system also gathers useful management information on the volumes of claims processed within the time bands you have requested.
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