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1 July 2010 : Column 597W—continued
Unemployment Benefits: Bexley
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in the London Borough of Bexley in receipt of out-of-work benefits as a result of (a) alcohol and (b) drug dependency. [3310]
Chris Grayling: Information about the number of people who are receiving Employment and Support Allowance or Jobseeker's Allowance as a result of drug or alcohol dependency is not available.
The available information is in the following table.
| Working age incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in Bexley local authority with a diagnosis of alcoholism or drug abuse, at November 2009 | |
| November 2009 | |
| Notes: 1. Employment and Support Allowance replaced Incapacity Benefit and Income Support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 2. The primary diagnosis of incapacity on a claimant's medical certificate is recorded. 3. Employment and Support Allowance figures are not currently available by diagnosis. 4. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 5. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 6. Figures shown are for working age claimants only (females aged 16 to 59 and males aged 16 to 64). Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Survey. | |
Work Capability Assessment
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any changes to the work capability assessment system are planned following the Department-led review of that system published on 29 March 2010; and if he will make a statement. [5252]
Chris Grayling: The Department undertook an internal review of the work capability assessment which was published on 29 March 2010. The review found that generally the assessment accurately identifies individuals for benefit. The review made a number of recommendations for improving the work capability assessment. We announced on 29 June that we will be implementing those recommendations.
Energy and Climate Change
Nuclear Power
18. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the proportion of electricity to be generated from nuclear sources. [4953]
Chris Huhne: It is for energy companies to bring forward proposals for nuclear new build without public subsidy. The Office for Nuclear Development (OND) will act to enable investment in the UK from the earliest possible date and is focused on removing potential barriers to investment. To date, energy companies have announced plans to build up to 16 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear in the UK.
Green Deal
20. Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to introduce the proposed green deal on domestic energy efficiency; and if he will make a statement. [4955]
21. Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to introduce the proposed green deal on domestic energy efficiency; and if he will make a statement. [4956]
Gregory Barker: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson) earlier today.
Carbon Emissions
Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of a EU-wide carbon floor price on the volume of carbon dioxide emissions. [4544]
Gregory Barker: DECC has not commissioned or undertaken any analysis on the effects of a EU-wide carbon floor price on the volume of carbon dioxide emissions.
Carbon Sequestration: Gas Fired Power Stations
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on public expenditure on the development of carbon capture and storage technology for gas-fired power stations. [4915]
Charles Hendry: We have stated that the Government will continue public sector investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology for four coal-fired power stations. The Committee on Climate Change has recommended that we give serious consideration to funding at least one gas CCS project as part of the programme of four projects. We are carefully evaluating whether a demonstration project on gas would prove beneficial and add value to the programme.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change by how much the budget of each of his Department's work programmes will be reduced to make savings. [4267]
Gregory Barker: It was announced on 24 May that the Department of Energy and Climate Change will contribute £85 million savings to the Government's overall savings of £6.2 billion in 2010-11. The spending plans of the Department for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15 are being considered as part of the Government's Spending Review and no decisions have been reached yet.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to review his Department's capital funding programmes in advance of the next Comprehensive Spending Review. [5068]
Gregory Barker: The Department for Energy and Climate Change is reviewing all capital funding programmes as part of the next Spending Review, in line with the approach set out in the Spending Review Framework presented to Parliament on 8 June. This involves undertaking a fundamental review of capital spending plans, to identify those areas of spending that will achieve the greatest economic returns.
Energy: Yorkshire and the Humber
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support his Department is giving to the development of low-carbon energy projects in Yorkshire and the Humber. [4936]
Charles Hendry: Government have provided support for a range of low carbon energy projects in the Yorkshire and Humber region as part of our wider support for low carbon technology development and deployment.
Support ranges from direct investment-for example in the Government's provision of around £22 million to establish the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in Sheffield-to support from the Carbon Trust which has worked with customers in the region to help reduce their emissions and energy bills.
Environmental Transformation Fund
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change by how much the budget of the Environmental Transformation Fund will be reduced; and which projects and programmes will be affected by those reductions. [4296]
Gregory Barker: The 2010-11 budget for the national Environmental Transformation Fund and DECC's Low Carbon Investment Funding will be cut by £34 million as part of the response to the record deficit inherited by the new Government.
DECC is reviewing all activities funded from these budgets before finalising which activities will be cut, or scaled back.
Green Investment Bank
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's definition is of green as applied to the Green Investment Bank. [4747]
Gregory Barker: The Government are considering a wide range of options for the scope and structure of the Green Investment Bank and will put forward detailed proposals following the Spending Review.
Nuclear Power Stations: Public Expenditure
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of subsidies to the nuclear industry in each year since 1997. [4671]
Charles Hendry [holding answer 28 June 2010]: With the exception of British Energy, there have been no public subsidies to the nuclear generating sector since the privatisation of parts of the industry.
The Government are underwriting the Nuclear Liabilities Fund, the segregated fund which meets the cost of British Energy's decommissioning and certain uncontracted liabilities to the extent that its liabilities outweigh its assets. In return, the fund received the proceeds of the sale to EdF in January 2009 of the Government's interest in British Energy, this amounted to a contribution of £4.42 billion to the fund. On current valuations, the assets of the fund exceed the liabilities.
In terms of British Energy (privatised in July 1996), a loan facility was provided to the company in 2002 to support it through its restructuring. This loan was repaid in full with interest in December 2003 and no further drawings can be made. As a result of the restructuring which completed in January 2005, the Government have taken direct financial responsibility for BE's historic spent fuel liabilities. The following payments have been made, from Government, since restructuring to meet those historic spent fuel liabilities:
| £ million | |
The public sector nuclear sites, including the first generation of nuclear reactors have largely ceased normal operation and entered decommissioning. In April 2005 responsibility for cleaning up the legacy sites was passed to the newly created Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). These were previously owned variously by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL). These sites have always been in the public sector and the clean-up costs are recognised as public sector liabilities. BNFL's operational facilities, including the Magnox power stations, were run on a commercial basis under contracts negotiated with their customers.
The NDA mission is fully funded by the public sector, through a mixture of direct grant and commercial income. The latter will decline over time as the remaining operational nuclear plants close and enter decommissioning. The European Commission approved the funding of NDA under the state aid rules and in the same Decision, concluded that there was no aid or subsidy to either BNFL or UKAEA.
Wind Power: Manufacturing Industries
Ms Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he is reviewing the decision to allocate £60 million to fund port infrastructure for off-shore wind turbine manufacturing. [5152]
Charles Hendry: The Government are committed to the development of UK manufacturing to support the growing offshore wind sector. Funding for offshore wind ports infrastructure has not been selected for suspension or cancellation as part of the recent cost cutting exercise, but as with all public spending it is being reviewed in the context of the Spending Review.
Home Department
Police
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers and (b) the Association of Police Authorities on the Government's proposals to introduce a directly-elected individual to oversee the work of each police force. [4137]
Mrs May [holding answer 24 June 2010]: Ministers have had a number of discussions with both the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities about our proposals, and we will continue to do so.
Sexualisation of Young People Review
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to implement the recommendations of her Department's review of the sexualisation of young people. [5159]
James Brokenshire: In our Coalition programme for Government, we stated that we will crack down on irresponsible advertising and marketing, especially to children, and take steps to tackle the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. The Government are currently looking at options for responding to the independent reviews that were commissioned last year as part of the previous administration's consultation on violence against women. This includes the Sexualisation of Young People Review conducted by Dr Linda Papadopoulos.
Prime Minister
Andy Coulson
Mr Watson: To ask the Prime Minister whether his Director of Communications is entitled to use a car from the Government car pool. [2652]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 30 June 2010, Official Report, column, 563W.
BP: Pensions
Gordon Banks: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with (a) the President of the United States, (b) the Chairman of BP and (c) others on the effect on pension funds in the UK of trends in the BP share price; what assessment he has made of the effect on such funds of those trends; and what his policy is on protecting pension funds invested in that company. [4702]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the comments made by a Downing Street spokesman following my meeting with President Obama on 27 June 2010, a copy of which is available on the No. 10 website at:
I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 22 June 2010, Official Report, column 141W and to my answer at Prime Minister's Questions on 23 June 2010, Official Report, column 289.
Culture, Media and Sport
Gambling
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2010, Official Report, column 490W, on gambling, what records his private office keeps of his engagements with outside interest groups. [4805]
John Penrose: The Ministerial Code published by the Prime Minister on 21 May sets out the standards of conduct expected of Ministers. In particular, it requires the regular publication by Government Departments of ministerial meetings, hospitality, gifts and travel on a quarterly basis.
I can however confirm that since 17 May, I have met with Baroness Julia Neuberger, Chair of the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB) on 3 June, Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs (QAAD) representing the views of faith and community groups on 17 June, and representatives of the Association of British Bookmakers on 22 June and British Amusement Catering Trades Association on 23 June.
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