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30 Mar 2010 : Column 1001W—continued
Sudan: Politics and Government
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with (a) the Westminster Foundation, (b) the Interparliamentary Union and (c) other international bodies the funding of opposition parties in Sudan prior to the forthcoming election and referendum in that country. [324743]
Chris Bryant: Under The Sudanese National Elections Act 2008, political parties cannot finance their campaign activities through any financial and material support, donations or other means of support from foreign countries or any foreign body. It is for the National Elections Commission to disperse Government of National Unity funds to opposition parties. The UK does however provide funding to the UN Development Programme Strategic Partnership Fund which has supported political parties' training and capacity development.
Tibet
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he raised the issue of Tibet during his recent visit to China. [324701] [Official Report, 25 May 2010, Vol. 510, c. 1MC.]
Chris Bryant: During my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's visit to China he raised the issue of Tibet with Premier Wen and Foreign Minister Yang. He expressed our continued concern at the situation in Tibet, including the heavy security presence, and restrictions on freedom of expression and religion. He welcomed the resumption of the talks between the Chinese authorities and representatives of the Dalai Lama but emphasised that the talks must be substantive to be successful.
Following this visit, the UK and China held a human rights dialogue on 18 March 2010. At this we pressed for access to the Tibetan Autonomous Region for diplomats and journalists and expressed concern over the numbers in detention following the March 2008 unrest, and related death sentences. We also expressed concern over cultural rights and religious freedom in Tibet. In advance of the dialogue we handed over a list of individual cases of concern, which included 17 Tibetan cases. We have yet to receive a response on any of the cases.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has just published its annual report on human rights. China was once again listed as a country of concern. A copy can be found on the FCO website. In it I have made clear that promotion of human rights is a fundamental part of our relationship with China. Significant progress has been made in economic and social rights, with 500 million raised out of poverty in just 30 years. But progress in civil and political rights has been much slower. It is in our interests to help China move towards greater respect for human rights, transparency and accountability.
Western Sahara: Fisheries
Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there have been discussions at joint committee meetings between the European Commission and Morocco on the effect on the Saharawi and other peoples of the Western Sahara of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement. [324135]
Chris Bryant: We are not aware at such discussions having taken place.
Fisheries agreements with third countries such as the agreement with Morocco fall within the exclusive competence of the European Union and it is therefore the European Commission which negotiates the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Morocco on the member states' behalf.
World War II: Anniversaries
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he received on the attendance of UK nationals at the commemoration of Latvian Waffen SS veterans in Riga on 16 March 2010. [325035]
Chris Bryant: We have received no reports of UK nationals attending the commemoration this year, but the event did go ahead and was attended by veterans of the Latvian Legion and their supporters.
International Development
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years. [324680]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development has not spent any money on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on promotional items carrying the Department's branding and logo in the last five years; and what those items were. [324716]
Mr. Michael Foster: The requested information is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate costs to disaggregate from overall programme costs.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has incurred expenditure on (a) foreign exchange derivatives and (b) consulting on currency hedging strategies in each of the last three years. [325122]
Mr. Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not incurred any expenditure on (a) foreign exchange derivatives or (b) consulting on currency hedging strategies in the last three years.
Energy and Climate Change
Biofuels
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive, if he will make an estimate of the effect on (a) morbidity and (b) mortality of the implementation of the 2020 biomass targets under the renewable energy strategy. [323954]
Mr. Kidney: The Renewable Energy Strategy promotes the uptake of biomass as one of a range of renewable fuel sources for the production of heat and electricity. It does not include specific targets for biomass within the overall target for renewable energy in 2020.
The impact assessment accompanying the consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive sets out the likely impact on health costs of changes in air quality, based on a range of scenarios for scale of biomass uptake, type of locations and quality of emission performance. The consultation proposes the introduction of emission standards which will reduce the impact on air quality. Work continues to quantify the scale of uptake and the impact of the resulting change in air quality on public health and the achievement of air quality objectives.
Biofuels: Carbon Emissions
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive, if he will (a) estimate the cumulative emissions of black carbon from biomass boilers by 2020 and (b) assess the likely effects on global warming of the black carbon emitted from those boilers by 2020. [323767]
Mr. Kidney: We recognise that, compared with most climate gases, black carbon is a powerful warming agent (a 100-year global warming potential approximately 650 times that of carbon dioxide ) but it has a very short average lifetime (residence time) in the atmosphere (up to a week or two). It is removed by rain and snowfall, and through direct deposition on land surfaces and the surface of the ocean. We are working collaboratively within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's convention on long-range transboundary air pollution to examine the significance of black carbon.
Estimates are not currently available on black carbon emissions from biomass boilers in the UK. However, we expect that the proposed emission standards to be introduced under the RHI will have a significant impact in reducing concentrations of black carbon compared to the current situation.
Carbon Emissions
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has discussed with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs the likely consequences of publishing estimates of the effect on the UK of a reduction in the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by 42 per cent. by 2020. [324727]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 29 March 2010]: My right hon. Friend has regular meetings with my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary at which various topics are discussed.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how often his Department plans to assess the effectiveness of eligible carbon emissions reduction target measures in reducing emissions; and if he will make a statement. [324867]
Joan Ruddock: The supplier obligation (now termed the carbon emissions reduction target) has been set over three year cycles to allow Government to evolve the scheme so that it only pulls through products with the most potential to provide for household sector carbon emissions reductions. An independent assessment is commissioned at the end of each three year phase, building on the cost-benefit assessment undertaken and published at the launch of each scheme. Independent analysis of the three year supplier obligation scheme ending March 2008 showed it to have been extremely effective in delivery-that for every £1 added onto GB household bills to pay for the obligation, benefits equate to an average saving of £9 per household bill over the lifetime of the measures. The carbon emissions reduction target which ends in March 2011, is also believed to be highly cost-effective. We know for instance, that insulation measures make up over 60 per cent. of savings to target-equivalent to some four million households receiving insulation measures.
Carbon Sequestration
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in the competition to build a commercial scale carbon capture and storage power plant; and if he will make a statement. [325262]
Mr. Kidney: On 12 March we announced that funding has been awarded to E.on and Scottish Power to support Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies as part of the competition to build a commercial scale carbon capture and storage demonstration plant. The studies will be completed within 12 months, after which the winner will be selected.
Climate Change: Costs
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the net cost to the Exchequer of the Government's Climate Change Agreements in each of the last five years. [320513]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I have been asked to reply.
Estimates of the cost to the Exchequer of the Government's Climate Change Agreements were published in Table 7, of the 2009 pre-Budget report, 'Tax Ready Reckoner', as follows:
| CCA net cost estimates | |
| Fiscal year | £ million |
Estimates of costs associated with Climate Change Agreement were not published prior to 2006-07.
Climate Change: International Cooperation
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what conditions are attached to the fund committed by the UK to help flight climate change by tackling deforestation between 2010 and 2012 and announced at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit; how the fund will be administered; and whether the fund will be subject to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change guidelines. [324628]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 29 March 2010]: At Copenhagen my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the UK would provide £300 million in 2010-12 to help tackle deforestation, as a contribution to the $3.5 billion committed by donors and representing 20 per cent. of the UK's £1.5 billion 'fast start' finance. This funding will go to developing countries where there are the best opportunities for tackling emissions from deforestation in ways which also reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. The support will be delivered through multilateral funds (e.g. Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, Forest Investment Programme, Congo Basin Forest Initiative) and bilateral programmes. The UNFCCC guidelines are still under consideration. The UK will seek to apply best practice and take account of progress in the climate negotiations.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many smoking shelters have been built for his Department's staff in the last five years; and at what cost. [324346]
Joan Ruddock: No smoking shelters have been built for DECC staff since this Department's inception in October 2008.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on rooms for staff leisure in each of the last five years. [324437]
Joan Ruddock: Since its inception in October 2008, this Department has not spent anything on rooms for staff leisure.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010, Official Report, column 61W, on departmental information officers, what the (a) job title, (b) division and (c) responsibilities are of each of the embedded communicators. [324307]
Joan Ruddock: The job titles, divisions and responsibilities for each of the 11 embedded communicators in the Department are set out in the following table.
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