Rehabilitation and Treatment of Offenders
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding for the rehabilitation and treatment of offenders was contributed to his Department's programme by the (a) Department for Education and its predecessors, (b) Department of Health, (c) Department for Work and Pensions and its predecessors and (d) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessors in each year since 1995. [59892]
Mr Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the contribution by other Government Departments for the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders. It does hold information on income received from the Departments specified, but this may not be for rehabilitation or treatment and would only be part of the funding by those Departments. Most of the funding by those Departments will be made to service providers outside of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) who provide services to offenders on behalf of their respective Departments.
Remand in Custody
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people held on remand in 2010 (a) were subsequently acquitted, (b) received a community sentence and (c) received a custodial sentence. [59913]
Mr Blunt: Defendants remanded at the magistrates and Crown courts, and outcome of proceedings in 2010, can be viewed in the tables as follows.
| Defendants remanded in custody by magistrates and outcome of proceedings (1) , 2010 (2) , England and Wales | |
| Outcome | Remanded in custody by magistrates (3) |
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| (1 )Committal cases where the remand status is not recorded are excluded from the breakdown, but included in the totals. (2) Data for 2010 are estimated. (3 )Includes those remanded for part of the time in custody and part on bail. (4 )Includes community rehabilitation orders, supervision orders, community punishment orders, attendance centre orders, community punishment and rehabilitation orders, curfew orders, reparation orders, action plan orders and detention and training orders. (5 )Includes detention and training orders and unsuspended imprisonment. (6 )Includes one day in police cells, disqualification order, restraining order, confiscation order, travel restriction order, disqualification from driving, ASBO and recommendation for deportation and other disposals. Note: Some figures may not sum due to rounding. | |
| Defendants remanded at the Crown court (1) before trial or sentence, and outcome of proceedings, 2010, England and Wales | ||
| Remanded in custody (2) | ||
| Outcome | Committed for trial | Committed for sentence |
| (1) Crown court cases are not necessarily concluded in the same year as the committal. (2) Includes those remanded for part of the time in custody and part on bail. (3 )Community rehabilitation orders, supervision orders, community punishment orders, attendance centre orders, community punishment and rehabilitation orders, curfew orders, reparation orders, action plan orders and drug treatment and testing orders. (4 )Includes detention in a young offender institution, detention and training orders and unsuspended imprisonment. (5 )Includes one day in police cells, disqualification order, restraining order, confiscation order, travel restriction order, disqualification from driving, ASBO and recommendation for deportation and other disposals. Note: Some figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. | ||
Young Offenders
Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for future provision for young adult offenders aged (a) 18 to 21 and (b) 18 to 24 following the implementation of proposed changes to the functions of the Youth Justice Board. [59943]
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Mr Blunt: The Government have decided to abolish the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and deliver its main functions from a newly created youth justice division within the Ministry of Justice. These functions include the oversight of youth offending teams, disseminating effective practice, commissioning a distinct secure estate and placing young people in custody. The YJB is responsible for offenders aged under 18 so its abolition will not impact on provision for young adult offenders.
Young Offenders: Alternatives to Prison
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2011, Official Report, column 1362W, on young offenders: alternatives to prison, if he will place in the Library a copy of the interim process evaluations of the Intensive Alternative to Custody pilot schemes in (a) Dyfed-Powys, (b) Humberside, (c) Merseyside, (d) South Wales and (e) West Yorkshire; [59979]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2011, Official Report, column 1362W, on young offenders: alternatives to prison, which of the probation trusts which were piloting the Intensive Alternative to Custody prior to 31 March 2011 have now made that provision mainstream; [60109]
(3) what the name is of each pilot of intensive community orders in England and Wales; when he expects each to come to an end; and when he expects to have evaluated the findings from each pilot. [59904]
Mr Blunt: The Intensive Alternative to Custody (IAC) pilot schemes in Dyfed-Powys, Humberside, Merseyside, South Wales and West Yorkshire were evaluated together. There was no formal interim evaluation. The final report of the five-area process evaluation is currently being prepared for publication.
In respect of the probation trusts which were piloting the IAC schemes before 31 March 2011 I can provide the following update about whether the provision of IAC has been mainstreamed:
the Wales Probation Trust has mainstreamed IAC provision across Wales;
Manchester Probation Trust has mainstreamed IAC provision in Manchester and Salford;
Humberside Probation Trust has mainstreamed IAC across all the adult court sites in Humberside;
Merseyside Probation Trust continues to offer IAC in Liverpool and there are plans to expand provision during the next year;
in Derbyshire, learning from the IAC pilot has been used to develop an Intensive Community order (ICO), which has been offered to courts across Derbyshire from May 2011 as a sentencing option targeted at those offenders at risk of being sentenced to short custodial terms; and
West Yorkshire Probation Trust has continued to offer IAC in Bradford and Leeds, and is planning to mainstream IAC across all the remaining three districts in West Yorkshire: Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.
The name of the Intensive Alternative to Custody pilots were as follows:
Manchester IAC;
Merseyside IAC;
West Yorkshire IAC;
Humberside IAC;
Wales IAC (although these were initially called Intensive Supervision and Control (ISAC)); and
Derbyshire IAC (now re-branded as Intensive Community Order (ICO)).
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All IAC pilot schemes came to an end in March 2011.
The five area pilot process evaluation and findings from the Derbyshire and Manchester IAC pilot schemes are being prepared for publication. A summary of general findings across all seven of these IAC pilots is to be published in July.
The MOJ are exploring the possibility of conducting an evaluation of the IAC pilots which will compare reoffending rates for all IAC offenders with reoffending rates for similar offenders receiving custodial sentences of less than 12 months.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2011, Official Report, column 216W, on apprenticeships, how many employer places are registered on the National Apprenticeship Service matching service; and how many applicants have been deemed unsuitable for places. [59666]
Mr Hayes: Apprenticeship vacancies (on-line system) data show that employers posted 58,870 apprenticeship vacancies between 1 August 2010 and 31 May. There were 9,500 live apprenticeship vacancies as at 1 June. Information on the number of applicants deemed unsuitable for an apprenticeship vacancy is not available.
Apprenticeship vacancy reports are updated on a monthly basis and published on the fourth day of each calendar month at the following link:
http://mireportslibrary.thedataservice.org.uk/apprenticeships/apprenticeship_vacancy_reports/
Data provided in the answer of 7 June, Official Report, column 216W, have been updated and is provided in the following tables covering the same time period as the above information. Table 1 shows the number of individuals who have activated their account on the system between August 2010 and May 2011. Table 2 shows the overall number of applications submitted between August 2010 and May 2011.
| Table 1: Total number of individuals activating their account on Apprenticeship Vacancies, August 2010 to May 2011 | |
|
|
Individuals activating Apprenticeship Vacancy Account |
| Table 2: Total number of Programme Applications made by age group, August 2010 to May 2011 | |
|
|
Total number of Programme Applications |
| Notes: 1. Figures for programme applications do not indicate individuals who have made applications, they are the total number of applications made and it is important to note that any one individual can make more than one application at any given time. 2. Figures in table 1 are the latest year to date data, from 1 August 2010 up to 30 April. 3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Apprenticeship Vacancy Reports | |
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Apprenticeship places are secured through a range of sources. Between August 2010 and January 2011 there were 213,400(1) apprenticeship starts in England.
(1) Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 March:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statistical firstrelease/sfr_current
Banks: Loans
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether HSBC Holdings plc are subject to the Project Merlin agreement that bankers' remuneration would be linked to lending targets; [61063]
(2) who signed the Project Merlin agreement on behalf of the banks; [61064]
(3) which individuals are subject to the Project Merlin agreement that bankers' remuneration would be linked to lending targets. [61065]
Mr Prisk: The Merlin commitment to lending has been made by Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, The Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander.
Lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be part of the performance metrics of each bank's chief executive and those of the senior managers responsible for business lending.
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has written to each of the bank's chairman to ask them to explain clearly how their incentives for senior managers are linked to SME lending.
Business
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people representing small and medium-sized businesses located in (a) the UK, (b) Staffordshire and (c) Tamworth constituency (i) he, (ii) Ministers in his Department and (iii) officials in his Department have met in the last 12 months. [59976]
Mr Prisk: BIS Ministers and officials regularly engage with organisations and individuals representing small and medium sized enterprises from across the UK. This includes regular meetings of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, and the Small Business Economic Forum, which I chair. All meetings that BIS Ministers have with external organisations are published quarterly at
http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff
with data currently available up until December 2010.
As the lead on local enterprise partnership (LEPs) policy, I am meeting all LEPs which include representatives of small and medium sized businesses across England. To date I have met with 21 partnerships and am due to meet with the Stoke and Staffordshire LEP at the beginning of July. BIS Local West Midlands also have regular engagement with representatives of small and medium businesses in Staffordshire as part of their day to day working.
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Business: Industrial Health and Safety
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment his Department has made of the administrative requirements on businesses arising from health and safety legislation; and if he will make a statement; [58862]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the administrative burden of health and safety regulations on the priority given by businesses to (a) compliance with legislation and (b) the implementation of effective health and safety measures; and if he will make a statement; [58871]
(3) if his Department will assess the merits of implementing the recommendation of the Davidson Review that the Health and Safety Executive should exempt the self-employed from certain health and safety legislation in low-risk sectors. [58872]
Mr Prisk: The Department has an established working relationship with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and I am delighted that this Government are implementing the recommendations from Lord Young's recent review of HSE in the UK. As these questions suggest, there are a number of ideas in circulation about how the UK's HSE regime could be still further improved in ways that reduce the costs and burdens to business. I will be very interested to see the impact of proposals developed by the Ministry of Justice to tackle the “litigation culture”, in the wake of Lord Justice Jackson's consideration of the “no win, no fee” conditional fee arrangements (November 2010). In addition, there is a current independent review commissioned by the Minister of State, Departmental for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), who has responsibility for employment of HSE legislation which is being undertaken by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt, Director of the Centre for Risk Management at King's College, London. I also look forward to hearing the views of business and other stakeholders when the Red Tape Challenge turns its attention to HSE at the end of June.
Carbon Emissions
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to (a) including in the Green Economy Roadmap a commitment to (i) measure and (ii) reduce the UK's total carbon footprint and (b) the reckoning in the calculation of that footprint of (A) emissions from consumption and (B) outsourced emissions embedded in imports. [57700]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 7 June 2011]: The Green Economy Roadmap is designed to provide businesses with clarity about the transition to a lower carbon economy and how it affects them; it is not the appropriate vehicle for assessing the UK's total carbon footprint or weighting contributions to that footprint. The Government will continue to monitor emissions according to current standards.
Companies: North West England
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value is of financial support received by companies in the North West through the Regional Growth Fund. [59063]
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Mr Prisk: Details of bids from round 1 of the Regional Growth Fund and conditional offers made, remain commercially confidential until the process of due diligence is completed.
Departmental Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department has made in encouraging small businesses to bid for Government contracts. [60179]
Mr Prisk: The Department is committed to supporting the Government-wide initiatives set out at the small and medium enterprises (SME) strategic supplier summit on 11 February 2011, notably the launch of Contracts Finder the Government portal for tendering opportunities over £10,000. The portal is entirely free, online service enabling small businesses to search for, and receive free e-mail alerts of public sector contract opportunities. The full list of measures can be found on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/government-opens-contracts-small-business.
In addition to working to implement these initiatives, BIS has agreed with Cabinet Office a further set of actions - such as providing notification of its tendering requirements in advance by use of a Prior Information Notice for Official Journal of the European Union procurements or similar to provide a greater degree of notice to the market, enabling SMEs to be better placed to bid for government contracts. Full details are available at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/about/procurement
To help small businesses build skills and capacity and support SMEs access public procurement opportunities, BIS has designed (with input from across both the public and private sectors) a free on-line public procurement training course ‘Winning the Contract’ available on the businesslink website at:
www.businesslink.gov.uk/winningthecontract.
Additionally, following the closure of the previous Government procurement portal “Supply2.gov”, and to enable small businesses to freely download, analyse and gain a better understanding of what, and how Government buys, BIS has made available all Government historical contract data (published on the site, from 2006 to 2011), on its transparency page at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/supply2gov.
Education: Carers
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with carers organisations on steps to ensure that carers receive equal opportunities to access further or higher education by (a) part-time and (b) full-time mode; and if he will make a statement. [58988]
Mr Hayes: This Government have been very clear about the importance of widening participation and improving access to further and higher education. Adult carers have been given consideration as part of the enhancements to adult learner support for students in further education. Representative bodies were invited to discussions earlier this year to help formulate the policy. Carers are eligible to apply for learner support funds as appropriate and this will remain the case for 2011-12.
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In higher education we are establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility on universities to widen participation. Higher education institutions will be encouraged to identify candidates with the ability and potential to succeed, offering those that might need extra support the appropriate assistance. For full-time students in higher education a comprehensive package of grants and loans is available through the student finance system, with extra support for students with adult or child dependants in the form of an Adult Dependants' Grant, Childcare Grant and Parents' Learning Allowance. From 2012-13 eligible new part-time students will not pay upfront tuition charges and will be able to access loans in order to pay for their tuition, as is the case for full-time students.
EU Law
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what EU directives in force on 1 April 2010 his Department is responsible; and what EU directives for which his Department is responsible have come into force since 1 April 2010. [60729]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 17 June 2011]: The stock of EU legislation in force is set out in the Eur-Lex database:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm
It would be of disproportionate cost to review the entire stock to establish which pieces of legislation were currently the responsibility of BIS or its predecessor Departments.
There are a number of directives, which have come into force since 1 April 2010, for which the Department has responsibility. The directives are of varying natures and implications and I will write separately providing a detailed list.
EU Law: Economic Growth
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria he plans to use to assess any recommendations resulting from the work with Government undertaken by GSK, Balfour Beatty, Kingfisher and Tribeka Limited to consider the effect of EU legislation on UK growth opportunities. [59525]
Mr Prisk: As announced in Budget 2011, the Government are working with four companies, Balfour Beatty, GSK, Kingfisher and Tribeka Ltd, to find ways to improve European growth opportunities for UK businesses. All four companies will have the opportunity to contribute equally to this work and each company will be given equal weight.
Central to the Government's assessment of specific contributions will be the extent to which they illustrate opportunities and problems for the wider sector from which they are drawn so that the evidence provided can be used for the broadest possible positive impact on the UK economy.
Fees and Charges: Students
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice his Department has received on the entitlements of EU students to (a) fee waivers, (b) fee discounts and (c) the National Scholarship Programme; and if he will make a statement. [60868]
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Mr Willetts: Legal advice obtained by the Department is confidential and the subject of legal professional privilege.
It will be for universities themselves, as autonomous institutions, to obtain their own legal advice to ensure that their provision in respect of fee waivers and fee discounts conforms to current legislation.
Foreign Students
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of British citizens who attended university in (a) EU countries and (b) the US in the last academic year for which figures are available. [60899]
Mr Willetts: In 2008, it is estimated that 24,750 UK students were enrolled at institutions outside the UK, and studying for a degree awarded by an overseas institution. Of these, an estimated 10,250 UK students were studying in EU-27 countries, and 8,400 were estimated to be studying in the USA. These figures exclude students who undertake short-term exchange programmes as part of their UK degree.
Source:
OECD online database and Eurostat online database.
Please note, there is no common basis for the collection of data on ‘foreign/mobile’ students—countries use one or more of the following classification criteria:
citizenship;
usual/permanent residence; and
country of prior education.
Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses but they will give different results in each country, so the figures quoted above need to be treated with caution. BIS-commissioned research concluded that OECD data tend to over-estimate the true number of diploma-mobile students by up to 10%.
Green Investment Bank
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings he has had with representatives of potential locations on the proposed location of the Green Investment Bank. [60974]
Mr Prisk: I met the Secretary of State for Scotland on 5 April and representatives from the Edinburgh Green Investment Bank Group on 30 March, both at their request.
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2011, Official Report, columns 645-46W, on higher education: admissions, how many UK-domiciled full-time first degree qualifiers at UK higher education institutions who previously attended (i) maintained schools and (ii) sixth-form colleges achieved each degree classification in the academic year 2009-10. [60245]
Mr Willetts
[holding answer 16 June 2011]
: Data on previous school type are available from the Higher
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Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and cover state schools, independent schools, FE institutions, HE institutions and those with unknown or missing information. They do not identify separately those who attended maintained schools and sixth-form colleges.
Higher Education: Anti-Semitism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what information his Department holds on the use of the Working Definition of anti-Semitism; whether he has had recent discussions with universities on the definition; and if he will make a statement; [R] [60422]
(2) what definition of anti-Semitism his Department uses; what recent discussions he has had with the Jewish community on its definition since May 2010; and if he will make a statement; [R] [60423]
(3) whether (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had recent discussions with the Union of Jewish Students; and if he will make a statement; [R] [60534]
(4) what recent representations he has received from the Union of Jewish Students; what response his Department gave to such representations; and if he will make a statement. [R] [60535]
Mr Willetts: The Department does not hold information about the use of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) working definition of anti-Semitism. It is public knowledge that it has been adopted by the National Union of Students. We have not held discussions with universities about definitions of anti-Semitism, or about any specific definition used by the Department with the Jewish community.
The UK Government currently uses the Macpherson definition of a racist incident which is an incident that is perceived as racist by the victim or any other person, and this would include anti-Semitism.
I met with the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) towards the end of last year, alongside the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) (as the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism), the Community Security Trust and Higher Education (HE) sector bodies such as Universities UK (UUK) and the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) to discuss the experiences of Jewish students in HE. My officials have met with the UJS to discuss the Prevent strategy, and the recent motion concerning the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC, now the FRA) working definition of anti-Semitism agreed at the University and College Union's annual congress.
The Government's position is clear: anti-Semitism and intolerance have no place in our society and no place in higher education. Staff and students from all backgrounds, cultures and communities must be welcome in our higher education sector.
The UK has in place one of the strongest legislative frameworks to protect people from harassment and abuse, and specifically racial or religious persecution. This framework provides protection to Jewish people alongside other ethnic and religious groups. As independent organisations, higher education institutions are directly accountable for compliance with the law and hold the
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primary responsibility for ensuring that their staff and students are not subject to threatening or abusive behaviour on campus.
In addition to legal requirements, institutions have access to a range of practical guidance to help them ensure fair treatment of their staff and students, and to help them deal effectively with instances of intolerance, racism and harassment in their institutions.
The Government would expect institutions to vigorously tackle intolerance on campus when it arises.
Intellectual Property
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date the Intellectual Property Office will publish the findings of its consultation on patent infringement in pharmaceutical clinical and field trials; and when the Government plan to respond to any recommendations made. [60588]
Mr Davey: There is little I can add to my previous answer on this subject given on 10 June 2011, Official Report, columns 517-18W. The Government do not plan a separate response to any recommendations arising from the Intellectual Property Office's consultation since those recommendations will be cleared with Ministers in the usual way. Publication of the findings will take place either at the same time as the recommendations or earlier if possible.
Mary Portas
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether Mary Portas will receive remuneration from his Department for her work on the high street retail review; [58099]
(2) what remuneration Mary Portas will receive for leading the independent review on the future of the high street. [60745]
Mr Prisk: Mary Portas is not being paid for her work on this review.
North Sea Oil
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2011, Official Report, column 1348W, on North Sea oil, on what dates prior to the Budget Statement of 23 March 2011 meetings took place between Ministers in his Department and Ministers in the Treasury on the implications for investment in North Sea oil and gas fields of changes to taxation. [60678]
Mr Prisk: Nothing has changed since my answer of 12 May 2011, Official Report, column 1348W.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2011, Official Report, column 1349W, on North sea oil, on what dates prior to the Budget Statement of 23 March 2011 meetings took place between Ministers in his Department and Ministers in the Department of Energy and Climate Change on the implications for investment in North Sea oil and gas fields of changes to taxation. [60679]
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Mr Prisk: Nothing has changed since my answer of 12 May 2011, Official Report, column 1349W.
One North East
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) land and (b) other assets will be transferred from One North East to the Homes and Communities Agency in each local authority area in the North East. [59950]
Mr Prisk: BIS is currently working with the Department for Communities and Local Government and others to agree arrangements to manage some regional development agency land and property assets. No decisions have yet been made; we hope to make an announcement soon. We aim wherever possible to protect the intended economic and regeneration benefits to local areas of developing these assets, and allow local partners to influence the way they are developed.
PA Consulting
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether UK Trade & Investment has set any objectives for PA Consulting to reach in respect of direct investment in each region. [58456]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 9 June 2011]: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) contracted in March 2011 with PA Consulting (PA) for the delivery of services to support foreign direct investment into the UK. That contract contains targets for PA for the quantity and quality of successful investment projects into the UK that they support.
UKTI has not set specific objectives for PA in terms of regional dispersal of investment projects. However, UKTI is committed with PA to monitoring new investments against the broad regional profile of previous years. Should significant disparity with previous investment levels in any UK region/devolved Administration arise, UKTI will assess the reasons, and take action as necessary. Close dialogue with local partners (including local enterprise partnerships and devolved Administrations) will be an important part of this assessment process.
Press: Competition
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on consumer interests of present arrangements for the regulation of the newspaper and magazine distribution industry. [60113]
Mr Vaizey: I have been asked to reply.
The Secretary of State has made no assessment. Competition matters relating to the effects on consumer interests from the distribution arrangements covering the newspaper and magazine industry fall to the Office of Fair Trading.
Trade Agreements
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on non-tariff barriers in the negotiation of free trade agreements. [60611]
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Mr Davey [holding answer 17 June 2011]: Eliminating non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to trade and, as far as possible, preventing the establishment of new NTBs, is a key UK objective in Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. We agreed annexes to address NTBs in the EU-South Korea FTA, and we are pressing hard for NTBs to be tackled in other FTAs, including the EU-lndia FTA where addressing NTBs in the automobile sector is a particular priority.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate (a) the cost to UK manufacturers and (b) the effects on levels of growth of non-tariff barriers in free trade agreements with (i) India, (ii) South Korea and (iii) Japan. [60613]
Mr Davey [holding answer 17 June 201 1 ]:The benefits to the EU from tackling non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in free trade agreements (FTAs) can be substantial but in all trade deals there will be some adjustment costs. For the EU-South Korea, the elimination of NTBs in the final agreement was the major factor behind the anticipated gains increasing from €19 billion (in earlier estimates) to €33 billion. Negotiations on the EU-India FTA are ongoing, and negotiations with Japan are yet to be launched. In both, the reduction of NTBs will be a key UK objective.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what industry organisations he consulted prior to the signing of each UK and EU free trade agreement made since 12 May 2010. [60615]
Mr Davey [holding answer 17 June 2011]:For all fair trade agreement (FTA) negotiations the Department regularly consults with a wide range of business stakeholders to update them on the status of negotiations, and to make sure that we understand their concerns and priorities. We consulted businesses and business federations throughout the negotiations of the EU-South Korea FTA and in the lead up to signature in September 2010.
Trade Agreements: EU External Trade
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to prepare the removal of non-tariff barriers when negotiating EU free trade agreements. [60612]
Mr Davey [holding answer 17 June 2011]:In all free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, the UK undertakes its own analysis and consults widely with business stakeholders to ensure that we identify and prioritise those issues, including non-tariff barriers, which matter most to UK business. Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) have formed a key part of the market opening of the EU FTAs with developed countries such as EU-South Korea. The removal of NTBs in EU is very much in our interests to improve the functioning of the single market, which is our largest export market.
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects of non-tariff barriers on the competitiveness of UK companies in relation to the countries with which the EU has free trade agreements. [60614]
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Mr Davey [holding answer 17 June 2011]:Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) can be a more significant barrier to trade than tariffs, especially for trade between developed countries. For this reason, the EU and the UK prioritise the elimination of NTBs in free trade agreements (FTAs). For the EU-South Korea, the elimination of NTBs in the final agreement was the major factor behind the anticipated gains increasing from €19 billion (in earlier estimates) to €33 billion to the EU.
UK Trade & Investment: Expenditure
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value of investment by UK Trade & Investment has been in respect of (a) North Yorkshire, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber, (c) England and (d) the UK since May 2010. [60269]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 16 June 2011]: Companies investing in the UK are not required to disclose the value of their investments to UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). UKTI records the number of foreign direct investment projects entering the UK each year. The inward investment results for the UK, including North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber and England, for the financial year 2010/11 will be announced on 11 July 2011.
UK Trade & Investment: Manpower
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade & Investment staff are (a) based in and (b) dedicated to each region of England. [60270]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 16 June 2011]: People working for UKTI are either employees of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or from the private sector through our contracted out delivery arrangements. In the English regions there are 58 civil servants and 299 private sector employees. The following table sets out the number of people based in and dedicated to each region.
| Region | Number of people (May 2011) |
UK Trade & Investment: Yorkshire and the Humber
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many inquiries UK Trade & Investment received in relation to (a) investment, (b) general help and advice and (c) help and advice relating to exporting from businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber in the financial year 2010-11. [60268]
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Mr Prisk [holding answer 16 June 2011]: The UK Trade & Investment Inquiry Service received 24,476 trade and investment inquiries by telephone and e-mail in 2010-11. The Inquiry Service do not record where an inquiry originates.
Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate of average global temperature his Department and its predecessors used when considering policies on climate change in each of the last 15 years. [61059]
Gregory Barker: During the past 15 years, DECC and its predecessors have taken note of the annual global average surface temperature estimates made by the UK Met Office and Climatic Research Unit, and NASA and NOAA in the United States. These have been published in various journals and assessed by the IPCC and other scientific bodies.
During this period all these analyses show yearly and short term temperature fluctuations, which are due to natural variations in the climate system, and a continuing underlying upward trend in global temperatures. It is the long-term upward trend in the temperature record that is the main reason for concern over climate change.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has plans to generate low-carbon energy from its estate. [61218]
Gregory Barker: The Department has a very small estate and has authority over only two buildings, 3 Whitehall Place and 55 Whitehall in London. As part of our strategy for reducing the carbon emissions from our estate and operations, we have plans to explore the feasibility of generating low carbon energy at these buildings.
Departmental Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress his Department has made in encouraging small businesses to bid for Government contracts. [60186]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has introduced the following policies to encourage small and medium sized entities (SMEs) to bid for its contracts:
Disclosure of more information about public procurement opportunities, including information about major projects in the pipeline for small businesses and social enterprises to view. The Department’s contracts with a value of over £10,000 are now published in full online and free of charge through the procurement web-portal “Contracts Finder”.
For all procurements under the EU threshold, the Department has eliminated pre- qualification questionnaires which may previously have deterred or ruled out SMEs from bidding.
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The Department is now recording separately business transacted with SMEs. This will help target actions to increase the level of contracts awarded to SMEs and monitor the effectiveness of those actions .
The Department encourages early supplier involvement, where possible through bidders’ conferences, in order to promote wider market engagement at the pre- procurement stage.
The Department encourages innovation in contract specifications and, where appropriate, innovation is included as part of the evaluation criteria of tender exercises. This helps encourage the smaller enterprises that tend to operate in the energy innovation field.
Electric Cables
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ofgem on provisions to minimise the visual impact of overhead power lines on landscapes. [60088]
Charles Hendry: To date, engagement by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) with Ofgem on the visual impact of overhead power lines has been at official level as part of Ofgem's next transmission price control review (RIIO-T1). This has involved bilateral discussions, correspondence and participation at stakeholder events such as the Price Control Review Forum and RIIO Working Groups. Where new and replacement pylons are required, DECC is keen to support the development of the most visually acceptable overhead solutions. The Royal Institute of British Architects is therefore running a competition on behalf of DECC and National Grid that calls for designs for a new generation of pylon. A key element to the competition will be a public consultation exercise in September which will provide members of the public with a chance to comment on the best designs. Further details are available from:
http://www.ribapylondesign.com/
Energy
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will establish a public inquiry into transparency in the energy market and the merits of introducing an enforceable requirement for clarity at each stage. [60138]
Charles Hendry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2011, Official Report, column 892W.
Energy (Definition and Promotion) Act 2009
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to implement the provisions on general permitted development rights of the Green Energy (Definition and Promotion) Act 2009. [60923]
Gregory Barker: A statutory instrument will be laid before Parliament shortly to prepare the way for new permitted development rights for the domestic installations of micro wind turbines and air source heat pumps as the Green Energy (Definition and Promotions) Act 2009 requires. I will continue to work with colleagues at the Department for Communities and Local Government on this.
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Energy: Conservation
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether permanent energy efficiency saving schemes will be eligible to receive support from the Capacity Mechanism. [61042]
Charles Hendry: The Government are committed to encouraging and incentivising energy efficiency within the home, and in the public and private sectors, and have a range of policies in place to achieve this including current measures such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and Community Energy Saving Programmes (CESP), and future measures such as the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).
DECC is currently developing a White Paper which will set out proposals for Electricity Market Reform (EMR), including the proposed Capacity Mechanism. We recognise that demand side measures have an important contribution to make in supporting the transition to a low-carbon generating mix and ensuring security of supply. A key element of that is to consider how to ensure our policies on security of supply incentivise demand side measures where it can deliver energy security in the most cost effective way.
We are considering views raised in response to the EMR consultation on demand-side issues in development of the White Paper, which we intend to publish before the summer recess.
Energy: Finance
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding from the public purse his Department allocated to each energy sector in the latest period for which figures are available. [59720]
Gregory Barker: Budgets for 2011-12 have been allocated to energy sectors as follows:
| Sector | Expenditure (£ million) |
This represents 78% of the total budget for 2011-12 of £3.0 billion. The remaining budget will mainly be spent on combating fuel poverty in the UK, programmes to improve energy efficiency and international energy and climate change issues.
Energy: Private Rented Housing
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 580W, on energy: private rented housing, which organisations representing tenants are feeding into one of the Government's four industry-led forums for the Green Deal. [60863]
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Gregory Barker: A number of organisations representing tenants, whether as their sole focus or under a broad remit of representing consumers, feed into the Green Deal forums and associated sub-groups: The National Organisation of Residents’ Associations, North West Tenants and Residents Assembly, Shelter, National Union of Students, Consumer Focus, Citizens Advice, Age UK, and Which?.
Microgeneration
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which of the microgeneration technologies eligible for (a) feed-in tariffs and (b) the Renewable Heat Incentive have been subject to formal life cycle analysis. [59747]
Gregory Barker: There is a wide body of research into the lifecycle performance of technologies supported by both feed-in tariffs and the renewable heat incentive. For example, two UK specific studies estimate average carbon footprints of 88 gCO2eq/kWh for domestic solar photovoltaics and 68 gCO2eq/kWh for 600W micro-wind(1). Carbon footprints for such systems have been falling due to efficiency improvements in their production. For comparison, another UK study estimates a carbon footprint of 488 gCO2eq/kWh for electricity from a combined cycle gas turbine(2).
In practice, life cycle carbon and energy footprints will vary between installations, depending for example on the suitability of the site and the impact of this on performance.
(1 )Allen SR et al, 2008, Proc ICE: Energy, 161, 73-86 and Allen SR & Hammond GP, 2010, Energy, 35,2223-2234.
(2 )Odeh N & Cockerill TT, 2008, Energy Policy, 36, 367-80.
Nuclear Power
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2011, Official Report, column 108W, on nuclear power, when he expects to publish his conclusions on the consultation on proposed changes to the Paris Convention and Brussels Supplementary Convention on nuclear third party liability. [60546]
Charles Hendry: The consultation on the changes to the Paris Convention and Brussels Supplementary Convention on nuclear third party liability ran from 24 January to 28 April. Officials are now reviewing the responses received.
We intend to publish a summary of responses and a Government response later this year.
Nuclear Power Stations
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what account he has taken of the risk of natural disasters in his plans for new nuclear power stations. [60847]
Charles Hendry:
Companies operating or intending to operate nuclear power stations must make safety assessments, which are assessed by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. The events that the operator must consider include flooding, seismic activity and extreme weather. The safety assessment should demonstrate that threats
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from external hazards are either removed, minimised or tolerated. This may be done by showing that safety related plant and equipment are designed to meet appropriate performance criteria against the postulated external hazard, and by the provision of safety systems which respond to mitigate the effects of the event.
Radioactive Waste
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2011, Official Report, columns 112-3W, on radioactive waste, which prospective operators of new nuclear plants have expressed an interest in entering a radioactive waste transfer contract. [60545]
Charles Hendry: Three consortia—NNB Genco (EDF Energy, Centrica), Horizon Nuclear Power (RWE Npower, E.ON) and NuGeneration (Scottish and Southern Energy, GDF Suez, Ibedrola) have announced plans to build new nuclear power stations in the UK. DECC officials are in regular contact with the three consortia on a range of issues and this has included discussions relating to the possibility of entering into a waste transfer contract at some point in the future.
Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the take up of feed-in tariffs in (a) the UK and (b) Germany; and if he will make a statement. [60844]
Gregory Barker: Real time data on feed-in tariffs (FIT) uptake in the UK are available on Ofgem's website. DECC also publishes a monthly summary of these data on its website. The latest data relate to schemes confirmed onto the FITs scheme at the end of May 2011. The following table shows the latest figures and those for end of March 2011, which was the end of the first full year of the FITs scheme.
| FIT uptake by technology | ||||
| End March 2011 | End May 2011 | |||
| Technology | Number | Capacity (kW) | Number | Capacity (kW) |
The German feed-in tariff system is that country's primary renewable energy incentive scheme, covering all scales (whereas the renewables obligation is the UK's primary incentive for large-scale renewable electricity generation). It has been in operation since 2000, and up to 2009 it supported 45,677 MW of generation (German data are from the International Energy Agency, which collects information on renewable capacity from all member countries, and 2009 is the latest date for which data are available).
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Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on his decision to set new feed-in tariffs for small-scale low-carbon electricity. [61249]
Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has included Ministers in the Scottish and Welsh Assembly Governments, and their officials, in discussions leading up to the recent decision to introduce new tariffs following the fast track review of the feed-in tariffs. The FITs scheme does not apply in Northern Ireland.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to hold a comprehensive review of the feed-in tariff scheme. [61250]
Gregory Barker: On 7 February 2011, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change announced the start of the first comprehensive review of feed-in tariffs (FITs). This review is now under way and we are currently considering responses to a call for evidence on the review's scope which formed part of the recently concluded fast-track consultation on FITs. We are intending to consult on more detailed proposals in the summer.
Renewable Energy: Heating
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether (a) the renewable heat incentive and (b) the renewable heat incentive premium payment will apply to new-build housing. [59313]
Gregory Barker: The Government plan to introduce support for households through phase two of the renewable heat incentive (RHI) in October 2012 alongside the Green Deal. We are currently looking at the eligibility criteria and considering whether new build properties should be supported and will consult on our proposals by the end of 2011.
Details of the criteria for the renewable heat premium payment (RH PP) will be available shortly.
Departmental Contracts: Scotland
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [60201]
Gregory Barker: From April 2010 the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has awarded 2% of its contracts, amounting to four contracts, to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in Scotland. One of these businesses is based in Strathclyde so could be located in either the South Lanarkshire or the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency.
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The data available from the Department's arm’s length bodies are about orders rather than contracts and show that:
1) The Coal Authority has placed 1.5% of its orders with SMEs based in Scotland and 0.3% of its orders with SMEs based in Lanarkshire.
2) The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) placed 1.5% of its orders with suppliers based in Scotland. The NDA is unable to determine whether the orders related to SMEs without incurring the disproportionate expense of examining all individual orders.
Solar Power
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the number of solar farms with a generating capacity greater than one megawatt that will be installed and commissioned before 1 August 2011. [61248]
Gregory Barker: To date, Ofgem have not approved any applications from PV schemes with an installed capacity greater than 1 MW. However, from discussions with the industry I anticipate that some schemes of this size will be generating before 1 August 2011. DECC's current understanding is that the total capacity of such schemes could be around 40 MW.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the UK's performance in developing solar photovoltaics. [61251]
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Gregory Barker: In the first year of operation 28,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) installations were confirmed under the GB feed-in tariffs scheme, totalling over 77 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity. In the first two months of this financial year, close to a further 150 installations were completed per day.
There are two UK-based manufacturers of PV panels: Romag and Sharp Solar.
Solar Power: Public Buildings
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of (a) schools, (b) hospitals, (c) other public buildings and (d) community buildings that will be fitted with solar photovoltaic installations with a generating capacity between 50 and 100 kilowatts under the feed-in tariff scheme in the year after 1 August 2011. [61247]
Gregory Barker: The design of tariffs under the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme, as completed by the last Government, is based on the technology and generation capacity of the installation and not on generator type. Therefore, we do not currently have the information requested either for existing installations or future installations.
As confirmed in the recent Government response to the fast-track review of the FITs scheme, the intention is that from 1 August 2011 a new tariff of 19.0p/kWh will apply to solar photovoltaic installations of between 50 and 150 kW. We consider that this will deliver a 5% internal rate of return for well located installations, which could include those on community buildings.