Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 27 July 2010
Northern Ireland
Departmental Internet
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on website design in each year since 1997. [7614]
Mr Paterson: Comparable figures for the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) as it is now configured, following the completion of devolution on 12 April, are not available:
(a) Since 12 April 2010 the Northern Ireland Office has spent £562.50 (exclusive of VAT) on web design;
(b) The NIO has no agencies. It has one non-departmental public body which incurred no expenditure in this area.
Police Service of Northern Ireland: Recruitment
Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the proportion of Catholic police officers within the Police Service of Northern Ireland to reach 30 per cent. [11572]
Mr Paterson: Catholic composition of the PSNI regulars currently stands at 29.15%. I will be discussing the impact of the Chief Constable's decision to impose a recruitment freeze with the Justice Minister after the summer.
Trade Unions
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many paid manpower hours civil servants in his Department spent on trade union-related duties and activities in each year since 1997. [11710]
Mr Paterson: Civil servants in the Department have spent approximately 73.5 hours on trade union-related activities since 12 April 2010. Comparable figures for the department as it is now configured, following the completion of devolution on 12 April, are not available for the preceding period.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants in his Department spent the equivalent of (a) five days or fewer, (b) five to 10 days, (c) 10 to 15 days, (d) 15 to 20 days, (e) 20 to 25 days and (f) 25 days or more on trade union-related activities or duties while being paid salaries from the public purse in each year since 1997. [11711]
Mr Paterson:
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), as it is now configured following the completion of devolution on 12 April, does not have full-time dedicated trade
union representatives. The Department has five staff representatives all of whom have spent the equivalent of five days or fewer on trade union-related activities since 12 April.
Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available for the period preceding 12 April.
Energy and Climate Change
Anaerobic Digestion
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to encourage the use of anaerobic digestion (a) nationally and (b) in the east midlands. [11582]
Gregory Barker: At a national level, renewable electricity generation from anaerobic digestion is incentivised through both the renewables obligation and the feed-in-tariff. In addition we are funding through the environmental transformation fund an anaerobic digestion demonstration programme which will provide the industry, the finance sector and stakeholders with valuable information on the benefits of anaerobic digestion. AD projects can also receiving funding through the European Union rural development programme for England.
The Secretary of State announced today in his annual energy statement that support for anaerobic digestion will be 'grandfathered' under the renewables obligation (ie that the level of support for a project will not change once it is accredited).
We expect to set out later this year the further steps to be taken by Government and industry to deliver the coalition programme commitment to a huge increase in energy from waste using anaerobic digestion.
Feasibility studies have been carried out into anaerobic digestion in the east midlands at a regional and local scale for electricity generation and for transport fuel production. Two projects have already received funding and several more are in the pipeline.
Banks: Environment Protection
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for the (a) future and (b) future funding of regional green banks. [9454]
Gregory Barker: Following the spending review, the Government will put forward detailed proposals on the creation of a green investment bank to help the UK meet the low-carbon investment challenge. The Government are considering a wide range of options for the scope and structure of the green investment bank and will assess the implications for regional financing initiatives for low carbon technologies as part of this consideration.
In addition, RDAs are supporting green investment through specific low carbon and generalist SME venture capital funds using ERDF structural funds. The Government will continue to support these funds subject to transitional arrangements for the unwinding of RDAs.
Carbon Emissions
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to meet the target of a 20 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. [11244]
Gregory Barker: The Climate Change Act 2008 sets greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of at least 34% by 2020 and at least 80% by 2050 (both from the 1990 baseline). The first three carbon budgets, running from 2008 to 2012, 2013 to 2017 and 2018 to 2022, are set in line with the 34% target. This is based on the UK's share of an EU-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 20% from 1990 levels by 2020. Latest projections published in June indicate that on central scenarios we are on track to achieve the 34% target.
The Prime Minister has pledged to make this the greenest Government ever. In addition to a range of new policy initiatives, the coalition has already announced that central Government would reduce its carbon emissions by 10% within 12 months and that real time reporting of energy efficiency data would be implemented across Government HQ buildings. We are also supporting greater energy efficiency by introducing the green deal and have announced in the House that we are extending the carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) to the end of 2012. We are supporting the carbon price by arguing for the EU to adopt a 30% emissions target for 2020 and we will reform the electricity market to deliver the investment we need to ensure decarbonisation and security of supply.
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the carbon emissions reduction target and community energy saving programme schemes in reducing levels of carbon dioxide emissions. [11568]
Gregory Barker: An evaluation of the predecessor scheme to the carbon emissions reduction target reported in December 2008, and found it to be very effective. Ofgem administrates CERT on the Government's behalf, publishing quarterly updates of suppliers' progress towards targets. Ofgem accredits the carbon score of schemes where suppliers meet the terms of the operational guidance, including auditing and reporting requirements. CERT has been focussed around measures which deliver long lived savings, namely insulation. We estimate that the measures delivered under CERT will deliver lifetime savings of some 185 Mt CO2 by April 2011. An evaluation of the scheme will be undertaken in 2011.
A full public consultation was held on proposals for the community energy saving programme (CESP) from February to May 2009 and it came into effect from September 2009. The CESP impact assessment following the consultation estimated that the scheme will deliver some 2.9 Mt CO2 over the lifetime of the measures installed. We are currently undertaking an evaluation of the CESP, which will be complete in March 2011.
James Wharton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the total level of carbon dioxide reductions credited
to energy suppliers in respect of unsolicited provision of energy efficient lightbulbs to customers under the carbon emissions reduction target scheme. [11569]
Gregory Barker: Under the carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) between April 2008 and March 2010, approximately 140 million bulbs were distributed outside of retail routes to achieve approximately 20 million lifetime tonnes of carbon dioxide reductions (approximately 11% of suppliers total target). We do not know how many of these bulbs were provided unsolicited.
The Government have announced that CFLs will no longer be eligible for promotion under the CERT extension (April 2011 to December 2012) and that written consumer requests will be required for any non-professionally installed measure delivered outside of retail routes.
Combined Heat and Power
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department plans to raise the feed-in tariff threshold from 5MW to 10MW. [7263]
Gregory Barker: As we set out in the Coalition Programme for Government, we will establish a full system of feed-in tariffs in electricity. We are considering our strategic approach to electricity market reform and funding for renewables and will make further announcements in due course.
Departmental Billing
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of payments made by his Department to (a) small and medium-sized enterprise suppliers and (b) all suppliers were made (i) within 10 days of receipt of invoice and (ii) on the agreed payment terms in the last three months for which information is available. [11386]
Gregory Barker: In the last three months, DECC has paid the following percentages of invoices:
| Percentage | |||
| Month | Within five working days( 1) | Within 10 working days | Within 30 calendar days( 2) |
| (1) From May 2010, the requirement to monitor and report payment performance against 10 working days was changed to five working days; 10 day payment performance for May and June has not been recorded. (2) DECC's standard agreed payment terms is payment in 30 days of receipt of a valid invoice. | |||
DECC does not currently record and publish information about the size of suppliers as this does not fully reflect the number and size of businesses engaged in supplying goods and services. We do not discriminate by size of business because many SMEs can be found within larger supply chains.
Departmental Internet
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much (a) his Department and (b) its predecessor spent on search engine biasing with (i) Google and (ii) other search engines in each of the last five years. [10017]
Gregory Barker: DECC spent £309,800 exclusive of VAT in 2009-10. DECC was formed in October 2008 and did not hold budgets to cover paid search until 2009-10.
We are unable to break these figures down by search engine as neither we nor the Central Office of Information hold that level of detail and to find this out would involve disproportionate cost.
Departmental Legal Costs
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on legal advice in each year since its inception. [7570]
Gregory Barker: The Department was established in October 2008. Expenditure figures for 2008-09 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. In 2009-10 the Department spent £15.48 million on legal services. "Legal services" includes legal advice, the cost of DECC's internal legal team and other legal services such as the conduct of litigation. The Department's NDPBs' expenditure on legal services was £6.03 million in 2008-09 and £1.92 million in 2009-10.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in (a) May and (b) June 2010. [10110]
Gregory Barker: There has been nil spend on hospitality events by Ministers in May and June of 2010.
Departmental Pay
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was paid in remuneration in total to civil servants in his Department in 2009-10. [9896]
Gregory Barker: The amount paid in remuneration in total to civil servants in the Department in 2009-10 was £44,211,403.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2010, Official Report, column 72W, on departmental public expenditure, if he will break down by category of savings the sums to be saved from allocations to low carbon technology and business support. [11651]
Gregory Barker: DECC's support to low carbon technology and business support has been reduced by £34 million in 2010-11. This is broken down as follows:
The Low Carbon Buildings Programme was closed early saving £3 million. The budget for round 2 of the Deep Geothermal Challenge Fund (DGCF) was reduced by £l million. Bio-energy grants and Infrastructure budgets were reduced by £4.7 million in total. The Energy Saving Trust Trials (advanced heating controls,
LED lighting, solid-wall insulation) were ended early saving £0.7 million. The scope of the central Government Low Carbon Technology Programme was reduced saving £2.9 million. The scope of the offshore wind supply chain capital grants scheme was reduced saving £3 million.
The Carbon Trust budget was reduced by £12.6 million. The Carbon Trust is a private company and the precise details of how their savings will be made is a matter for its board, but Carbon Trust will this year receive up to £115 million from DECC when all grants are taken into account.
We will not be proceeding with any unallocated funding.
Departmental Temporary Employment
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many employees on temporary contracts worked in (a) his Department, (b) its associated non-ministerial departments and (c) the non-department public bodies sponsored by his Department on the latest date for which figures are available. [5928]
Gregory Barker: The latest figures (all FTE 'or full-time equivalent') available are based on June 2010 reports. DECC had 41 staff on payroll on temporary contracts and a further 109 people working in DECC on temporary contracts and not on payroll.
Civil nuclear authority had 31 staff on payroll on temporary contracts and a further 14 people working on temporary contracts not on payroll.
The Committee on Climate Change had no staff on temporary contracts.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority had 13 people working on temporary contracts not on payroll.
The Coal Authority had 13 people working on temporary contracts not on payroll.
Departmental Trade Unions
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has paid to trade unions in each year since 2008; and what estimate he has made of the monetary value of facilities provided by his Department for use by trade unions in each year since 2008. [11691]
Gregory Barker: DECC was created as a new Department in October 2008; records of trade union-related activities are not available for financial period 2008-09.
For year 2009-10 no money, over and above the salary costs associated with the employment of one full-time departmental trade union side secretary (civil service grade SEO, salary range £34,713 to £41,851) and an additional 42 days spent on union-related activities by local union representatives, was paid to any of our three trades unions.
To date for year 2010-11 no money apart from salary costs has been paid.
No estimate has been made of the value of facilities provided by the Department for use by trade unions.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many paid manpower hours civil servants in his Department spent on trade union-related duties and activities in each year since 2008. [11692]
Gregory Barker: DECC was created as a new Department in October 2008; records of trade union-related activities are not available for financial period 2008-09.
The recognition agreement between DECC and the recognised trade unions (the Public and Commercial Services Union, Prospect, and the FDA) follows the ACAS code of practice "Time off for Trades Union Duties and Activities", and sets out the details of facility time agreed between parties.
In 2009-10, DECC employed one full-time equivalent officer (approximately 1,900 hours) who operates as our departmental trade union side secretary. In addition, 42 days (approximately 350 hours) have been spent by civil servants on trade union related duties and activities.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many civil servants in his Department spent the equivalent of (a) five days or fewer, (b) five to 10 days, (c) 10 to 15 days, (d) 15 to 20 days, (e) 20 to 25 days and (f) 25 days or more on trade union-related activities or duties while being paid salaries from the public purse in each year since 2008. [11693]
Chris Huhne: DECC was created as a new Department in October 2008; records of trade union-related activities are not available for financial period 2008-09.
The recognition agreement between DECC and the recognised trades unions (the Public and Commercial Services Union, Prospect, and the FDA) follows the ACAS code of practice "Time off for Trades Union Duties and Activities", and sets out the details of facility time agreed between parties.
In 2009-10 DECC had one full-time equivalent officer who operated as our departmental trade union side secretary. (Category F)
In the same year 13 other civil servants (trade union representatives) spent fewer than five days each on trade-union related activities. (Category A)
Electric Cables
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what procedure he plans to adopt for the consideration of applicants for (a) new electricity lines of 132 kV and above and (b) other linear major infrastructure projects; and if he will make a statement. [11493]
Charles Hendry: Applications for new electricity lines of 132 kV and above and other major linear energy infrastructure projects are currently submitted to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) for examination.
On 29 June we announced that we would abolish the IPC and replace it with a Major Infrastructure Planning Unit (MIPU) as part of the Planning Inspectorate. However, until new legislation is in place to put these arrangements into effect, the IPC will continue in its present role. Once the MIPU is established, it will make recommendations to my right hon. Friend the Secretary
of State who will determine each case. Transitional arrangements will ensure there is a seamless transition from the current regime to the new one.
Energy: Housing
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria he plans to put in place to determine whether energy efficiency products are eligible for support under the green deal. [10324]
Gregory Barker: We have set out the proposal for a green deal that will enable energy users to install energy efficiency measures, with no upfront cost, and paid for over time through the savings on their energy bills.
While we continue to develop the detail that will underpin the green deal, taking into account the needs of the consumers and industry, we are clear that the cost of repayments for green deal-installed measures should be less than the likely energy bill savings. We are also clear that installed measures should be able to pay for themselves in a reasonable period of time.
We will be setting out the measures that qualify for the green deal in secondary legislation once the forthcoming Energy Security and Green Economy Bill has received Assent.
Energy: National Policy Statements
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 15 July 2010, Official Report, column 40WS, on the draft energy national policy statements (consultation), what changes have been made to the Appraisal of Sustainability for the Overarching Energy National Policy Statement. [11896]
Charles Hendry: The work on the Appraisal of Sustainability for the Overarching Energy National Policy Statement is not yet complete and therefore I am not able to say now exactly what changes will be made to it. However, once the work is completed, all the Appraisals of Sustainability and the draft national policy statements will be published for re-consultation in the autumn.
Energy: Prices
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will consider the merits of requiring energy companies to (a) promote their social tariffs to those who qualify for them and (b) allow registration for social tariffs between April and September each year. [9121]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 19 July 2010]: Under the current voluntary agreement which is in place from 2008-11, Ofgem has ensured that information about the suppliers' social tariffs and programmes and a contact phone number for consumers to check their eligibility, is available on all the suppliers' websites. Collectively, suppliers had signed up over one million customers by the end of the first year of the agreement, spending £157 million, which exceeded the Government target by 57%.
Suppliers' social tariffs are currently available for registration at the individual suppliers' discretion. However,
in order to be called a social tariff and marketed as such, the tariff is required to be available on an enduring basis, not just seasonally.
Under the Energy Act 2010, the Government have powers to introduce mandated social price support through the Energy Act 2010 and, subject to the outcome of the spending review and public consultation on its proposals, intends to introduce the first scheme in 2011.
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to limit increases in domestic energy prices. [11610]
Charles Hendry: I have no plans to reintroduce controls for domestic energy prices. Open energy markets and vigorous competition between suppliers are the best means of keeping domestic prices as low as possible. Since privatisation, competition in UK markets has consistently delivered some of the cheapest domestic energy prices in the EU.
Ofgem closely monitors energy price movements and has said it would investigate this market if it appears that competition was not working properly, as indeed they did in 2008-09.
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects Ofgem to publish conclusions of its consultation on ending the 65 working day notice period for unilateral contract variations. [11611]
Charles Hendry: I understand that Ofgem is now considering the responses to its consultation and it will publish its final proposals before the end of the summer.
Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the use of domestic energy prices when used to calculate wholesale energy prices. [11618]
Charles Hendry: The Department for Energy and Climate Change does not publish wholesale energy price forecasts. It publishes oil, gas and coal price assumptions for the period till 2030, which are used in the Department's analytical work. Rather than forecasting prices, DECC attempts to generate a number of price scenarios, based on estimates of fundamentals, that represent a plausible range that might materialise in the future. The assumptions do not capture short-term volatility in fossil fuel prices, but they are intended to reflect potential long-term trends. It is therefore possible to witness significant deviation from these trends in any one year. The Department keeps these assumptions under review, and will update them when necessary. The last review took place in January 2010 but no changes were made. In addition, as part of DECC's Updated Energy and Emissions Projections, DECC produce wholesale electricity price projections which arise from the fossil fuel price assumptions. The most recent projections can be found at:
Energy: Windows
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of houses eligible under Government schemes for assistance with the installation of energy-efficient windows. [11494]
Gregory Barker: In principle, energy-efficient glazing is an eligible measure under the carbon emissions reduction target for any residential property, providing that the replacement windows go beyond the minimum requirements in part L of the building regulations. It is therefore a decision for the obligated companies whether or not to promote these measures in any particular case. Glazing is also an eligible measure on a similar basis under the Community Energy Saving Programme for any property situated within the scheme's eligible areas.
Housing: Energy
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish the outstanding annual progress reports under the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995; and if he will make a statement. [10871]
Gregory Barker: I am currently considering the future of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA), including whether to publish the latest data reported by local authorities and will make my intentions clear in due course.
Insulation: Housing
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the future of the home insulation programme; and if he will make a statement. [11895]
Gregory Barker: On 30 June I announced that the principal home insulation scheme, the carbon emissions reduction target, an obligation on energy suppliers to meet household carbon saving targets, would be extended to the end of December 2012. We have restructured the scheme to increase the focus on delivering insulation measures. An order to give effect to the extended scheme was laid before Parliament on 14 July.
Going forward, we expect home insulation measures to continue to play a central role under the Government's new green deal programme. Provisions relating to the green deal will be included in the forthcoming Energy Security and Green Economy Bill.
Wind Power: Noise
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will review the guidance produced by the Energy Technology Support Unit in 1997 on the assessment and rating of noise from wind farms; and if he will make a statement. [9445]
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to revise the noise assessment guidance for wind turbines (ETSU-R-97). [8993]
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will revise ETSU-R-97 on the assessment and rating of noise from wind farms to bring it into line with current standards. [5568]
Charles Hendry: Noise is a key issue to be taken into account in considering proposals for wind farm development. There is no reason to believe that the protection from noise provided for by the ETSU-R-97 guidance does not remain acceptable, and we have no plans to change this.
However, I have commissioned an analysis of how noise impacts are considered in the determination of wind farm planning applications in England. The project will seek to establish best practice in assessing and rating wind turbine noise by investigating previous decisions. Our aim is to ensure that ETSU-R-97 is applied in a consistent and effective manner and that it is implemented in a way that provides the intended level of protection.
Following a competitive tender process, we have awarded the work to Hayes McKenzie, who will begin in September and expect to complete the project around the end of the year.
Nuclear Power
David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish a national policy statement on civil nuclear power; and if he will make a statement. [11781]
Charles Hendry: I laid before Parliament a written ministerial statement on 15 July 2010, Official Report, column 40WS, which set out that we will re-consult on the energy national policy statements in the autumn. As part of this we will publish the revised draft NPSs including the nuclear NPS. We expect to be in a position to lay the documents before Parliament for ratification in spring next year.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State of 22 June 2010, Official Report, column 23WH, what steps he plans to take to identify areas in the UK nuclear sector where there may have been hidden subsidies. [11995]
Charles Hendry: On the question of historic subsidies for nuclear power, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Redcar (Ian Swales) on 1 July 2010, Official Report, column 600W.
On new nuclear power, the Government are clear that there will be no public subsidy. As I explained on 22 June 2010, Official Report, column 24WH, one area that is being considered carefully is waste and decommissioning funding. The Government are putting in place measures to ensure that operators of new nuclear plants are required by law to set aside money from day one to pay for the waste and clean-up process. The Government will carefully scrutinise other areas, as necessary, to ensure that there is no subsidy for new nuclear going forwards.
Office for Nuclear Development
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2010, Official Report, column 796W, on Office for Nuclear Development, for what reason the Office for Nuclear Development was listed as a non-departmental body in the answer to the hon. Member for Hartlepool of 6 July 2010, Official Report, columns 147-8W, on non-departmental public bodies. [10053]
Charles Hendry: The answer my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Climate Change gave to the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright) on 6 July 2010, to his written parliamentary question no. 5720, Official Report, column 147-8W was incorrect. My hon. Friend has today laid before Parliament a written ministerial statement correcting this error.
The Office for Nuclear Development (OND) is not a non-departmental public body, but a unit within the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Offshore Wind Capital Grants Scheme
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he made of the likely effects on the Government's progress on their targets on climate change of the reduction in the budget of the offshore wind capital grants scheme prior to his announcement of that reduction. [10319]
Charles Hendry: Decisions on the recent reductions in low carbon technology spending were informed by a value for money assessment of planned programmes, which included an assessment of the impact of the programme on climate change targets as well as other factors such as UK security of supply and the programmes' ability to be delivered within the timescale of the 2010-11 financial year. Following that assessment it was decided to proceed with a £5 million programme, providing grants to seven projects with the strongest fit with the scheme criteria, which we announced on the 5 July 2010. Alongside over £20 million of funding provided in Calls 1 and 2 of this scheme, we expect that funding to make a significant indirect contribution to realising the carbon benefits from offshore wind deployment by supporting next-generation technology.
Power Stations: Didcot
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much water Didcot A power station used for cooling purposes in the latest period for which figures are available; and to what use water so used will be put when Didcot A power station closes in 2020. [11505]
Charles Hendry: In 2009 Didcot A power station's net cooling water usage was 2,941,708 cubic metres. This water will no longer be drawn from the river once Didcot A closes by the end of 2015.
Renewable Energy
Mr Bain:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on progress towards the Government's
targets on climate change of (a) the reduction in the budget of the Carbon Trust, (b) the reduction of funding for development of deep geothermal energy generation and (c) the reduction in scope of the offshore wind capital grants scheme. [10338]
Charles Hendry: Decisions on the recent reductions in low carbon technology spending were informed by a value for money assessment of all planned technology programmes, which included an assessment of the expected impact of the programme on climate change targets, as well as other factors such as UK energy security and the programmes' ability to be delivered within a 2010-11 timescale.
The Carbon Trust is a private company and the precise details of how its savings will be made is a matter for its board but Carbon Trust will this year receive up to £115 million from DECC when all grants are taken into account. In the case of deep geothermal the 2nd round call can proceed and together with the £4 million of funding spent last year will provide valuable help in the development and deployment of that technology in the UK. £5 million of funding for seven projects under the third call of offshore wind capital grants programme will-together with over £20 million awarded in previous calls-support the development of next-generation low-carbon offshore wind technologies.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to improve measurement and reporting of the contribution of central Government expenditure to delivering (a) the target by 2020 of a seven-fold increase from the 2008 baseline in the amount of energy generated by renewable resources and (b) the contribution of such expenditure to 2050 targets; and if he will make a statement. [10952]
Gregory Barker: From the 2010-11 financial year, DECC and delivery partners will report alongside their annual reports and accounts the income and expenditure on the major renewables policies that fall within DECC's remit. This will provide financial information to supplement the information on progress against the renewables target already published by the Department.
As set out in the June 2010 edition of Energy Trends published by this Department, progress has been made against the UK's target of 15% of energy from renewables by 2020-3% of energy consumption in 2009 came from renewable sources, up from 2.4% in 2008. Full data for 2009 will be published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) which will be published later this month and copies placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
There is no 2050 target for renewables, but the Government have just published the 2050 Pathways Analysis. This is a framework for understanding the potential role of different sectors in meeting the 80% emissions reduction target and ensuring secure energy supplies, and for considering some of the choices and trade-offs that will be faced over the next 40 years.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on encouraging the (a) growth of environmental industries and (b) generation of electricity by low-carbon methods, with particular reference to the manufacture of products and systems for energy generation. [11247]
Charles Hendry: The Government are committed to encouraging the growth of environmental industries and the generation of low carbon electricity, and today set out its overall approach to energy and climate change issues in the annual energy statement.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with banks on access to finance for (a) businesses in the photovoltaic manufacture, installation and supply industry and (b) householders and businesses to pay for such installations. [11249]
Charles Hendry: Ministers have met a number of banks in recent weeks to discuss the development of the green deal and discussions have touched on microgeneration issues, including solar photovoltaic technology. The Government recognise that this technology has an important part to play in helping to reduce carbon emissions in homes. Since April this year the main vehicle for supporting investment in solar photovoltaics is the feed-in-tariff, which is available for a range of small scale low carbon technologies.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will meet representatives of Mipower Ltd in Shrewsbury to discuss the contribution of environmental businesses to economic development. [11251]
Gregory Barker: Thank you for your invitation to meet representatives of Mipower Ltd in Shrewsbury to discuss the contribution of environmental businesses to economic development.
Can I suggest that Mipower Ltd meet officials within the Distributed Energy and Heat Team in DECC who lead on microgeneration? I would recommend Mipower Ltd contacts Paul Rochester at
paul.rochester@decc.gsi.gov.uk
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons tidal technologies used to produce electricity earn two renewable obligation certificates; if he will consider the merits of increasing the number of certificates earned to three; and if he will make a statement. [11492]
Gregory Barker: The renewables obligation (RO) is the Government's main mechanism for incentivising investment in large-scale renewable electricity. It supports a wide range of technologies with a view to help deliver the required level of generation necessary to meet our target of sourcing 15% of our energy from renewable sources by 2020.
Support levels for all RO supported technologies will be reviewed as part of the periodic banding review due to start in October this year. Any changes to support levels would then take effect on 1 April 2013.
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had on the use of pyrolytic energy recovery technology. [11579]
Charles Hendry: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any discussions on pyrolysis recently.
Government recognise that pyrolysis is an important and versatile technology which can be used to convert biomass or bio based waste into a range of energy outputs. Pyrolysis is supported through the renewables obligation, with electricity generated from liquid or gaseous fuel produced through innovative advanced pyrolysis qualifying for two renewable obligation certificates.
Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when responses to the Renewable Heat Incentive consultation will be published; and when his Department will publish its own response to the consultation. [11423]
Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon) on 15 June 2010, Official Report, columns 367-68W.
Justice
Driving Offences: Fixed Penalties
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role the County Court Bulk Centre has in respect of penalty orders issued by the Traffic Enforcement Centre. [11252]
Mr Djanogly: The County Court Bulk Centre (CCBC) is part of Northampton county court. CCBC is made up of the Claims Production Centre (CPC), the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC), Money Claims On Line (MCOL) and Possession Claims On Line (PCOL).
Part 75 of the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (to be read in conjunction with Practice Direction 75) provides jurisdiction to Northampton county court (Northampton County Court Bulk Centre) under the name The Traffic Enforcement Centre to register and enforce on street parking charges, vehicle emission penalties, road user charges (congestion charges) and bus lane transgression charges.
Compensation: Armed Forces
Mr Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will review the circumstances in which the Legal Services Commission may enforce a charge for costs on compensation awards made to injured servicemen; [11297]
(2) in how many cases the Legal Services Commission enforced a charge for costs on compensation awards made to injured servicemen in the last 12 months; and what sums were charged in each case. [11298]
Mr Djanogly:
Legal aid is not generally available for personal injury claims that do not result from alleged clinical negligence. However, legal aid may be granted in individual cases where particular criteria are met.
These criteria include: that there is significant wider public interest in the proceedings; and that the proceedings involve allegations against a public authority concerning serious wrong-doing, abuse of position or power or significant breach of human rights.
In cases where a legally aided client gains money as a result of their funded proceedings, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) seeks to recover the public funds expended. This is a fundamental principle of the legal aid system, and ensures that money is available to fund other deserving cases. We have no plans to limit the application of the statutory charge.
The LSC does not categorise legal aid applications relating to service personnel separately from other applications. The number of legally aided cases where injured service personnel have received compensation cannot be identified.
County Courts: Finance
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the running cost of Llangefni county court was in each year from 2006 to 2009. [10334]
Mr Djanogly: The operating costs of Llangefni county court in each year from 2006 to 2009 were as follows:
| Operating costs (£000) | |
The operating costs exclude income but include non-cash costs, staffing costs and judicial costs incurred by HM Courts Service.
County Courts: Redditch
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of the operation of Redditch county court in each of the next three years. [10453]
Mr Djanogly: The outcome of the spending review 2010 (SR10) will be announced on 20 October. The Ministry of Justice's SR10 submission incorporates high level assumptions in respect to future expenditure and savings. Until the SR10 settlement is agreed with HMT and the internal MOJ Business Group allocations are completed, detailed financial information at the level requested is not available.
For the hon. Member's information, the operating costs of Redditch county court for the last three years are given in the following table. The operating costs exclude income but include non-cash, staff and judicial costs. It should be noted that there is a policy of recovering the costs for county courts through fee income from court users accessing county court services.
| £ | |
County Courts: Wales
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he made of the proportion of available court time in each chamber of Rhyl county court during which the court sat in the latest period for which figures are available. [10851]
Mr Djanogly: Information on days sat at Rhyl county court and the proportion of these as a percentage of available sitting days is given in the table.
| Court (d ay s at ) | Judge Type | Total days sat (non High Court work) |
Available sitting days in both 2008-09 and 2009-10 were 506 (this figure assumes that both chambers and courtroom were available every working day throughout the periods). The percentage of days sat in 2008-09 was therefore 85% and in 2009-10 it was 79%.
Rhyl County Court has one circuit judge court and one District Judge Chambers. The Circuit Bench is inclusive of High Court Judges, Deputy High Court Judges Circuit Judges, Deputy Circuit Judges and Recorders. District Judges includes District Judges and Deputy District Judges.
Courts
Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many warrants for the arrest of (a) defendants and (b) witnesses resident in the former Minehead court area have been issued for failure to appear at courts in Bridgewater or Taunton since the closure of Minehead courthouse; [11024]
(2) how many defendants appeared at Bridgwater magistrates court in each of the last five years; and how many such defendants gave addresses in Bridgwater; [11025]
(3) how many truancy cases were heard in courts in (a) Bridgwater and (b) Taunton in each of the last five years; [11026]
(4) how many court cases were adjourned owing to files held at Taunton courthouse not having been made available in the last two years. [11027]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is not held centrally as it is not recorded by court staff electronically as part of their routine daily administrative duties. The only means to collect these data would be the inspection of each individual case file at disproportionate cost.
Courts: Closures
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons he decided to propose the closure of courts in Rhyl and Denbigh. [10831]
Mr Djanogly: In order to form the proposals for closure, the principles contained within consultation paper CP15/10 were considered. Particular regard was paid to the respective utilisation rates and the opportunity to rationalise the court estate within reasonable travelling distances of communities.
Courts: Operating Costs
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the operating costs were of each court in Wales in each of the last three years; [11393]
(2) how much was spent on refurbishment and maintenance at each court in Wales in each of the last three financial years. [11304]
Mr Djanogly: The operating costs and the resource maintenance and improvements costs for each court in Wales for the last three full financial years are shown in the following table.
The operating costs exclude income but include non-cash costs, staffing costs and judicial costs incurred by HM Courts Service. The operating costs are inclusive of the resource maintenance and improvement costs.
| Operating expenditure (£000) | Maintenance and improvements expenditure (£000) | |||||
| Name of court | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
Courts: Security
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many security staff work for HM Courts Service. [10789]
Mr Djanogly: There are 55 directly employed security guards working for HM Courts Service (HMCS) at the Royal Courts of Justice. A further 57 guards at the Central Criminal Court are provided by Corporation of London. However, the majority of security guards currently deployed across the HMCS estate are provided under contract through third party providers. As at June 2010 there were approximately 1,439 security staff working at HMCS sites and a further 72 working at Tribunals Service sites. A complement of circa 300 guards is also available to draw on to cover leave/sick absences. At a minority of HMCS sites, a further (estimated) 24-30 security staff are provided under the terms of occupational lease agreements.
Mr Leech:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many security staff working at each court for HM Courts Service are employees of MITIE Group plc; what assessment he has made of the effects of
implementation of his proposals for court closures on the number of such employees working for the court service; and if he will make a statement. [10790]
Mr Djanogly: There are 1,439 security staff employed by MITIE working at HMCS courts. There is also a complement of about 300 guards available to draw on to cover leave, or sick absence.
The consultations on court estate proposals began on 23 June 2010 and will close on 15 September 2010. No specific assessment has been of the effects of any court closure on MITIE employees working for HMCS. However, I encourage MITIE and its individual employees to respond to the consultation and their response will be considered as part of decisions on whether and which courts to close.
Courts: Taunton
Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many days each court in (a) Taunton and (b) Bridgwater sat in each of the last five years. [11029]
Mr Djanogly: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Hours | ||||||||
| Court/period | Available to magistrates | Available to other users | Total available hours | Criminal utilisation | Civil utilisation | Other judicial use | Total judicial use | Utilisation (percentage) |
| Note: The Ministry of Justice (HMCS) has obtained this electronic data from an internal management system (HMCS Performance Database). The data required for Bridgewater and Taunton Magistrates courts can be obtained centrally as far back as financial year 2007-08. All magistrates courts have only ever recorded sitting hours. Sitting days are not available in this jurisdiction. | ||||||||
Courts: Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were heard in each court in Wales in each of the last three years. [11396]
Mr Djanogly: Information on the workload of the magistrates courts, county courts and the Crown court in Wales for each of the last three years is provided in the following tables.
| Table 2: Private and public law family orders made (counted by child) in county courts and the District Registry of the High Court in Wales, 2006-08 to 2008-09 | ||||||
| County c ourts | High Court | |||||
| Court name | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
| Notes: 1. Figures relate to the number of children subject to each application. 2. Public law refers to child protection cases where a local authority is stepping in to protect a child from harm. Private law refers to cases where there is a dispute between two or more private individuals regarding a child. For example, over where he/she is to live or whether someone should have contact with him/her. Both are cases brought under the Children Act 1989. 3. Statistics for 2009-10 are not yet available; 2009 data are due to be published in September 2010. Source: HM Courts Service FamilyMan system | ||||||
| Table 3: Completed family court proceedings in Wales county courts, 2007-08 to 2009-10 | |||
| Court name | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
| Notes: 1. Figures include orders made in the District Registry of the High Court, and exclude public and private law cases. 2. Figures include cases related to domestic violence injunctions, dissolution and nullity of marriage and ancillary relief. 3. One case may include more than one type of ancillary relief order. Source: HM Courts Service FamilyMan system. | |||
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