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22 Nov 2010 : Column 30W—continued
Speed Limits: Cameras
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 11W, on M1: speed limits, whether fixed speed cameras will be used to detect offences of speeding over 70 miles per hour. [25203]
Mike Penning: Speed enforcement cameras to be installed as part of the controlled motorway system on the M1 motorway between junctions 25 and 28 are not being introduced to enforce the national speed limit.
When no restrictions are in place, the signals will not show any speed limits, and will therefore indicate that normal motorway regulations and enforcement regimes apply.
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 20W, on speed limits: cameras, whether the fixed speed cameras are in operation between M1 junctions 6a to 10. [25204]
Mike Penning: The speed enforcement cameras on the M1 between junctions 6a to 10 are not currently in operation.
Based on the current timescales, they are expected to come into operation during March 2011.
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010, Official Report, column 20W, on speed limits: cameras, whether fixed speed cameras will used to detect offences of speeding over 70 miles per hour. [25205]
Mike Penning: Fixed speed enforcement cameras will not be introduced to enforce the national speed limit, they will only enforce the use of mandatory variable speed limits used to manage traffic flows. When no restrictions are in place, the signals will not show any speed limits, and will therefore indicate that normal motorway regulations and enforcement regimes will apply.
Thameslink
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce revised plans for (a) Thameslink and (b) the Thameslink through platforms at London Bridge. [23185]
Mrs Villiers: As set out in the spending review on the 20 October, the Government are still finalising their position regarding a number of rail projects-including Thameslink. An announcement is expected to be made shortly.
Tintwistle Hollingworth and Mottram Bypass
Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he received in favour of a Mottram and Tintwistle bypass prior to the agreement of the Investment in Highways and Local Transport programme. [22274]
Norman Baker: The Mottram and Tintwistle bypass scheme was removed from the roads programme in 2009. In addition to representations from my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Andrew Bingam), the Secretary of State received a number of other representations in favour of the scheme ahead of the Secretary of State's announcement to the House on 26 October 2010 and publication of the associated document Investment in Local Major transport Schemes. Where these are a matter of public record, they are available in the House of Commons Library.
Tomography: Research
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects on health of the use of body scanners. [23646]
Mr Philip Hammond: An assessment of comparative ionising radiation doses was prepared by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The assessment concluded that the effective dose from one scan is equivalent to about one sixth of the dose received, as a result of cosmic radiation from the sun and other sources, during 1.4 minutes flying time at airline cruising height. The HPA concluded that for all groups of passengers security scanners do not constitute any unacceptable risks to health.
This assessment was published on the Department for Transport website on 1 February 2010.
Transport: Finance
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 26 October 2010, Official Report, columns 177-79, on transport (investment), (1) when he plans to publish the business cases for the major road schemes and local authority major schemes; [21044]
(2) what estimate he has made of the benefit to cost ratio of each (a) local authority major scheme and (b) major road scheme. [21046]
Norman Baker [holding answer 3 November 2010]: The decisions my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport announced in his statement on 26 October 2010, Official Report, columns 177-79, were fully informed by project business cases, including relevant cost-benefit measures.
Up to date business case information for Highways Agency major schemes will be published later this year.
For local authority schemes, the business cases as submitted to the Department for Transport to support previous approval decisions should already be published on local authorities' own websites. However, in order to secure value for money, to ensure our funding goes as far as possible and to maximise the number of projects that can go ahead, we have challenged scheme promoters to review options for cost reductions and increased local-contributions. For those schemes in the supported pool, we will publish updated information once we have made final decisions in January based on best and final bids from scheme promoters. At that point we will also publish the latest information on schemes in the development pool to enable interested parties to provide their views, although final decisions on these schemes will be made by the end of 2011.
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which transport funding formerly paid by the Department for Transport to local transport authorities have been transferred to the Department for Communities and Local Government; and what budget was set for each such fund for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 prior to the Government's in-year spending reductions. [22269]
Norman Baker: As part of the coalition Government's commitment to decentralising power and financial autonomy to local Government and communities, the Department for Transport will radically simplify its funding for 2011-12, moving from 26 different grant streams to just four.
The following table sets out funding for all grant streams in 2009-10, 2010-11 prior to in-year savings, and 2010-11 after in-year savings.
As set out in the Department for Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) recent consultation on Formula Grant, all future concessionary travel funding will be provided through formula grant.
All other revenue grant streams, excluding specific rail grants, will be ended from April 2011, and after a 28% reduction (as set out in Department for Transport's spending review press notice) the remaining funding will be split between a Local Sustainable Transport Fund and Formula Grant. Formula grant is unhypothecated and it is not possible to identify amounts within formula grant for any particular purpose.
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what methodology his Department uses to compare the level of investment in (a) roads and (b) railways. [24602]
Norman Baker [holding answer 16 November 2010]: Investment in (a) roads and (b) railways is reported in Transport Statistics Great Britain 2009, p24, table 1.14, with accompanying notes and definitions on page 11. This is available at:
The next edition of this publication is due to be published on 25 November 2010.
The Department's business plan sets out that we will reform the way decisions are made on which transport projects to prioritise. We will announce the scope of this review shortly.
Trust Ports
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the public ownership of each trust port. [23277]
Mike Penning: The National Infrastructure Plan, published on 25 October 2010, stated that the Government would encourage trust ports to bring forward proposals for modernisation and privatisation. The Secretary of State is currently considering a proposed scheme from Dover Harbour Board for voluntary privatisation. We have endorsed proposals for pursuing greater commercialisation and enhancements to efficiency, from the other major trust ports (Harwich, Tyne, Poole, Shoreham, London and Milford Haven) subject to our further agreement to their respective implementation plans.
UK Territorial Waters
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a national action plan for responding to major pollution incidents within UK territorial waters. [23457]
Mike Penning: The National Contingency Plan for marine pollution from shipping and offshore installations is published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and is available at:
Wales
Departmental Postal Services
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps her Department has taken to identify those of its services that could be provided through the Post Office network. [25023]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office has not undertaken any exercise to establish what services could be provided by the Post Office network.
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the monetary value was of contracts between her Department and (a) Post Office Ltd and (b) Royal Mail in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) each year since 2004-05. [25024]
Mr David Jones: The Wales Office has no contracts with Royal Mail; we do however pay £500 annually to have our mail collected from our London office.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months. [25478]
Mr David Jones: In each of the last 12 months the Wales Office spent £977.50 per month for November and December 2009 and £998.75 for each month thereafter on Welsh press cuttings.
Economic Growth
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to her oral evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee of 20 July 2010, Q15, on her priorities for Wales, what research she has commissioned on regional growth in the UK. [25199]
Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State wrote to the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) as chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee on 22 July 2010 regarding the Oxford Economics report cited by the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Owen Smith).
The Government are committed to ensuring that there is strong and sustainable growth in Wales and, along with many other independent experts views the economic outlook for Wales positively.
Job Creation
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate she has made of the number of jobs that will be created in Wales in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [25200]
Mr David Jones: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the response I gave on 16 November 2010, Official Report, column 657W, to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane).
The Office for Budget Responsibility has made employment predictions for the UK based on macro-economic data and no figures are available at sub-national level.
Passport Office: Newport (Gwent)
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what meetings she has had with Ministers in the Home Department since the announcement of the formal consultation on the future of Newport Passport Office; [25655]
(2) what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Home Department on the future of Newport Passport Office since her announcement of the retention of a counter service in Newport; and what the outcomes were of those discussions. [25656]
Mrs Gillan: I discussed this issue with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 8 October when the consultation was announced and subsequently spoke to my hon. Friend the Immigration Minister on 12, 18 and 21 October.
I have continued to raise this issue with Cabinet colleagues and remain committed to preserving as many jobs as possible in the Newport Passport Office.
Welsh Grand Committee
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether she plans to propose a meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee to be held in Wales. [25657]
Mrs Gillan: Future meetings of the Welsh Grand Committee-and their location-are currently being considered.
House of Commons Commission
UK Youth Parliament
Philip Davies: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2010, Official Report, column 222W, on the UK Youth Parliament, what the cost to the public purse was of hosting the UK Youth Parliament in 2009. [25431]
Sir Stuart Bell: The cost in 2009 was £17,469.
Defence
Armed Forces: Compensation
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) war widows and (b) other dependents of deceased service personnel are in receipt of payments from the Army Compensation Scheme. [25626]
Mr Robathan: As at 30 June 2010, 160 spouses and 205 children of deceased personnel from across the services were in receipt of Survivors' Guaranteed Income payments under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS).
This and other data about the AFCS can be found in the quarterly Defence Analytical and Statistical Agency AFCS official statistics. These are produced quarterly, and copies are available in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Pensions
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received from (a) the Forces Pension Society, (b) other organisations involved in military welfare matters and (c) others requesting that payments to war widows and other dependents of deceased service personnel should be protected from the effects of public spending reductions; and if he will make a statement. [25627]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has received letters from officers of the Forces Pension Society, War Widows Association of Great Britain and a member of the public relating to the effects on the pensions of dependants of deceased service personnel, of the decision that all future increases to public sector pensions and benefits should be based on the consumer prices index (CPI) rather than the retail prices index (RPI).
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of (a) soldiers, (b) naval personnel and (c) service personnel injured while deployed on active service in Iraq and Afghanistan who will be affected by his recent policy decisions relating to armed forces pensions; and if he will make a statement. [25628]
Mr Robathan: The Government have announced that all public sector pensions and benefits will increase based on the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index. Therefore all personnel in receipt of such pensions and bonuses will be affected.
Atomic Weapons Establishment
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) of 9 September 2010, Official Report, column 623W, on AWE Aldermaston: fires, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Atomic Weapons Establishment emergency plan for dealing with incidents in the AWE Aldermaston conventional explosives area. [21965]
Peter Luff: Yes; copies of the document will be placed in the Library of the House. However, parts of this document are classified and will require redaction prior to its placement.
Departmental Assets
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has set annual targets for the disposal of assets owned by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [25722]
Peter Luff: When the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) materiel or equipment becomes surplus to requirements, it is disposed of through the Disposals Services Authority who are tasked with obtaining the best possible return for the taxpayer.
There are no annual targets for disposal of MOD assets but the Disposals Services Authority has been set performance objectives for receipts, service delivery, avoidance of landfill, customer satisfaction and budgets.
Departmental Land
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has set targets for the sale of land from defence estates; and if he will make a statement. [25806]
Mr Robathan:
The Strategic Defence and Security Review marked the beginning of a process that will transform our armed forces to meet the challenges of the future. That includes decisions on the defence estate,
which will need to reflect what makes the most sense for our armed forces. As part of the detailed and comprehensive work which will lead to these decisions, the Ministry of Defence will endeavour to maximise the receipts from the sale of elements of the defence estate which are no longer required.
Nuclear Submarines
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the design life, expressed in effective full-power years, is of the PWR2 (a) reactor pressure vessel and (b) nuclear steam raising plant. [21603]
Peter Luff [holding answer 3 November 2010]: The PWR2 Nuclear Steam Raising Plant is fitted to Vanguard Class and Astute Class submarines. The design life of the PWR2, which includes the PWR2 Reactor Pressure Vessel, is expressed in calendar years rather than effective full-power years.
The PWR2 Nuclear Steam Raising Plant design life, including the PWR2 Reactor Pressure Vessel, is 25 years.
The Trident Value for Money Review considered the feasibility of extending the life of the Vanguard Class submarines beyond 25 years and analysis continues in support of the planned life extension.
RAF Kinloss
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether his Department has conducted a feasibility study of the suitability of RAF Kinloss as a base for service personnel and their families stationed in Germany; [25807]
(2) whether he has estimated the cost of converting RAF Kinloss into a base for service personnel and their families that are stationed in Germany. [25809]
Mr Robathan: Detailed work is currently being undertaken to identify precisely how the re-basing will be implemented and this work will take into account costs and accommodation issues. It is too early to say where personnel returning from Germany will be based. The possibilities could include parts of the existing defence estate which will be vacated as a result of other Strategic Defence and Security Review decisions, but this will be considered as we work through the details.
Territorial Army
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account is taken of the length of time served on operational tours by territorial army soldiers in deciding the award of volunteer reserves service medals. [23705]
Mr Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 November 2010, Official Report, column 556W.
International Development
Africa: HIV Infection
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress has been made on his Department's programmes to reduce the incidence of HIV and AIDS among women in Africa; and if he will make a statement. [25003]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) programmes support a combination of prevention activities-encouraging behaviour change, counselling and testing and addressing the societal and structural drivers of the epidemic-including issues of gender and gender based violence. There has been a 60% overall reduction in new infections in sub-Saharan Africa since 2002, and the latest national survey in Zambia shows falling incidence rates in young women. Data on other countries may be published around World Aids day. Despite these positive trends, there are still many new infections in women. We recognise the need for ongoing investment and to look for more effective prevention approaches.
Conflict Prevention: Finance
Mark Lazarowicz:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the budget for the Conflict Prevention Pool will be allocated as
overseas development assistance in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15. [24450]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: The allocation of funds to the Conflict Pool from the settlement on conflict resources for the spending review period from 2011-12 to 2014-15 is under consideration and an announcement will be made in the coming weeks.
The settlement on conflict resources covers the United Kingdom's legally binding commitments on assessed peacekeeping costs (the Peacekeeping Budget) as well as discretionary expenditure on conflict prevention, stabilisation and peacekeeping (the Conflict Pool). Assessed peacekeeping costs have first call on available funds; this affects the size of the Conflict Pool from year to year.
The total settlement for conflict resources for each year broken down into ODA and non-ODA components is laid out in the following table.
| £ million | |||||
| Baseline 2010-11 | Y1: 2011-12 | Y2: 2012-13 | Y3: 2013-14 | Y4: 2014-15 | |
Departmental Equality
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has for consultation on his Department's gender equality action plan. [25031]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has regular and ongoing dialogue on our Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP), for example with the BOND network of UK non-government organisations working on international development.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he plans to publish his Department's gender equality action plan; and if he will make a statement. [25032]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP), originally intended to cover the period 2007-10, has been extended to March 2011.
DFID's Business Plan 2011-15 sets out our current objectives to: increase the number of girls completing secondary and primary education; promote the economic empowerment of women and girls through jobs and access to financial services; pilot new approaches to eliminating violence against women and girls; and improve maternal health and access to family planning.
The Business Plan is available on the No. 10 website and in the Library of the House.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received on his Department's gender equality action plan. [25033]
Mr O'Brien: The Secretary of State has not received any formal written representations on the Department for International Development's Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP).
Departmental Manpower
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects to announce the timetable for his review of the number of staff of his Department posted to international and multilateral organisations. [24809]
Mr Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently undertaking a review of our spending through international organisations. The purpose of the Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) is to ensure that the UK gets maximum value for money from its contributions to multilateral organisations. The review will include an assessment of the relevance of each organisation or fund to the UK's development objectives and their ability to deliver results on the ground. It will not look at staffing or secondments specifically, but it will make recommendations for how DFID should engage with the multilaterals in future to increase value for money. The MAR will conclude in February 2011. Future secondment policy will reflect the MAR's findings.
Euromapping 2010
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2010, Official Report, column 26W, on Euromapping 2010, how many officials of each grade attended from his Department; at what cost; whether any official spoke at the launch; and if he will make a statement. [25001]
Mr O'Brien: Two officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) attended the Euromapping launch event at the House of Commons on 10 November, at no cost. These officials are at grades A2 (G7) and Deputy Director (G5). The Head of DFID's Human Development Department spoke at the event.
International Assistance: Agriculture
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects of the outcomes of the G20 Summit in Seoul on levels of international assistance for agricultural development and food security. [25083]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: At the G20 summit, leaders endorsed the 'Seoul Development Consensus on Shared Growth' and agreed to a multi-year action plan to tackle the obstacles to growth in poor countries.
No new funding commitments on agriculture and food security were made in Seoul. However, in 2009, at the G8 L'Aquila summit, 26 countries pledged a total of $22 billion to combat hunger in developing countries.
At the G8 summit in June 2010, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the UK's commitment to spend more than £1 billion on agriculture and food security over the next three years. I have also launched a new research programme designed to identify specific and cost-effective solutions to chronic malnutrition, at the Millennium Development Goal summit in September 2010.
Prime Minister
Climate Change
Mr Bain: To ask the Prime Minister if he will establish a Cabinet committee or sub-committee on climate change, the environment and policy on renewable energy. [25235]
The Prime Minister: Climate change, the environment and policy on renewable energy are discussed by the relevant Cabinet Committees. We have also set up an informal ministerial working group to help meet our target of reducing carbon emissions from central Government by 10% within a year.
Departmental Internet
Martin Horwood: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects the 10 Downing street e-petition system to become operational; and if he will make a statement. [25715]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 November 2010, Official Report, column 665W.
Energy and Climate Change
Biofuels
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will commission a study of the global warming potential of (a) black carbon emitted in the UK and (b) black carbon emitted by biomass plants in the UK. [25390]
Gregory Barker: The Department has no current plans to commission a study specifically on the global warming potential of black carbon emitted in the UK or from UK biomass plant but the need for this is under review. However, the Department is currently funding as part of the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme a number of important studies on the climate impacts of black carbon more generally.
Climate Change: Conferences
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his objectives are for the UN Climate Change Conference 2010 in Cancun, Mexico. [24985]
Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to working towards an ambitious global deal to tackle climate change. At Cancun, we want to see substantive progress made on a politically balanced package of decisions that help re-establish momentum towards that goal.
Our aim is that this package should include decisions on anchoring developed and developing country mitigation pledges into the formal UNFCCC process, agreement on the measurement, reporting and verification arrangements for emissions from both developed and developing countries, arrangements for the future governance of climate finance (including establishing the Green Fund), measures to reduce emissions from deforestation, as well as arrangements on market mechanisms, the technology mechanism and adaptation framework.
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his objectives are for international agreement on targets for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions at the UN Climate Change Conference 2010 in Cancun, Mexico. [24987]
Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to working towards an ambitious global deal to tackle climate change. At Cancun, we want to see substantive progress made on a politically balanced package of decisions that help re-establish momentum towards that goal.
Our aim is that this package should include decisions on anchoring developed and developing country mitigation pledges into the formal UNFCCC process, agreement on the measurement, reporting and verification arrangements for emissions from both developed and developing countries, arrangements for the future governance of climate finance (including establishing the Green Fund), measures to reduce emissions from deforestation, as well as arrangements on market mechanisms, the technology mechanism and adaptation framework.
Climate Change: Developing Countries
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with his (a) EU, (b) US and (c) Chinese counterparts on climate financing; and what funding he plans to commit to the Global Climate Fund at the Cancun summit. [25555]
Gregory Barker: We have regular discussions with counterparts in the EU, US and China as part of our ongoing dialogue on climate finance. We support setting up the Green Climate Fund and are working towards a decision in Cancun to achieve this as part of a balanced package of outcomes.
Through the spending review we committed to provide £2.9 billion for international climate finance over four years-a significant scaling-up of resources. However, the Green Climate Fund has not yet been agreed nor designed. Therefore, it is not in a position to take funding from donors. Once the fund is operational we hope that it will provide a suitable vehicle for distributing climate finance effectively.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months. [25491]
Gregory Barker: The expenditure on press cuttings by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its NDPBs is as follows:
| £ | |||||
| Department of Energy and Climate Change | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority | The Committee on Climate Change( 1) | Civil Nuclear Police Authority | Coal Authority | |
| (1 )The October 2010 data for the Committee on Climate Change are not available yet.( 2) As the most recent two months indicate, DECC has substantially reduced the scope of, and therefore made substantial savings on, its press cuttings service. | |||||
Energy: Billing
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the likely effects of the Renewables Obligation on domestic energy bills in (a) Blackley and Broughton constituency, (b) Manchester, (c) the North West and (d) England in each of the next three years. [25558]
Charles Hendry: Ofgem who administer the renewables obligation have calculated the annual cost of the RO for all UK customers in 2009-10 to be around £12 per domestic electricity customer. This information is published on the Ofgem website:
Their previous estimate for 2008-09 was around £10 per customer set to rise to around £20 a year by 2015:
Energy: Prices
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ofgem on its overarching standards of conduct in respect of the requirement not to supply products that are unnecessarily complex or confusing; and if he will make a statement. [24993]
Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers meet with Ofgem on a regular basis to discuss market and consumer issues.
It is for Ofgem to monitor compliance with its standards of conduct. To meet its principal duty, to protect the interests of consumers, Ofgem actively monitors the activities of licence holders, including compliance with their standards of conduct.
As part of this process Ofgem will review whether changes to the gas and electricity supply licences introduced as part of the Energy Supply Probe have proved sufficient to help consumers understand and benefit from the range of tariffs available to them, and consider what further steps may be needed.
Ofgem has said that if suppliers do not meet the obligations they will consider more formal action.
Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that energy companies provide more transparent and accurate data about the connection between their wholesale and retail prices; and if he will make a statement. [25653]
Charles Hendry:
To meet its principal duty, to protect the interests of consumers, Ofgem actively monitors the energy market and the activities of licence holders. Since 2009 Ofgem has produced a quarterly report on
the link between wholesale and retail energy prices. The latest Ofgem quarterly report is available online at:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/MARKETS/RETMKTS/ENSUPPRO/Documents1/Electricity%20and%20Gas%20Supply %20Market%20Report%20September%202010.pdf
EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Cement
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with representatives of cement producers who do not manufacture cement in the UK on the proposed hybrid clinker benchmark for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme; in which countries each such manufacturer operates; and if he will make a statement. [25690]
Gregory Barker: The European Commission's proposal for the free allocation rules for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) was sent to member states on 22 October, including the proposed hybrid clinker benchmark. There have been no meetings with cement producers who do not manufacture in the UK about this proposed hybrid approach.
Officials have met Holcim, who do not manufacture cement in the UK, on two occasions in January and February 2010. Within the European Union, I understand that Holcim operate in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Romania and Spain. These meetings were about the broad issue of cement benchmarking, rather than the currently proposed hybrid approach.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that the cement industry's ability to compete in the EU is not adversely affected by implementation of the EU Commission's proposals for a hybrid clinker benchmark for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. [25701]
Gregory Barker: The European Commission's proposal for the free allocation rules for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) was sent to member states on 22 October. My officials are working closely with colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to analyse the proposal in detail in order to assess its impact un UK industry.
My officials have met with representatives of the UK cement sector in order to discuss the proposal to ensure that we have a full understanding of the implications of the proposed approach. This included discussions on approaches that could recognise the high levels of substitution that the UK cement industry achieve. Officials will also be having discussions with the European Commission on this issue and further discussions with industry before any conclusions are reached.
Fuel Poverty: Tyne and Wear
Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2010, Official Report, columns 923-24W, on fuel poverty: North East, what estimate was made of the number and proportion of households in fuel poverty in the former Tyne Bridge constituency. [25075]
Gregory Barker: In 2006, the most recent year for which sub-regional figures are available, there were around 7,200 (19%) fuel poor households in the Tyne Bridge constituency.
Green Investment Bank
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to place a levy on energy bills as a way of providing funding for a Green Investment Bank. [25452]
Gregory Barker: There are no plans to place a levy on consumers' energy bills to fund the Green Investment Bank. The spending review announced that the Government intend to fund the Green Investment Bank with £1 billion from departmental budgets and significant additional proceeds from the sale of Government-owned assets.
Heat Pumps
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the proportion of installed heat pumps which reach the 60 degree centigrade requirement applicable under the Health and Safety Executive Approved code of practice on the control of legionella bacteria in water systems. [24696]
Gregory Barker: All heat pumps that are designed to provide domestic hot water should have the ability to raise the temperature of the water to 60 degrees centigrade. Some refrigerant cycles enable hot water to be produced by the heat pump only. Other refrigerant cycles provide lower temperature hot water. These systems periodically raise the temperature of the hot water tank for a pre-determined time to kill legionella bacteria; using a combination of the refrigerant cycle and direct electric heating or just direct electric heating. The efficiency of a heat pump decreases as the required water temperature increases.
Nuclear and Renewable Energy
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential for (a) main contractors and (b) supply chain companies in the UK to benefit from the expansion of (i) offshore wind, (ii) nuclear, (iii) tidal and wave and (iv) biomass energy. [25751]
Charles Hendry: The Government are committed to maximising the economic opportunities that renewable and nuclear energy can bring to the UK.
The UK is the largest deployer of offshore wind and currently the largest market. The Carbon Trust estimates that up to 70,000 jobs could be created in offshore wind by 2020, made up of 50,000 direct jobs, and 20,000 secondary jobs (e.g. legal services, finance). They also estimate 220,000 jobs in offshore wind by 2050 - 135,000 direct and 85,000 secondary jobs. Following the Government's announcement that they will make up to £60 million available to support the establishment of manufacturing infrastructure at port sites a number of major turbine manufacturers have indicated their intention to set up UK manufacturing facilities.
The wave and tidal sector is currently at a pre commercial stage but we are committed to harnessing the benefits which a successful marine renewables sector can bring to the UK opportunities for the development of the supply chain was one of the topics covered in the 'Marine Energy Action Plan' published by DECC in March 2010 and will form one element of the Government's new UK Marine Energy Programme.
In addition, a number of studies have been carried out, for example the Carbon Trust's 'Focus For Success' report estimates that the wave sector alone could create around 16,000 direct jobs by 2040, with 25% supporting UK exports. We have also been working with industry representatives on modelling and mapping the marine energy supply chain. A good example of this is the Regen SW 'Marine Energy and Offshore Wind Company Directory' which maps the supply chain in the region and can be seen at.
A number of studies have been conducted to consider the economic potential in the bioenergy sector. For example, a 2007 study to quantify employment from biomass power plants showed that power only bioenergy systems typically create 1.27 man years of employment per GWh electricity produced. A recent study for the Forestry Commission in June 2010 found that the woodfuel sector alone could contribute £1 billion to the UK economy by 2020 and support 15,300 jobs.
The various private sector consortia that are gearing up for new build have stated intent to deliver up to 16 GWe by 2025 and UK companies have the potential to benefit from the majority of the work generated by this investment. Research by the Nuclear Industry Association reports that UK companies have the capability to supply 70% of the total requirements of new nuclear plant in the UK and that with some investment this could rise to 80%.
A report by the Cogent Sector Skills Council found that thousands of training opportunities, new apprenticeships and new jobs will be needed in the construction, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of anticipated stations for a programme of this scale and that up to 30,000 new jobs could be created. More jobs could be created as the result of larger programmes and the opportunity for companies involved in new nuclear build is not limited to the UK market with many more countries looking closely at introducing or expanding nuclear power programmes as a way of meeting rapidly increasing demands for energy while addressing the challenge of climate change.
Nuclear Power Stations: Construction
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of (a) international capacity constraints in the supply of pressure vessels for new nuclear energy facilities and (b) the potential effects of such constraints on the timetable for the construction of new nuclear power stations. [25778]
Charles Hendry: We speak regularly with the reactor vendors and they do not believe this will cause a delay to new nuclear plant. Ultra heavy forgings for pressure vessels need to be ordered a long time in advance and vendors already have slots booked with existing suppliers to ensure that when they are building reactors around the world the necessary elements are available.
Offshore Drilling: Safety
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2010, Official Report, column 408, on offshore oil drilling, what assessment he has made of the steps the Government took in response to the Macondo incident; and if he will make a statement. [25797]
Charles Hendry: We have already taken actions to further strengthen our regime and we are satisfied that it is one of the most robust in the world.
We continue to consider new information as it becomes available and determine if it has any implications for our regime.
Once the final report is available from the US we intend to conduct a review at that time.
Ofgem
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on Ofgem's overarching standards of conduct in respect of the requirement not to supply products that are unnecessary, complex or confusing; and if he will make a statement. [25371]
Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers meet with Ofgem on a regular basis to discuss market and consumer issues.
It is for Ofgem to monitor compliance with its standards of conduct. To meet its principal duty, to protect the interests of consumers, Ofgem actively monitors the activities of licence holders, including compliance with their standards of conduct.
As part of this process Ofgem will review whether changes to the gas and electricity supply licences introduced as part of the Energy Supply Probe have proved sufficient to help consumers understand and benefit from the range of tariffs available to them, and consider what further steps may be needed.
Ofgem has said that if suppliers do not meet the obligations they will consider more formal action.
Communities and Local Government
Citizens Advice Bureaux: Finance
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for future financial support for the Citizens Advice Bureau (a) direct from his Department and (b) through local authorities. [24511]
Robert Neill: Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) are independent organisations and registered charities. Each Citizens Advice Bureau is a separate registered charity, operating independently, which may be funded by the local authority in which it is located.
Local authorities are democratically elected and independent from central Government. They are responsible for their own finances and for developing local solutions that meet the needs of the community. It is for each local authority when assessing their local priorities to decide whether and how to support their local CAB. Information on the amount of funding provided by authorities to CABs is not collected centrally.
Citizens Advice (CitA) is the national umbrella organisation for the Citizens Advice Service in England and Wales. It receives core funding from central Government through the provision of annual grant in aid (£18.943 million in 2010-11) from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on behalf of all Government Departments and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The Government values highly the work of the Citizens Advice Service, its independence from Government and the trust in which it is held by the public. In recognising this and its strong brand, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills made a statement on 14 October outlining proposals to streamline the consumer landscape including the transfer of the functions of Consumer Focus, and the transfer of the Consumer Direct helpline, currently run by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the national bodies for the Citizens Advice Service in England and Wales and in Scotland.
I also refer my hon. Friend the Member for Ispwich (Ben Gummer) to my Department's press notice of 14 October 2010 on how councils should recognise the valuable role of the voluntary sector.
Council Tax
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage increase in council tax has been in (a) Wellingborough and (b) England and Wales since 1997. [25716]
Robert Neill: The average band D council tax in Wellingborough has risen from £20 per dwelling in 1997-98 to £148 in 2010-11, an increase of 640%. In the same period the area band D council tax in Wellingborough (ie the council tax for Wellingborough plus the precepts for Northamptonshire county council and Northamptonshire police) has risen from £585 to £1,370, an increase of 134%.
The average band D council tax in England has risen from £688 per dwelling in 1997-98 to £1,439 in 2010-11, an increase of 109%.
These details are available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website, under "Related Downloads", at:
Council tax levels in Wales are a matter for the Wales Assembly Government.
Fire Services: Expenditure
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) capital and (b) revenue cost was of regional fire control centres (i) in Northamptonshire and (ii) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available. [25718]
Robert Neill: Northamptonshire, along with Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland, is in the east midlands region with the control centre located at Castle Donington.
For the current running costs of all the control centres, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham) on 18 October 2010, Official Report, column 505W.
The cost of construction and installation of the control centres was borne by the developers as the buildings were procured through a private developer scheme.
Fire Services: Greater London
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority on the placing of 28 London fire engines with AssetCo; and if he will make a statement. [25337]
Robert Neill: I have had no discussions with the chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority regarding the deployment of the 27 engines used to provide emergency fire cover during the recent strikes.
Fire Services: Manpower
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time fire fighters were employed (a) in Northamptonshire and (b) nationally in each of the last 15 years. [25713]
Robert Neill: The number of full-time firefighters employed in Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Services and England in each of the last 15 years is shown in the table.
| Whole - time firefighters (full-time equivalent) in England and Northamptonshire FRS from 1996 to 2010 | ||
| Date | England | Northamptonshire |
Fire Services: Standards
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the merits of reinstating national standards for the fire service; and if he will estimate the likely cost to the public purse of implementing that standard. [25717]
Robert Neill: Response target-setting is a matter for individual fire and rescue authorities under Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP), according to local requirements and circumstances, and is not something that central Government should direct or determine. The Government have no plans to reintroduce national standards for fire and rescue service response times. Decisions made by local politicians and practitioners according to local circumstances will be more effective than blanket requirements across the country.
For those reasons, no estimate of the financial implications of reinstating national standards has been made by central Government.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on arrangements to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in 2011; and if he will make a statement. [25084]
Andrew Stunell: Holocaust Memorial Day will take place on 27 January 2011 across the United Kingdom, including a national event in central London. The theme for 2011 will be Untold Stories. Millions of stories of individuals and communities have been lost through the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides. Events will focus on inspiring participants to tell and listen to stories in our own communities today.
Almost 800 events were held to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2010, and it is expected that there will be an increase in the number of events for 2011. These are listed on the Holocaust Memorial Day website on a daily basis. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, which is supported by my Department, has received thousands of requests for free materials to help mark the Day, including from teachers, librarians, local authorities, museums, trade unions, arts organisations, youth groups and prisons.
Homelessness
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authority must assume a duty to house a household deemed to be in priority need and unintentionally homeless in circumstances in which such a household has not established a previous local connection in excess of six months. [24853]
Grant Shapps:
Under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996), where a local authority accepts an applicant as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless, and in priority need and refers the case to another authority because it considers the conditions for referral are met, the authority seeking to make the referral has a duty to secure accommodation until the question of referral is resolved. It is for individual authorities to decide whether applicants have a local connection with their district. Authorities may have regard to non-statutory guidelines agreed by the local
authority associations which suggest that, among other things, a working definition of "normal residence" should be residence for at least six months in the area during the previous 12 months or for not less than three years during the previous five-year period. If it is agreed that the applicant does not have a local connection with the authority making the referral and does have one with another authority in Great Britain (and other relevant conditions for referral are met), the other authority has a duty to secure accommodation under section 193(2) of the 1996 Act.
Legal Opinion
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on legal advice since his appointment. [21330]
Robert Neill [holding answer 2 November 2010]: According to departmental records for the period between 12 May and 31 October 2010 the Department has spent £1,054,362 on external legal services. A significant proportion of these costs relate to legal issues inherited from the previous Administration.
Our purchase ledger records show a spend on comparable legal fees of £4.8 million in 2009-10 and £4.3 million in 2008-09.
Local Government Finance
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure the retention of allocations of equivalent funding to local authorities following the removal of ring-fencing from local authority grants announced in the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [25010]
Robert Neill [holding answer 19 November 2010]: We will announce our proposals for the distribution of formula grant to the House in due course.
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the potential cost savings which may arise from local authorities, police authorities and NHS organisations working together more closely; and if he will make a statement. [25457]
Robert Neill: The Department has not directly commissioned research on the potential cost savings which may arise from local authorities, police authorities and NHS organisations working together more closely, but has sought to encourage local public sector organisations and representative bodies to develop projects which could identify savings that could be achieved across agencies. These initiatives include:
The Department, along with HM Treasury and other departments, worked with a number of local authorities and their partners on 'Total Place' during 2009-10. These areas looked at new ways of working locally; redesigning services to meet local people's needs. A report was made of their findings and is available at:
We are encouraging councils to share departments, offices and back office services as outlined in the Secretary of State's speech on town hall waste and duplication of 13 October 2010.
The Government announced the first phase of Community Budgets in the spending review which will be implemented from April 2011. 16 places will focus on tackling families with complex needs using locally-designed, cross-organisation solutions. We will evaluate the first phase and intend to roll out Community Budgets from April 2013.
The local government sector is evaluating the opportunities offered by such approaches. The Improvement and Development Agency has published reports on this subject in 2008 and 2009 at:
In addition, the Local Government Group are exploring these issues though the 'Place Based Productivity Programme'.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to announce his proposals for the distribution of formula grant; and if he will make a statement. [25721]
Robert Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 11 November 2010, Official Report, column 459W.
Local Government: Surveys
Ms Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many separate requests for data from local authorities his Department made in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [25318]
Robert Neill: The Department does not hold a record of all the data requests it has made to local authorities in recent years, and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Government are currently reviewing the data requirements placed on local authorities with the aim of reducing them and making them transparent. This will result in a single comprehensive list of all the data that local government is expected to provide to central Government, including that required by DCLG, from April 2011.
However, as an example, research for the Total Place pilots found that across Leicestershire's councils, PCT, fire, police and probation services, there were 90 full-time staff, at an annual cost of £3.7 million, having to collect and process data for central Government, reporting on more than 3,000 individual data items. They were also subjected to 83 different inspections every year, costing £2.2 million in dedicated staff costs and a further £1.4 million in other staff time (Deloitte/Leicestershire county council, "Measuring the Workload: Public Sector Performance Reporting and Inspection Regimes in Leicestershire, October 2009").
Mayors: Referendums
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many referendums on the introduction of a directly elected mayor there have been in district councils in England with a population of under 100,000 people since 2005; [24680]
(2) what the cost to the public purse has been of (a) referendums and (b) elections for directly elected mayors in district councils in England where the population is below 100,000 people since 2005; [24681]
(3) what the average cost of a referendum on the introduction of a directly elected mayor in a district council in England where the population is below 100,000 people has been since 2005; [24684]
(4) on how many occasions a referendum has resulted in the introduction of a directly elected mayor in district councils in England with a population under 100,000 has been since 2005. [24685]
Robert Neill: Since 2005, there has been one referendum on the introduction of a directly elected mayor in a district council-Fenland district council-with a population of below 100,000 people; this did not result in the introduction of a directly elected mayor.
My Department does not hold the information requested on costs.
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which cities he is considering as potential locations for mayoral referendums. [25456]
Robert Neill: We will address the issues relating to the implementation of the coalition agreement commitment to create directly elected mayors in the 12 largest English cities, subject to confirmatory referendums and full scrutiny by elected councillors, when the Localism Bill is presented to Parliament.
Renewable Energy: Planning Permission
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2010, Official Report, column 1031W, on renewable energy: planning permission, what timetable he has set for (a) making key decisions and (b) bringing forward proposals to amend the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 for small-scale wind turbines and air source heat pumps. [25557]
Greg Clark: The Government are committed to introducing permitted development rights. We intend to make a statement to the House and introduce the necessary legislative changes in due course once a small number of technical issues are concluded.
Social Rented Housing: Rents
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the average change in social housing rents in (a) North Tyneside, (b) the North East and (c) England as a result of implementation of measures contained in the Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement. [24970]
Grant Shapps:
Our proposals will involve increasing the affordable housing stock, increasing opportunity and quality of life for those currently on housing waiting lists. The new 'Affordable Rent' product will be set at up to 80% of local market rents with tenants in homes
where the new affordable rent is charged being eligible to apply for housing benefit. Existing social tenants will retain their existing rents and tenure arrangements. We will publish more details shortly.
Travellers: Cheshire
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department or its predecessors have provided any funding from the public purse for Cheshire Gypsy and Travellers Voice since 1997. [25074]
Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government's current finance system only holds records back to 1 April 2002 and to date there have been no payments made to Cheshire Gypsy and Travellers Voice or its predecessors.
Wind Power: Planning Permission
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2010, Official Report, column 818W, on wind power: planning permission, (1) where the 99 proposed onshore wind farms will be located; [25076]
(2) for what reasons planning applications do not take wind speed into account; and what the criteria are for assessing planning applications. [25077]
Robert Neill: The number of onshore wind farms referred to in my answer of 3 November 2010, Official Report, column 818W, was drawn from the Renewable Energy Planning Database hosted by the Department for Energy and Climate Change. This database includes interactive maps showing the location of wind farm developments. These can be filtered to show the locations of wind farm developments which have been granted planning approval but have not yet become operational. The current list has been extracted and deposited in the Library of the House.
The energy justification for why a proposed wind farm should be sited in a particular location involves considerations of technical and commercial feasibility (including meteorological and economic viability) which are for the developer concerned. In reaching their decision on a planning application for a wind farm, local planning authorities will consider whether the proposed development is acceptable in terms of their development plan and other considerations which can include national planning policy and relevant planning issues raised by local communities.
Working Neighbourhoods Fund
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of the withdrawal of the Working Neighbourhood Fund. [25652]
Robert Neill: We are not withdrawing the Working Neighbourhoods Fund. It was always envisaged that it would end in March 2011.
In line with our equalities duties, an equality impact assessment into the completion of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund has been carried out and will be published in due course.
The Department for Work and Pensions is also to introduce the Work Programme which will provide an integrated package of support providing personalised help for people who find themselves out of work.
Youth Justice: Greater London
Mr Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated for youth crime provision in London in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what estimate he made of the amount of such funding allocated in respect of young people aged (a) 12 years or younger, (b) between 13 and 17 years and (c) between 18 and 24 years in 2009-10. [24631]
Robert Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not provide any direct funding for youth crime provision. In 2008-09 the Department provided £300,000 to the Improvement and Development Agency to support initial stages of pilots in four local authority areas (including Westminster) testing a range of approaches in responding to youth crime.
Work and Pensions
State Pension Age
21. Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions are being made for women aged between 54 and 59 adversely affected by the acceleration in the increase in state pension age. [25128]
Steve Webb: No women aged 58 or over will be affected by our proposals.
Government have brought forward the increase in the state pension age to 66 to ensure the system is fair and sustainable in the long term.
We are taking steps to ensure those who want to continue to work are able to do so by, for example, phasing out the default retirement age.
IT Provision: Benefits System
22. Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that appropriate IT systems are in place to support his Department's proposed reform of the benefits system. [25129]
Chris Grayling: DWP are currently in the planning stages for the delivery of IT to support universal credit.
The approach is based upon significant re-use of a number of IT components and systems which either currently exist within DWP, or are being developed through our existing change programmes.
HMRC plans are currently on track for the delivery of their IT systems to support the provision of earnings information to DWP for universal credit and plan to consult on the next stages shortly.
Child Maintenance
23. Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase parental responsibility for child maintenance. [25130]
Maria Miller: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Maidstone and the Weald (Mrs Grant) earlier in the session.
Carer's Allowance
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) East Ayrshire and (d) Kilmarnock and Loudon constituency who would become eligible for carers' allowance if the eligibility criteria were changed to enable those in full-time study or training for more than 20 hours a week to claim the allowance. [24487]
Maria Miller: No such estimate has been made.
Carer's allowance provides a measure of financial support for people who forgo the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide care for a severely disabled person.
The educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants, provides financial support for full-time students, including carers. In consequence, people engaged in full-time study are generally precluded from entitlement to income-replacement and income-related social security benefits.
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to which local newspapers his Department had a subscription between June 2007 and May 2010; on what date each such subscription started; and what the cost to the public purse was of such subscriptions. [24426]
Chris Grayling: Information on local newspapers to which the Department had a subscription provided via the Library and Information Service between June 2007 and May 2010 is set out in the following table.
| Title | Start of subscription | Cost (£)( 1) |
| (1) June 2007 to May 2010 | ||
Departmental Public Expenditure
Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of his Department's funding streams are allocated on a regional basis. [24467]
Chris Grayling: In general, funding is allocated at a national level; however, the European Social Fund is specifically allocated on a regional basis.
Departmental Regulation
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what new regulations sponsored by his Department have been introduced through (a) primary legislation and (b) statutory instrument in the last six months. [24497]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
(a) No regulations have been made by primary legislation in the last six months.
(b) The following regulations have been made by statutory instrument in the last six months:
The Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1651)
The Social Security (Claims and Payments) Amendment (No 3) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1676)
The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) (No. 2) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1739)
The Social Security (Exemption from Claiming Retirement Pension) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1794)
The Social Security (Housing Costs) (Standard Interest Rate) Amendment Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1811)
The Transfer of State Pensions and Benefits (Amendment) Regulations (S.I. 2010/1825)
The Welfare Reform Act 2007 (Commencement No. 12) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1905) (C. 100)
The Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional Provisions, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) (Existing Awards) (Revocation) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1906)
The Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional Provisions, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) (Existing Awards) (No. 2) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1907)
The State Pension Credit Pilot Scheme Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1925)
The Pensions Regulator (Contribution Notices) (Sum Specified following Transfer) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1929)
The Occupational Pension Schemes (Levies) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1930)
The Vaccine Damage Payments (Specified Disease) (Revocation and Savings) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1988)
The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendment) (No 4) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2126)
The Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2128)
The Equality Act 2010 (Sex Equality Rule) (Exceptions) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2132)
The Equality Act (Age Exceptions for Pension Schemes) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2133)
The Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2161)
The Equality Act (Age Exceptions for Pension Schemes) (Amendment) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2285)
The Welfare Reform Act 2009 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2377) (C. 116)
The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2429)
The Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional Provisions, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) (Existing Awards) (No.2) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2430
The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2442)
The Social Security (Contribution Conditions for Jobseeker's Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2446)
The Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2449)
The Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Amendment Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2481)
The Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) (Temporary Accommodation) Amendment Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2509)
The Offshore Installations (Safety Zones) (No. 3) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2556)
Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations (S.I. 2010/2591)
The Up-rating of Basic Pension etc. (Designated Tax Year) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/2650)
The Occupational, Personal and Stakeholder Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2659).
Disability Living Allowance
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the causes of the increase in take-up of disability living allowance over the last 10 years. [24555]
Maria Miller: Estimates of the rate of take-up and amount of unclaimed disability living allowance are not available. This is because eligibility is not established until entitlement is tested at the point of claim and because assessment of eligibility is more complex than for other benefits involving a detailed judgment of personal care and mobility needs.
Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation his Department undertook with disability groups prior to the announcement of proposed reductions in the levels of the mobility component of the disability living allowance for people living in care homes. [24556]
Maria Miller: Local authorities contracts with care homes will cover services to meet a resident's assessed needs. These will cover activities of daily living which may include providing access to doctors, dentists and local services such as libraries and banks. Local authorities should also take into account the resident's emotional and social needs as part of the assessment.
As part of the spending review all organisations are given the opportunity to contribute to the priorities of the spending review. Across Government, consultation on specific spending review measures was not undertaken. All measures are subject to the parliamentary process, and we are committed to the involvement of charities, third sector organisations and other disability organisations in the ongoing development of policy in these areas.
Fuel Poverty
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Energy Rebate Scheme; and what plans he has for his Department's contribution to the Government's fuel poverty strategy. [24506]
Steve Webb: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has lead responsibility for policies to address fuel poverty. My Department has worked closely with them and energy suppliers to deliver the Energy Rebate Scheme, which has been funded by energy suppliers.
The Energy Rebate Scheme has demonstrated that data sharing can be a valuable tool in identifying and helping customers vulnerable to fuel poverty. It has successfully delivered an £80 rebate this year on electricity bills to over 200,000 of the poorest pensioners. We will continue to work with DECC and energy suppliers to develop the Government's proposals to require energy suppliers to provide support with energy costs to vulnerable consumers. Data sharing is expected to form part of those proposals, on which DECC intend to consult shortly.
Winter fuel payments provide reassurance to older people that they can turn their heating up in winter. In winter 2009-10 we made over 12.6 million winter fuel payments. This winter we will continue to pay the winter fuel payment at the higher rate of £250 and £400 depending on age and circumstances.
Cold weather payments provide additional support to the most vulnerable in periods of exceptionally cold weather. The Government have announced that the temporary increase in cold weather payment of £25 for each week of cold weather will be made permanent.
Incapacity Benefit: Haemophilia
Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future assessment of haemophiliacs affected by contaminated blood in respect of their eligibility to continue to receive incapacity benefit. [24403]
Chris Grayling: Over a three-year period beginning in spring 2011, all claimants of incapacity benefit will be reassessed using the work capability assessment to determine whether they are entitled to employment and support allowance. While we are committed to supporting those who cannot work because of a health condition, we currently have no plans to automatically exclude customers who are haemophiliacs affected by contaminated blood from re-assessment.
It is important to recognise that any health condition will affect people in different ways, manifested by a wide spectrum of symptoms and functional effects. That is why we assess each case individually to determine if someone is entitled to benefit and whether it is appropriate to help them prepare for a return to work.
This will not always involve a face-to-face assessment-where possible, decision makers may use the paper-based evidence available. However, in order to assess people fairly and accurately it is often necessary to assess them face-to-face, in order to look at how their condition affects them.
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