Canal and River Trust: Finance
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps she plans to take to address the projected funding deficit for British Waterways as a result of its moving from public to charitable ownership; [81858]
(2) what plans she has for Government funding and grants to British Waterways after it converts to charitable status. [81859]
Richard Benyon: The majority of funding for British Waterways comes from its commercial activities and through its licensing operations rather than from Government grant funding. During the last spending review period, grant funding contributed between 30% and 35% of British Waterways' revenue that is spent on the waterways in England and Wales.
In the current, tough fiscal environment, the Government will give the Canal and River Trust (CRT) the best possible start. We have already committed to transfer British Waterways' commercial property portfolio, which is valued at £460 million, to the CRT, and to long-term funding at the 2014-15 level of £39 million to 2022-23 inclusive. The amount and terms of the funding agreement are currently subject to negotiation between the CRT trustees and the Government.
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The transfer of British Waterways to the charitable sector creates new opportunities for growing income from private and commercial sources, making efficiencies and forming supportive partnerships. The charity will also be able to borrow against its assets and so expand income in the longer term. The move will, therefore, improve the long-term financial sustainability of the waterways.
Carbon Emissions
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to assist local authorities to establish local low emission zones by providing support with (a) costs and (b) enforcement; and if she will make a statement. [82078]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA already publishes guidance to local authorities that wish to establish low emission zones. It includes advice on selecting methods for implementation, practical issues that have arisen in implementing previous schemes, and how to appraise potential costs and air quality benefits. We have also provided funding, through the air quality grant scheme, to several local authorities to support investigations into local low emission zones.
The Government are working with local authorities and others to explore the feasibility of providing further support to local authorities on low emission zones.
Dangerous Dogs
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many items of correspondence her Department has received on dangerous dogs since June 2010. [80993]
Mr Paice: The data requested are shown in the following table.
| Type | Number |
| Note: Data downloaded from DEFRA’s Management Information System (Contact) on 10 November 2011. | |
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the estimated cost to the public purse is of kennelling dangerous dogs seized under the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last five years; [81044]
(2) how many dogs have been seized by police in England and Wales under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 since June 2010; and what the estimated cost to the public purse is of such police action. [81047]
Mr Paice:
The cost to police forces across England of kennelling dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since 2005 cannot be provided because these figures are not held centrally. However, I am able to
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provide a breakdown of the cost to the Metropolitan police of kennelling dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act
(1)19911 in each year since 2005, which is provided in the following table:
(1) The figures in the following table provide a breakdown of kennelling and care costs for all dogs, not just dogs seized under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. However, over 85% of the dogs seized by the Metropolitan police are done so under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act.
| Cost to Metropolitan police of kennelling dogs | ||||
| £ | ||||
| Financial year | Boarding | Veterinary fees | Transport | Total |
| Source: Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Status Dog Unit | ||||
The cost to the Metropolitan police and to police across England of seizing dogs cannot be provided because use of police time is not recorded in this way.
Departmental ICT
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the status is of her Department's new Sam IT system. [80774]
Mr Paice: Release 6 (R6) of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratorie’s Agency’s Sam system went live on 26 September 2011. There have been some issues with the implementation of the system.
The AHVLA and their IT services contractor are working closely to resolve all the issues and are confident that the Sam system will be functioning normally by mid- December, with significant improvements week by week.
Departmental Relocation
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants in her Department have been (a) relocated and (b) agreed to relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the UK. [74897]
Richard Benyon: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not relocated any civil servants, nor agreed to relocate any civil servants, in the last 12 months.
Public Sector: Pay
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department and the bodies for which she is responsible earned more than (a) £65,000, (b) £95,000, (c) £140,000 and (d) £175,000 in the last year for which figures are available. [78055]
Richard Benyon:
The following table shows the number of staff in core-DEFRA and its Executive Agencies (The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Rural Payments Agency, Food and Environment Research Agency and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science)
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with base pay of more than
(a)
£65,000,
(b)
£95,000,
(c)
£140,000 and
(d)
£175,000.
| Organisation | Salary band (£) | Number of staff |
Departmental Public Expenditure
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she receives any external funding for (a) her ministerial office and (b) her advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding. [78020]
Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), receives no external funding for either (a) her ministerial office or (b) her advisers.
Departmental Responsibilities
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates the (a) Green Infrastructure Partnership, (b) Natural Capital Committee and (c) Ecosystem Markets Task Force have met. [81473]
Richard Benyon: The Green Infrastructure Partnership was launched on 11 October with many partners in attendance. Officials have had numerous bilateral meetings with partners and we are organising the first partnership workshop for 5 December this year.
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We are currently recruiting the chair and members of the Natural Capital Committee, and expect that its first meeting will be in early 2012.
The Ecosystem Markets Task Force is launching on 23 November at the Nomura HQ in London and the first meeting of the taskforce is due in early December. There has already been significant pre-work with the chair, members and the secretariat to ensure that the taskforce gets off to a good start.
Cyber- Security
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to improve cyber-security in relation to her Department’s estate; and if she will make a statement. [75136]
Richard Benyon: The Government take cyber-security very seriously and it has been categorised as a tier 1 threat to UK national security. £650 million is being invested over the next four years in a National Cyber Security Programme, working across Departments and with the private sector, international partners and citizens to improve the UK’s cyber-security capability.
DEFRA routinely assesses the prevailing threats to its ICT systems and applies appropriate and proportionate measures in accordance with the Government standards set out in the Cabinet Office’s Security Policy Framework (SPF). These standards are aligned with industry best practice approaches.
It is not in the interest of national security to make public details of particular improvements in relation to individual Departments as it may expose vulnerabilities to those who may seek to exploit them.
Dogs: Tagging
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of regulations governing the microchipping of dogs. [80721]
Mr Paice: There are certain circumstances where microchipping of dogs is a legal requirement.
Under the current Pet Travel Scheme rules, all dogs entering the UK must be fitted with a microchip as part of animal health requirements to keep the UK free from rabies and certain other diseases. Identification is mandatory for pets (cats, dogs and ferrets) moving under EC Regulation 998/2003, which lays down conditions that must be complied with when moving pets between European member states and into the European Union from non-EU countries. The UK brings its procedures into line with the European Union on 1 January 2012.
Under the Welfare of Racing Greyhound Regulations 2010, dogs must be microchipped to take part in races and trials. The greyhound regulations are due to be reviewed in 2015.
Under the Docking of Working Dogs’ Tails (England) (Regulations) 2007, it is a requirement for a legally docked dog to be identified by a microchip. The tail docking regulations were looked at as part of the review undertaken by DEFRA into the effectiveness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. DEFRA consulted a wide range of stakeholders, but no evidence was presented relating to these regulations.
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Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended 1997), one of the requirements, under which an individual prohibited type dog may be permitted to be entered on to the Index of Exempted Dogs, is that it is microchipped. The adequacy of the current legislation and the wider issue of dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog ownership is currently being looked at.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to increase the numbers of dogs which are micro-chipped. [80722]
Mr Paice: The Government support the voluntary microchipping of dogs. DEFRA Ministers and officials are currently engaged with key stakeholders from wider government, the police, animal welfare and dog keeping organisations about how to promote more responsible dog ownership and tackle dangerous dogs. One of the proposals under consideration is the compulsory microchipping of dogs.
Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on the future of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group. [81190]
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the future of independent environmental and conservation advice to farmers in the event that the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group closes. [80780]
Mr Paice: Pursuing the twin objectives of a competitive farming sector which plays a full part in protecting and improving the environment is a priority for this Government, and the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) epitomises that dual purpose.
The Farming Regulation Task Force identified the importance of ensuring that the environmental messages we give to farmers and their advisors are clear and well-prioritised. In the Natural Environment White Paper we have committed to undertake a review of advice and incentives for farmers. In taking this work forward we are very conscious of the role of independent environmental and conservation advice providers, such as FWAG.
Officials from DEFRA and Natural England have been in close contact with FWAG over recent weeks to establish the facts of the current situation and understand the implications. Now that FWAG has gone into administration I know that local groups are examining ways in which they can continue their work.
FWAG played an important role in the delivery of advice for a number of Government initiatives, including helping farmers to participate in agri-environment schemes and the campaign for the Farmed Environment. The need for this work will continue and independent advice delivered by organisations like FWAG will continue to play a key role in supporting and developing British farming.
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Marine Conservation Zones
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to her Department’s Guidance on Selection and Designation of MCZs (Note 1), September 2010, if she will use the best information currently available as the criterion for her designation of marine conservation zones. [80631]
Richard Benyon: The Government’s policy is that the best available evidence should support the designation and management of marine conservation zones (MCZs).
It is important that there is an adequate evidence base if successful well-managed MCZs are to be established. DEFRA wants to make sound decisions on which sites to take forward for designation, so we have ensured and will continue to ensure, that quality assurance processes are put in place.
It was always foreseen that Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee would examine the adequacy of the evidence for the site recommendations produced by the four regional MCZ projects. DEFRA will also be commissioning additional work to support MCZ designation, including an in-depth review of the evidence base for all the regional projects’ site recommendations and committing additional resources to carrying out sea bed and habitat monitoring.
As part of the MCZ process, the Government are also addressing the recommendations of the independent review of the evidence process for selecting Special Areas of Conservation published in July 2011. The processes agreed with Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee comprise three phases which would be timed to enable recommendations to be taken into account in formulating their final advice on MCZs:
(1) an independent review of the protocols by which they will formulate their advice;
(2) an independent review of the evidence base supporting regional project recommendations; and
(3) an independent review of the draft advice from Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, which will then be addressed in finalising their advice to DEFRA.
We will continue the work to ensure that the recommendations and decisions on MCZ designation and how sites will be managed are based on the best available science and evidence.
Meat: Overseas Trade
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to support the UK meat industry to access new overseas markets. [80901]
Mr Paice: DEFRA is taking a number of steps to increase exports of meat, and to promote UK food more generally.
In doing so, DEFRA works closely with a number of partners to identify and target resources on key market negotiations about animal and public health issues for countries outside the European Union. These partners include industry through the UK Export Certification Partnership and Export Certification User Groups, foreign
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Governments, other Government Departments in the UK, as well as the Welsh Government and other Devolved Governments.
I am delighted to say that exports of meat and meat products rose in the first half of 2011 by 15%. The rising figure is the comparison with the same period in 2010.
The UK Trade and Industry Strategy and DEFRA’s business plan both contain commitments. During his recent visit to Russia, the Prime Minister personally placed discussions about lamb and beef exports high on the agenda, demonstrating the priority the Government attaches to the issue.
Milk: Imports
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the UK's milk was imported in the latest period for which figures are available. [74923]
Mr Paice: In 2010, the UK imported 88 million litres of raw milk and 125 million litres of liquid drinking milk.
The figures in the following table show the UK production and supply of all milk products on a liquid milk equivalent basis expressed in litres for 2009, the latest year for which these figures are available on this basis. All imports and exports of milk products are included here other than milk products in composite products, e.g. baked goods.
| UK liquid milk production (billion) | Whole milk equivalent of milk and milk product imports (billion) | Whole milk equivalent of milk and milk product exports (billion) | Total new supply (billion) | Production as % of new supply | |
| Source: DEFRA Overseas Trade Statistics | |||||
Poultry: Animal Welfare
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to protect against the import of illegal eggs from countries which are not compliant with the European welfare of laying hens directive. [78623]
Mr Paice: We have made it clear to the Commission that those producers who have invested in new systems must not be required to compete with producers both at home and in a number of member states who have failed to comply with the directive.
While the Commission is still seeking information from some member states and considering proposals for enforcement, we are developing our own plans in the event that the Commission fails to act.
Poultry: EU Law
George Freeman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress she has made on complying with the 1999 EU laying hens directive; and if she will make a statement. [81329]
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Mr Paice: We expect the vast majority of UK producers will be compliant by 1 January 2012.
In addition to the industry carrying out its own audits, the Government are making their own efforts to forecast as far as possible likely compliance by the end of the year. Inspectors from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), the agency responsible for enforcing the conventional cage ban in Great Britain, are visiting all known cage producers. They are reminding producers of the need to comply with the conventional cage ban by 1 January 2012 and at the same time finding out producers' intentions as to whether they will cease production or convert to alternative systems. In addition, DEFRA commissioned ADAS to prepare a report on the progress that the UK egg industry has made towards achieving full compliance with the legislation as at 1 September 2011.
The intelligence gathered from both these exercises suggests that there were likely to be substantially fewer than 0.5 million conventional cage places still in use at the start of the final quarter of 2011. Of these remaining producers we expect many will either retire from the industry at the end of the year or have a break in production while they decide how best to continue in the industry.
The Government will be taking tough enforcement action with any UK producers found to be non-compliant after 1 January 2012.
Rivers
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will prohibit the discharge of raw sewage into English watercourses. [76274]
Richard Benyon: All discharges to the river network, including discharges from sewage treatment works and associated sewer systems, are controlled by the Environment Agency's environmental permitting activities. In conjunction with the Environment Agency's monitoring programme this ensures that river water quality is protected. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) allow the controlled discharge of dilute sewage mixed with rainwater when combined sewer systems become overwhelmed during periods of heavy rainfall. Such discharges are necessary to avoid sewage backing up and spilling on to roads or overflowing into people's homes. Since privatisation some 7000 CSOs have been removed or improved with further investment planned at close to 800 more within the period 2010-15.The construction of new CSOs is only agreed by the Environment Agency in exceptional circumstances. To completely eliminate the discharges from CSOs would be prohibitively expensive and offer little or no environmental benefit.
Sustainable Growing Media Task Force
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates the Sustainable Growing Media Task Force has met. [81459]
Richard Benyon: The first meeting took place on 10 October this year, at which the chairman presented his approach to the taskforce, and taskforce members were able to shape the programme of work going forward.
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Water Abstraction
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the abstraction of water from chalk streams on Ministry of Defence land. [77221]
Richard Benyon: In 2009 DEFRA consulted on the abstraction provisions of the Water Act 2003 and the Environment Act 1995 with the aim of removing certain exemptions from abstraction licence control. These provisions included requiring Crown bodies to be subject to the same licensing provisions as non-Crown bodies. The Ministry of Defence and a representative from project Aquatrine, the Ministry of Defence's water and wastewater operation and maintenance public-private partnership, responded to the consultation.
We intend to end all abstraction exemptions, other than those that pose little risk to the environment. We are currently reviewing the consultation responses and the concerns raised.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions Reduction Target
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the insulation industry of the transitional period between the end of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and the start of the Energy Company Obligation. [81567]
Gregory Barker: We have considered how to avoid a gap if any energy companies complete their CERT requirements before the start of Green Deal and ECO. We will consult on allowing obligated companies to score any over-delivery, of qualifying measures during the CERT period as early delivery under the ECO scheme.
Carbon Emissions: Public Sector
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of carbon emissions from public sector buildings which are not part of the central government estate in the latest period for which figures are available. [81632]
Gregory Barker: The most up-to-date estimate the Department has of carbon emissions from public buildings in England is contained in a report prepared by Cameo Advisory Services Ltd for DECC in July 2011. A link to this report is:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/tackling-climate-change/saving-energy-co2/2261-camco-report-public-sector-emissions.pdf
Climate Change: International Co-operation
Caroline Lucas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has taken steps to seek to ensure that agreements are signed by all participating countries at the COP 17 meeting in Durban in December to (a) assist the world's most vulnerable communities adapt to climate change which is unavoidable and (b) introduce a binding international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas
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emissions in line with what is required to ensure that any average global temperature increase remains well below two degrees Celsius; and if he will make a statement. [82073]
Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to achieving an ambitious global deal to cut emissions consistent with limiting global temperature increases to below two degrees Celsius, and to helping countries adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. The UK has been working closely with a broad range of partners to seek to ensure that progress is made at COP 17 in Durban towards a new legally binding agreement covering all parties. The Government are also working to agree at Durban further progress on implementing what we achieved at Cancun last year, including on the delivery of finance to developing countries for mitigation and adaptation.
Electricity
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on businesses of the proposals contained in his Department's White Paper, entitled Planning our electric future: a White Paper for secure, affordable and low-carbon electricity, published in July 2011. [81945]
Charles Hendry: The impact assessment (IA) accompanying the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) White Paper provides an assessment of the effects of the EMR proposals on businesses. As noted in section 5 of the IA, for the Governments preferred policy package of feed-in tariffs with contracts for difference the benefits to business could range between £0.4 billion to £0.6 billion per year depending on the final choices made on a capacity mechanism. In terms of the impact on energy bills, over the period of assessment (2010 to 2030), medium sized businesses could see a fall in energy bills of between 1% to 2% and large energy intensive businesses could see falls of between 2% to 3% relative to the case without the EMR policies.
The EMR White Paper IA can be found at the following weblink:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/policy-legislation/EMR/2180-emr-impact-assessment.pdf
In addition, the Government intend to shortly announce a package of measures to reduce the impact of government policy on electricity costs for energy intensive manufacturers whose international competitiveness is most affected by our energy and climate change policies, and to support them in becoming more energy and carbon efficient where it would be cost effective for them to do so.
Energy: Meters
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to include in the procurement process for smart meters trials to ensure the (a) fitness for purpose, (b) coverage and (c) value for money of the candidate technologies; and if he will make a statement. [81630]
Charles Hendry:
The purpose of the procurement processes for the data and communication services is to evaluate the technical capability and value for money of
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proposed solutions. For communication services this will include assessing the proposed coverage of different technologies across Great Britain.
The procurement will assess the level of technical risk presented by different solutions and will require bidders to prove that their proposals are technically sound. This may include evidence from studies and physical trials. Once the suppliers are on contract they will then be required to implement their solutions and conduct tests across all smart metering systems and industry to ensure that the end-to-end system is operationally robust before it is rolled out on a large scale.
Fuel Poverty: Suffolk
Mr Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of households were living in fuel poverty in (a) Babergh District and (b) Suffolk in (i) 1981, (ii) 1983, (iii) 1997 and (iv) 2010. [81472]
Gregory Barker: Sub-regional data are available only for 2006 and 2008 and are shown in the following table. Figures show the proportion of all households in that area that were fuel poor.
| Percentage | ||
|
|
Babergh local authority | Suffolk |
Data are also available for 2003 from:
www.fuelpovertyindicator.org.uk
but this has not been produced on a consistent basis with that for 2006 and 2008.
Data for 2009 will be published on 24 November at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/fuelpov_stats/regional/regional.aspx
Green Deal Scheme
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his Department's consultation on the Green Deal. [79896]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 10 November 2011]: We expect to commence consultation on secondary legislation shortly.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely cost to energy companies of implementing systems to collect and distribute Green Deal payments. [81569]
Gregory Barker: We have made an estimate of £7.9 to £22.5 million, with a central estimate of £15.1 million, for the one-off cost to domestic electricity suppliers of implementing systems to collect and distribute Green Deal payments. These figures were derived from cost estimates supplied by energy companies.
We have not made an estimate for non-domestic electricity suppliers as these are more likely to process Green Deal payments on a bespoke basis rather than using fully automated billing systems.
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Heating
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of infra-red heating in reducing fuel poverty. [81714]
Gregory Barker: We have made no assessment of the effectiveness of infrared heating in reducing fuel poverty.
Renewable Energy
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which renewable energy technology can be deployed fastest. [82238]
Gregory Barker: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Christopher Pincher) on 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 40W.
Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost of delaying proposed cuts for feed-in tariffs until April 2012. [80320]
Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Cambridge (Dr Huppert), on 14 November 2011, Official Report, column 594W.
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on small and medium-sized businesses arising from his planned changes to the feed-in tariff scheme. [80379]
Gregory Barker: The impact assessment supporting the consultation on Feed-in tariffs for solar photovoltaic
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-ia-solar-pv-draft.pdf
does not estimate the specific impact on small and medium-sized businesses but it does set out the impact on the general level of employment as a result of the change to the feed-in tariffs.
It estimates that 1,000 to 10,000 gross full-time employee jobs could be supported in this sector in the three years to 2014-15 under the proposals. This estimate relates to solar PV installations only and does not account for jobs created as a result of the proposed energy efficiency requirement.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 268W, on solar power: feed-in tariffs, at which stage of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) application process an installation becomes eligible for FITs payments; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the average time between the installation of a project and the point at which it becomes eligible for FITs payments. [81064]
Gregory Barker
[holding answer 15 November 2011]: An installation becomes eligible for feed-in tariffs (FITs) from its eligibility date. The term “eligibility date” is defined in Condition 33 of the Standard Conditions of Electricity Supply Licences, and is the latter of either
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(a)
the date on which the installation is commissioned; or
(b)
the date on which a valid application for FITs has been received by either Ofgem (in the case of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations with a declared net capacity of over 50kW) or a FIT licensee (in the case of solar PV installations with a declared net capacity of up to 50kW).
Information from the Ofgem Central FITs Register shows that the average time between the commissioning of an installation and its eligibility date is 16.78 days. This is based on information for all installations registered for FITs with a commissioning date after 1 April 2010 and does not include extensions to accredited FIT installations.
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the level of enterprise deaths in (a) the renewable sector and (b) the construction sector of changes to the timetable for applications for feed-in tariffs. [81450]
Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold relevant information on which to base any estimate of companies that will be forced to cease trading in the UK solar industry. The impact assessment accompanying the Government's consultation on feed-in tariffs (FITs) for solar photovoltaics (PV), available at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-IA-solar-pv-draft.pdf
estimates that new solar PV installations will continue to come forward under the proposed changes to FITs for solar PV. The impact assessment does not estimate the specific impact of the proposed changes on the UK solar industry as a whole.
Solar Power
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many representations he has received opposing the development of solar photovoltaic sites. [80813]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 14 November 2011]: DECC receives a significant number of telephone inquiries, responses to consultation exercises and other pieces of correspondence. These will have included representations expressing concern or opposition to renewable energy developments, including solar photovoltaics. However, we do not collect data on this and could do so only at disproportionate cost. Local planning authorities may also have received representations on planning applications for individual developments, but we do not hold the details of these.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the reductions in the cost of (a) solar photovoltaic panel manufacturing and (b) solar photovoltaic panel installation since May 2010. [82247]
Gregory Barker:
The impact assessment supporting the Government's consultation on feed-in tariffs for solar photovoltaics (PV) sets out estimates of PV installation costs for different sizes of installations. These estimates reflect both the costs of solar panels and costs of the installation process. They are based on a report from
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Cambridge Economic Policy Associates and Parsons Brinckerhoff which was published alongside the impact assessment and is available at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3365-updates-to-fits-model-doc.pdf
Overall, evidence shows that there has been at least a 30% fall in PV costs between April 2010 and summer 2011, and the latest indications are that the prices have continued to fall.
Solar Power: Brighton and Hove
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will meet representatives of Brighton Energy Co-operative to discuss the continuance of projects to install and operate four solar photovoltaic arrays in the Brighton and Hove area, which were planned on the basis of the current feed-in tariff rates. [79263]
Gregory Barker: My officials are working closely with communities to understand the impacts of the consultation on feed-in tariffs for solar PV, and would be happy to meet Brighton Energy Co-operative.
I am also seeking to establish a small community contact group to ensure communities have a direct input into DECC policies as appropriate going forward.
Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons he was not present for the Urgent Question on feed-in tariffs on 31 October 2011. [80622]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 15 November 2011]: As I made clear in the House on 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 617, Ministers in the Department of Energy and Climate Change operate as a team. I have been leading on this issue, and the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), is very happy for me to do so.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the effects on the number of small and medium-sized enterprises of his planned changes to the feed-in tariff scheme for solar photovoltaic installations. [80623]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 15 November 2011]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question 80379 to the hon. Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker).
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect (a) on employment rates and (b) on investment in the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector of his Department's proposed reductions in solar PV tariffs; and if he will make a statement. [81498]
Gregory Barker: The impact assessment supporting the consultation on FITs for solar PV:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-IA-solar-pv-draft.pdf
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sets out the impact on the level of support and generation as a result of the change to the feed-in tariffs. It estimates that 1,000-10,000 gross Full-time equivalent could be supported in this sector in the three years to 2014-15 under the proposals. This estimate relates to solar PV installations only and does not account for jobs created as a result of the proposed energy efficiency requirement.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of reducing solar photovoltaic feed-in tariffs by (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) 40 per cent.; and if he will make a statement. [81499]
Gregory Barker: We have not made an assessment of the impact of reducing solar photovoltaic (PV) tariffs by set proportions. The proposed solar PV tariffs set out in the consultation on feed-in tariffs for solar PV target a rate of return on capital of approximately 4.5-5% for well-sited installations, in line with intentions at the outset of the FITs scheme.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the consultation on Comprehensive Review Phase 1—Tariffs for Solar Photovoltaic, 31 October 2011, paragraph 49, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) members of the public and (b) organisations committed to the installation of solar photovoltaic who will not be able to meet the 12 December eligibility date. [82213]
Gregory Barker: It is difficult to ascertain with any degree of certainty the number of individuals or organisations that have committed to installing solar photovoltaic (PV) who would not be able to meet the reference date of before 12 December 2011 to continue to receive the current tariffs, pending the outcome of the consultation.
Our present estimate is that by 12 December 2011, a total of approximately 130,000 solar PV installations will be eligible for feed-in tariffs (FITs). This estimate is however uncertain and depends on the actual rate of growth between now and 12 December.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of applications of closing applications for the solar photovoltaic panels scheme before the outcome of the consultation. [82240]
Gregory Barker: We have not proposed to close the scheme. We are consulting on a reference date of 12 December 2011 for installations with an eligibility date on or after the reference date to receive the new lower tariff, pending the outcome of the consultation in April 2012. As the consultation explains, we expect that those who make the decision to go ahead with their installation will still receive a rate of return of 4.5-5% on their investment.
In the impact assessment published alongside the consultation document:
www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/fits_comp_rev1/fits_comp_rev1.aspx
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we assume that pre-12 December take-up would be 20% higher than normal. However, this estimate is uncertain and depends on actual growth between now and 12 December.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what budget his Department has allocated for exemptions to the proposed implementation date for reduced solar photovoltaic feed-in tariffs. [82248]
Gregory Barker: There are no specific budget allocations for any exemptions. The Government are currently consulting on proposals to reduce the feed-in tariffs (FITs) for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. The proposals are for new tariffs to come in force on 1 April 2012, and that, apart from the proposed multi-installation tariff, they should apply from that date to all new PV installations which become eligible for FITs on or after 12 December 2011.
The consultation seeks views on the tariffs and on the proposed approach to implementing them, and closes on 23 December 2011. All representations made will be considered before the policy is finalised.
Warm Front Scheme
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have been employed to deliver the Warm Front policy in each of the last five years. [81568]
Gregory Barker: Over the last five years DECC has maintained a core workforce of three-five policy officials working on Warm Front.
During this period, Carillion Energy Services (formerly Eaga) has maintained a core workforce of approximately 350 staff consistently employed on Warm Front service provision. In addition, a number of support functions across Carillion Energy Services business such as IT, procurement and HR management would have employed 200-300 staff at any one time.
A number of key services to the Warm Front scheme including installation services are provided by sub-contractors. An estimated average of between 2,500 to 3,000 personnel have been employed over the last five years to deliver these scheme service.
Deputy Prime Minister
Armed Forces: Electoral Register
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that members of the armed forces are (a) registered to vote and (b) registered for proxy and postal voting when deployed overseas under his plans for individual voter registration. [81988]
Mr Harper: The Government are committed to maximising the number of members of the armed forces who are registered to vote ahead of the transition to individual electoral registration (IER).
The Ministry of Defence is working closely with the Electoral Commission and the Cabinet Office to help service personnel and their families understand their
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options for registering to vote and how they can vote. Extensive information campaigns are held to encourage service personnel and their families to register to vote.
Electors who are registered on the basis of service declarations before the move to IER will remain on the register and will not need to register again under IER until their service declaration expires. This will maximise the numbers registered. Postal and proxy voting will also remain available to those service voters.
In terms of ensuring members of the armed forces are registered for proxy and postal voting, the Government have already announced plans to extend ‘emergency’ proxy voting (the ability to submit a last-minute proxy application between the sixth day before a poll and polling day) to those who are deployed at short notice before an election.
In addition, we have published draft legislative provisions to extend the electoral timetable for UK parliamentary elections from 17 to 25 working days, and will make a corresponding change for the by-elections timetable, to take effect in time for the next scheduled general election in 2015. These provisions will have particular benefits for service personnel stationed outside the UK as they will allow more time for the dispatch and return of postal votes to overseas locations.
Electoral Register
Mr David: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultation meetings Ministers have had to discuss the Government’s White Paper on Individual Electoral Registration. [81868]
Mr Harper: Ministers from the Cabinet Office have met with the following organisations to discuss the Individual Electoral Registration White Paper. These are:
Electoral Commission
Electoral Reform Society
Liberty
NO2ID
Big Brother Watch
Experian
Kevan Collins, chief executive, London borough of Tower Hamlets
Association of Electoral Administrators.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices: Bedfordshire
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships were delivered in South West Bedfordshire constituency in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2009-10 academic years. [81494]
Mr Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship Programme Starts in South West Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency, in 2009/10 (final data) and 2010/11 (provisional data).
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| Table 1: Apprenticeship starts in South West Bedfordshire constituency, 2009/10 (final data) and 2010/11 (provisional data) | |
| South West Bedfordshire | Number |
| Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Provisional estimates for 2010/11 can not be compared with final figures for earlier years. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 October 2011:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
Bell Pottinger Group
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in his Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed. [80067]
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Mr Davey: Ministers' and the Permanent Secretary's meetings with external organisations are published every quarter on the Department's website which can be accessed at:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff
The remaining information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate expense.
Business
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what programmes his Department has that support entrepreneurship; what the objectives are of each programme; and what the planned annual expenditure is of each programme during the comprehensive spending review period. [82015]
Mr Prisk: The Department has a range of activity which supports entrepreneurship, the budgets for which are set annually to allow the flexibility to respond to priorities across the BIS agenda. The forecast expenditure for our main enterprise-related activity in 2011-12 is as follows:
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Business: Loans
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England received under the Project Merlin agreement to date. [81553]
Mr Prisk: As part of the Project Merlin agreement to make available £190 billion of new credit to businesses in 2011, including £76 billion of lending to small and medium-sized businesses, the banks agreed to make gross lending data available to the Bank of England for publication in aggregate on a quarterly basis.
As published by the Bank of England on 14 November 2011, the five ‘Project Merlin’ banks—Barclays, HSBC, LBG, RBS and Santander—have extended £56.1 billion worth of lending to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK up to the end of Q3 in 2011.
The Bank of England does not publish figures under the Merlin agreement broken down by region or nation.
Business: Northern Ireland
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Northern Ireland are classified as (a) large, (b) medium-sized and (c) small. [81999]
Mr Prisk: Estimates of the number of large, medium and small-sized businesses in Northern Ireland at the start of 2011 are shown in the following table:
| Business size band | ||||
|
|
Number of small businesses (0 to 49 employees) | Number of medium-sized businesses (50 to 249 employees) | Number of large businesses (250 or more employees) | All private sector businesses |
| Source: Business Population Estimates for the UK and Regions (2011 Edition), Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. | ||||
Business: Regulation
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) temporary staff in his Department are working on the Red Tape Challenge; and what estimate he has made of the required staffing level in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [79742]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 10 November 2011]:The Red Tape Challenge is led by a joint Cabinet Office-BIS team, which includes five full-time BIS officials. In addition, the Departments (including BIS) that are responsible for the regulations involved in a ‘theme' manage and resource their own process. No budget has yet been assigned to the programme beyond the end of this financial year.
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Debts: Advisory Services
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many on-site compliance visits have been carried out by the Office of Fair Trading in relation to compliance with its Debt Management Guidance since September 2010; [80394]
(2) how many of the debt management firms cautioned by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in September 2010 are still operating and not complying with the OFT’s Debt Management Guidance; [80395]
(3) how many of the firms found in September 2010 to be failing to comply with debt management guidance issued by the Office of Fair Trading are still in possession of their consumer credit licences. [80396]
Mr Davey: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has undertaken 48 onsite visits since September 2010, mostly to those applying for new consumer credit licences to cover debt management activities. The OFT is scrutinising these with particular care in light of the non-compliance identified in its compliance review.
Of the 129 businesses warned in the compliance review, 53 businesses have exited the market and no longer hold a consumer credit licence. The OFT has been or will be in contact with the remaining 76 businesses to discuss their compliance with the OFT’s Debt Management Guidance and if necessary will take enforcement action.
In addition, following OFT intervention, 69 businesses have exited the debt management market since September 2010. This larger figure results from enforcement action following the warnings issued to 129 debt management firms combined with ongoing action outside of the review.
Consultants
Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which external consultants are advising his Department on the Red Tape Challenge; and what the (a) length of each such arrangement and (b) cost to the public purse is in each case. [80409]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 14 November 2011]:I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 November 2011, Official Report, column 460W.
Recruitment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for how many posts his Department has used (a) Gatenby Sanderson or (b) Odgers for recruitment purposes in the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [81704]
Mr Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was created in June 2009 following the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
Since that date BIS has completed eight separate recruitment exercises using executive search companies procured from the Cabinet Office call off contract. For each recruitment exercise all executive search companies
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on Lot 1 of the Cabinet Office call off contract were invited to tender and the successful company was selected following a sift of those who responded. The decision on which company to appoint would be based on a combination of their grasp of the brief, knowledge of the sector, timetable, and cost.
Since June 2009 Gatenby Sanderson have been employed by BIS once and Odgers Berndtson have been employed twice.
EU Grants and Loans
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to the European Commission to prevent (a) constraints on beneficial investments, including economic infrastructure and (b) other constraints being placed on the spending of regional development funding provided by the EU. [81110]
Mr Davey: The Structural Funds Regulations for 2007-13, Member States' National Strategic Reference Framework and Operational Programmes set out the framework for eligible investment. Within this framework, the Government believe that member states should have the flexibility to identify their own challenges, set their own objectives and align the structural funds with their own policies and programmes in a tailor-made way. In the current programme the Government are currently seeking views of the European Commission on the maximum flexibility that the current European Regional Development Fund regulations will allow to support broadband deployment.
The Government are currently considering the detail of the Commission's draft regulations for 2014-20 and its implications for the UK so cannot yet comment in respect of proposals for future programmes.
Export Credit Guarantees: Arms Trade
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make a statement on the availability of export credit guarantees for the defence manufacturing industry; and how many companies benefited from such support in each of the last three years. [81526]
Mr Davey: Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) support is available for defence exports.
The number of exporters that have obtained support from ECGD for defence exports in each of the last three full financial years was as follows:
|
|
Number |
Government Departments: Public Consultation
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will review the guidance for Government consultations. [80113]
Mr Davey: There are no plans to review the Government’s “Code of Practice on Consultation” at this time.
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Green Construction Board
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates the Green Construction Board has met; who attended each meeting; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the agenda for each meeting. [79898]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 10 November 2011]:The Department released a press notice (pn363) following the first meeting of the Green Construction Board on 24 October. This set out the full membership of the board. The agenda for first meeting was characterised by process issues such as working group coverage and governance. When working groups have been finalised by the board they will be published on the BIS website.
Higher Education: Foreign Students
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of higher education places which are filled by foreign students. [81854]
Mr Willetts: In the 2009/10 academic year, there were 2,493,415 postgraduate and undergraduate enrolments to full-time and part-time courses at UK higher education institutions. Of these enrolments 125,045 (5%) were European Union (EU—excluding the UK) domiciles and 280,760 (11%) were non-EU overseas domiciles. (Domicile refers to the country of a student's permanent or home address prior to entry to their course). This is the latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012. Further information on student domicile is available at this link to the HESA website:
http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_ content&task=view&id=1943<emid=161
Non-EU students are recruited on top of, or in addition to, the places offered to EU and UK students. Non-EU students compete amongst themselves for these places and there is no cap on the fees that they can be charged, which are generally set at a level to cover the full cost of teaching.
Nuclear Power: Job Creation
Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on the potential for creating manufacturing jobs through the building of new nuclear power stations and the associated socio-economic benefits of any job creation. [81371]
Mr Prisk: Ministers and officials in this Department and the Department for Energy and Climate Change have regular conversations with the energy and nuclear industry to ensure that the delivery of nuclear new-build can happen to time and that opportunities are realised. Central to this is the Nuclear Development Forum.
New nuclear build in the UK has the potential to afford considerable opportunities for manufacturing firms for both the domestic and global market. The Government support manufacturers, where appropriate, to enable them to realise these opportunities; central to
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this support are the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the Manufacturing Advisory Service, and the work Her Majesty's Government (HMG) are undertaking with the Nuclear Industry Association.
It is also important that manufacturers have the right skills available in order to grow and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is providing match funding for the extension of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear to ensure that manufacturing skills are properly accommodated.
The Government have recently provided some funding through the Regional Growth Fund to three manufacturers to help them realise potential opportunities.
Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to the nuclear power industry and associated manufacturing and construction as part of the Growth Review; and if he will make a statement. [81373]
Mr Prisk: Infrastructure development—including the UK's energy system—has a key role to play in driving growth and is being looked at within the current phase of Growth Review work. The Government's vision is to deliver a secure, low carbon and affordable energy system. Nuclear power has a part to play in fulfilling this vision as set out in the Government's National Policy Statements and is being further considered as part of the Growth Review work on energy infrastructure, led by Infrastructure UK. Announcements on infrastructure will be made as part of the overall package of Growth Review announcements on 29 November 2011.
Overseas Trade: Environment Protection
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what measures his Department is taking to ensure that UK Trade and Investment and the Export Credits Guarantee Department support UK companies that develop and export green technologies around the world. [81330]
Mr Prisk: In May 2011, the Government published “Britain Open for Business” which set out the UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) five-year strategy. This included a green export campaign, creation of an export pipeline of innovative green technologies and services and close working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) overseas network to promote green growth.
The green export campaign positions the UK as a leading provider of low carbon solutions in markets where there are strong, clear commercial opportunities. The campaign promotes the UK’s low carbon capabilities to international buyers and investors. This includes activities for businesses, such as trade missions, trade shows and exhibitions both overseas and in the UK.
UKTI and the FCO work together using their respective overseas networks to promote green growth. This includes identifying new opportunities for UK businesses stemming from international agreements and overseas Governments’ policies in carbon reduction.
The Export Credits Guarantee Department is working closely with UKTI in actively reaching out to exporters of green technologies so that they are aware of the products available to provide them with credit protection and facilitate the provision of finance.
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Overseas Trade: Russia
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on the ability of UK businesses to trade with Russia of levels of corruption in that country. [82131]
Mr Prisk: Russia remains an attractive target for exporters and investors but one that requires research and commitment. It is an important and complicated market with favourable cross-sector opportunities, some unique in scale. UK exports to Russia rose by 48% in the first eight months of 2011 to £2.9 billion. The Russian Government's economic modernisation and infrastructure development agenda, underpinned by the appetite of 140 million consumers for quality services and goods produces a need for international expertise and products.
HM Government recognise that there is an issue with corruption and that it damages Russia's economic development. Assistance and advice is available to help companies to understand the issues. Advice can be found on the business anti-corruption service website of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills:
http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/europe-central-asia/russia/
UKTI also provides support through the overseas business risk service:
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/europe/easterneurope/russia/overseasbusinessrisk.html
Post Offices: ICT
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that local post offices are enabled to install scanning equipment so that printed ID photographs can be supplied and scanned as a digital image for driving licences and passports. [81835]
Mr Davey: Decisions on the range of specialised equipment and the services to be made available at individual post office branches are an operational matter for the Post Office, taking account of the service provision requirements of their clients. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Post Offices: Photography
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the effect on the revenue levels of private sector high street photographers of establishing digital photographic facilities in selected post offices; and if he will make a statement. [81362]
Mr Davey: It is not feasible to undertake a study such as that proposed. There are many operators providing photographic facilities on high streets across Britain who provide their services for a range of costs, a variety of different purposes and through a number of business models.
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The recently introduced technology in 752 post offices offers customers the choice to digitally capture and transmit their image (and other data changes) as part of the application process for the 10-year driving licence. When renewal for photographic licences commenced in 2008, the size of the photographic market increased by 2.5 million units a year. Customers are able to choose whether to submit their photographic application online, at a post office, or via a paper application with an attached ‘wet’ photograph, which requires subsequent scanning at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on receipt. Customers continue to have the option of choosing how they apply for a 10-year driving licence, with their choice driven by personal preference, cost, and convenience.
Sir Andrew Cahn
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions Sir Andrew Cahn met (a) Huawei and (b) other Chinese companies when he was Chief Executive of UK Trade and Investment; and if he will make a statement. [81603]
Mr Davey: The information is as follows:
(a) In his role as chief executive officer (CEO) of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), from our records, Sir Andrew Cahn did not meet Huawei on a bilateral basis.
(b) In the normal course of his work, Sir Andrew Cahn could be expected to attend or host a number of events at which Chinese companies would be present. To analyse all of UKTI's records, over his five year tenure as CEO of UKTI, would involve reviewing some 850,000 interactions, to identify every Chinese company and whether Sir Andrew was present. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what (a) dates and (b) occasions (i) he, (ii) Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint and (iii) other Ministers in his Department in their official capacity have (A) met with, (B) spoken to and (C) corresponded with Sir Andrew Cahn since he ceased to hold the position of chief executive of UK Trade and Investment; what issues were discussed on each such occasion; and if he will make a statement. [81605]
Mr Davey: The Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk), met Sir Andrew on 4 April 2011 and the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Baroness Wilcox, met him on 25 January 2011. The Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Lord Green of Hurtspierpoint, met Sir Andrew frequently at events they both attended and spoke to him on the telephone on 26 January 2011. There is no record of the discussions and there has been no correspondence between Ministers and Sir Andrew.
Sky Lanterns
Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the risks posed by sky lanterns; and whether he has any plans to regulate their use. [82018]
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Mr Davey: We have received several representations on the risks posed by sky lanterns, namely, from the Women's Farming and Food Union (WFU), the National Farmers Union (NFU) and members of the public. Their main concerns are of fire damage to property and farm machinery, littering and harm to livestock. These are mainly issues for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
We believe that current consumer safety legislation, namely the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 are sufficient to remove any sky lanterns that may pose a risk to consumers including those which are of inferior quality, are poorly labelled or contain insufficient safety instructions.
Supermarkets: Ombudsman
Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to establish a groceries code adjudicator. [82019]
Mr Davey: The draft Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny, and Parliament published the Government's response to the BIS Select Committee report on 15 October 2011. We now aim to introduce a Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Trade Unions: Finance
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider introducing (a) legislation and (b) guidance to require trade unions to include on trade union membership forms (i) details of individual membership monies being directed into political funds and (ii) an opt in or opt out option in relation to payments being made to political funds. [82137]
Mr Davey: I have no current plans to introduce further legislation or guidance to trade unions on their management of political funds. The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 allows individuals to opt out of contributing to the union political fund at any stage. Advice is available about this on the direct gov website and use of political funds is regulated and reported on publicly by the certification officer.
Training: Internet
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to achieve his target for the number of mentors available to businesses using the Mentorsme programme. [81008]
Mr Prisk: Mentorsme.co.uk now provides access to over 60 mentoring organisations and around 11,000 mentors and this number continues to grow. Our aim is to develop a network of over 40,000 business mentors but it is equally important that we ensure that the quality of mentoring provision is high.
Just last week, I announced new grant funding of £1.2 million to recruit and train 10,000 volunteer business mentors via the Small Firms Enterprise Development
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Initiative (SFEDI) in the new “Get Mentoring” initiative. This is on top of the 5,000 mentors already announced by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), as part of the package of support for female entrepreneurs on 4 November. The launch of this initiative marks another important step towards growing the number of mentors and will bring the total number of business mentors available through the mentorsme to at least 26,000 by the end of September 2012.
We are working with SFEDI, trade and business representative bodies, a number of mentoring organisations, the British Bankers Association (BBA) and private business to encourage more experienced business people to become volunteer mentors.
We must be careful not to compromise on the quality of the mentors available simply in order to achieve this target more quickly. I am not going to set arbitrary targets and timescales. I do not believe that setting specific timescales is necessarily the right or most effective way of achieving our objectives. This should be demand-led, not controlled by Government.
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many mentors were signed up to the Mentorsme programme on the latest date for which figures are available. [81009]
Mr Prisk: Mentorsme now provides access to over 60 mentoring organisations and around 11,000 mentors and this number will continue to grow, including the addition of 15,000 small and medium-sized enterprises mentors for whom I announced funding for training last week.
I hope that I can rely on the hon. Member to help us in promoting the benefits of mentoring within his own constituency and encouraging more volunteer business mentors to come forward.
Unfair Dismissal: Employment Tribunals Service
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of employment tribunal applications of the change of the length of the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from one year to two years. [81430]
Mr Davey: The change in length of the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from one year to two years is part of a set of measures which together will substantially reduce the total number of employment tribunal claims, including claims for unfair dismissal.
Taking into account the impact of these other measures, the additional reduction in claims for unfair dismissal as a result of lengthening the qualifying period is estimated to lie between 1,600 and 2,400 per annum.
A full explanation of how this estimate has been produced is contained in the forthcoming Resolving Workplace Disputes final stage impact assessment, due to be published shortly.
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Cabinet Office
Big Society Capital
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the sums from dormant bank accounts to be distributed in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England by Big Society Capital. [81552]
Mr Hurd: Big Society Capital is an independent company and will make its own investment decisions based on the extent to which potential investments support its social objects, and meet its investment criteria.
In making its investments, we expect Big Society Capital to give due regard to geographical spread, and to the fact that capital received through the dormant accounts scheme will be from the English portion. It would not, however, be appropriate or effective for Big Society Capital to allocate specific sums of money for investment on the basis of geography over quality and social impact.
Business: Middlesbrough
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the number of businesses that have (a) opened and (b) closed in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency since May 2010. [81986]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the estimate of the number of businesses that have (a) opened and (b) closed in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency since May 2010. [81986]
Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births and deaths are available from the ONS release on Business Demography at:
www.statistics.gov.uk
However, the latest statistics relate to the calendar year 2009; the results for 2010 will be released on 6th December 2011.
Big Society
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether his Department has issued guidance on facilitating the involvement of people who are unable or unwilling to engage in normal social and civic life in the Big Society; [82035]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the role of the Big Society in combating social exclusion. [82036]
Mr Hurd: No explicit assessment or guidance on the Big Society and disadvantaged or unengaged groups has been made or issued by the Cabinet Office to date.
However, the Government recognise that supporting the most disadvantaged is a key part of the Big Society approach. This focuses on enabling all groups in society to be able to play their part and thrive, through putting more power back into people's hands by opening up public services, promoting social action and empowering local communities.
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These priorities are reflected in the Office for Civil Society's programmes, including, for example: the Community First and Community Organiser programmes which focus on areas of high deprivation and low social capital, National Citizen Service, Big Society Capital and the Big Society and Social Justice Project.
Social Exclusion
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on tackling social exclusion in each year of the last five years. [82038]
Mr Hurd: For each year of the operation of the Social Exclusion Task Force in Cabinet Office, its budget was published as part of the supply estimates with expenditure detailed in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts available at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts
Big Society Capital
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the amount of funding from Big Society Capital that will go to projects that combat social exclusion. [82037]
Mr Hurd: The purpose of the Big Society Bank is to support the development of a social investment market that will increase the opportunities of charities, social enterprises and community organisations to access finance. Many of these organisations do valuable work combating social exclusion by, for example, providing training and employment opportunities to disadvantaged groups. Big Society Capital will invest in intermediaries that provide financial services and support to charities, social enterprises and other civil society organisations. It is therefore likely that a considerable proportion of Big Society Capital's investments will ultimately help to combat social exclusion.
Big Society Capital is an independent company which will make its own investment decisions based on the extent to which potential investments support its social objects and meet its investment criteria.
Immigrants: EU Nationals
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many EU nationals whose original country of birth or origin was not an EU member state have entered the UK in each of the last five years. [82113]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many EU nationals whose original country of birth or origin was not an EU member state have entered the UK in each of the last five years (82113).
The Office for National Statistics produces estimates of long-term international migration, primarily based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics. The latest
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figures available are for 2009 and these are shown in the table below. Final estimates for 2010 are due for publication on 24 November 2011.
| Long-term immigration to the UK of people who are EU citizens but who were not born in the EU, 2005-09 | ||
|
|
Estimate | SE% (1) |
| (1) SE% = Standard error percentage Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS), ONS | ||
Standard error percentages (SE%) indicate the robustness of each estimate. A migration figure with a standard error percentage greater than 25% is not considered to be reliable for practical purposes. Figures for combined years may provide more reliable estimates. In this case, the estimated number of EU citizens who were not born in the EU, coming to the UK in 2005 and 2006 was 16,000 (22 SE%), and from 2007 to 2009 was 32,000 (20 SE%).
Social Exclusion Task Force
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the closure of the Social Exclusion Task Force on the Government's ability to tackle social exclusion. [81933]
Mr Hurd: No formal assessment of the impact of the closure of the Social Exclusion Task Force has been made.
However fairness is central to this Government's agenda and the important work initiated by the Social Exclusion Task Force is being taken forward across Government Departments.
The Social Justice Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith) and composed of Ministers from across relevant Government Departments, is focused on co-ordinating policy on poverty, equality and social justice.
Furthermore, this year we have published a cross-government social mobility strategy and announced the new Troubled Families Unit in the Department for Communities and Local Government to better address the needs of the 120,000 most disadvantaged families.
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget was of the Social Exclusion Task Force in each year of its operation; and how many staff it employed in each year. [82083]
Mr Hurd: For each year of the operation of the Social Exclusion Task Force in Cabinet Office (October 2006 to September 2010), its budget was published as part of the supply estimates.
The following table shows staff employed in the Social Exclusion Task Force over the above period. At September 2010 21 staff remained, falling to zero over the following months.
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| Social Exclusion Taskforce headcount figures | ||
|
|
Headcount | FTE |
Health
Winter Pressures: NHS
7. Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that the NHS is prepared for winter pressures. [81801]
Anne Milton: The national health service and social care systems are well prepared for winter. Our ‘winterwatch' summary was first published on 17 November. It showed higher flu vaccination uptake, and the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), announced additional Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) capacity, which will be in place by December. There is always more pressure on the national health service during winter. This year will be no different, but the preparations are in place.
Hospital Closures
20. Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations his Department has received on local hospital service closures. [81815]
Mr Simon Burns: The reconfiguration of local NHS services is a matter for the local national health service. We expect there to be a rigorous local assessment of any proposals to close hospital services against the four criteria announced last May by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley).
Older People
21. Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of resources provided for the care of older people. [81816]
Paul Burstow: The Government have committed an additional £7.2 billion to support social care over four years up to 2015. This is on top of £6.8 billion of existing departmental grant funding.
Taken together these funds along with a rigorous approach to quality and productivity improvement provide local councils with sufficient resources to protect access to care for older people.
Private Finance Initiative Payments
22. Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to assist hospitals with the cost of PFI payments. [81817]
Mr Lansley:
A Treasury review identified savings opportunities of up to 5% on annual payments in national health service private finance initiative (PFI)
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schemes. The lessons learned from the PFI savings pilot will be applied to all schemes in the PFI pipeline. The last Government left a £50 billion post-dated cheque to pay for their hospital building programme.
Much of it was unaffordable and poor value for money. That was the Labour legacy. We are dealing with it, including the 22 NHS trusts who identified that this was a constraint on future sustainability; and a smaller number for whom their PFI hospital is not affordable.
Carers’ Breaks
23. Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding he allocated to (a) Manchester and (b) Trafford primary care trust for carers' breaks in 2011-12. [81819]
Paul Burstow: The Government committed an additional £400 million of national health service funding up to 2015 to support more carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities.
This funding has been allocated to primary care trusts through their baselines. It is for local commissioners working with local councils and carers organisations to agree investment priorities to meet the needs of carers.
Monitor: Finance
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Monitor from 2013. [81808]
Mr Simon Burns: The operating cost of Monitor during the year 2013-14 has not yet been agreed.
The Department has published in the impact assessment of 8 September that the estimated cost of Monitor, once it has taken on its extra functions in 2015-16, would be £82 million.