Treasury
Air Passenger Duty
David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of air passenger duty on the tourism market. [146637]
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Sajid Javid: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), keeps all taxes under review and considers their effects on a range of sectors in the round. The Government has limited the rise in air passenger duty (APD) to inflation over the period 2010-11 to 2012-13. Budget 2012 set out rates from April 2013, which will also only rise in line with inflation, ensuring that level of APD will again remain constant in real terms.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of re-banding Caribbean countries into the same band of air passenger duty as south Florida. [147332]
Sajid Javid: Re-banding Caribbean countries into the same band of APD as south Florida destinations in the US would require a change to the banding structure of APD as a whole. Changes to the banding structure of APD, including a revenue neutral move to a two band system, were considered as part of the consultation launched at Budget 2011 .The Government's response, published on 6 December 2011, can be found online here:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_airpassenger.htm
Alcoholic Drinks: Prices
Iain Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of a minimum unit price on alcohol on inflation. [146465]
Sajid Javid: Minimum unit pricing is projected to increase the headline CPI inflation rate by 0.2 ppts, according to the Home Office's published impact assessment for the policy. However as set out in the impact assessment, the overall effect on inflation is very uncertain. There are likely to be offsetting effects—for example, by retailers opting to discount other products instead of alcohol.
Iain Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of revenue implications for the Exchequer of a planned minimum unit price for alcohol; and if he will make a statement; [146466]
(2) what estimate he has made of the implications to revenue to the Exchequer of the introduction of setting a minimum unit price for alcohol of 45 pence in the first five years of the operation of such a minimum price. [146483]
Sajid Javid: The Government has recently completed a consultation on the introduction of a minimum unit price for alcohol of 45p. The consultation stage impact assessment sets out the impacts of a 45p minimum unit price—this is available on the Home Office website.
The estimate of the impact on Exchequer revenue will be developed further based on the consultation feedback.
Audit
Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the next National Audit Register will be published. [145292]
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Danny Alexander [holding answer 28 February 2013]: There are currently no plans in place to publish another National Asset Register. The last register was published in 2007 and covered central Government Departments together with their executive agencies, executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), NHS bodies and public corporations. Since then, the Whole of Government Accounts has been published, most recently for the year ended 31 March 2011, and this discloses the total national assets for central Government, NHS bodies and public corporations as well as local authorities, based on data from their published accounts. The next Whole of Government Accounts is planned to be published later this year.
Business: Finance
Mike Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential of equity finance to increase access to funding for high growth companies. [147081]
Greg Clark: The Government recognises the importance of equity finance for high growth companies and has a number of measures in place to support this. Tax reliefs such as the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts have supported over £11.5 billion of equity investment in small companies since they were created. Enterprise Capital Funds, in which the Government invests alongside private investors, have so far provided £280 million of investment in UK companies. The Government has also supported the UK's largest banks in creating the Business Growth Fund, a £2.5 billion fund dedicated to investing equity in high growth small businesses.
Business: Loans
Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has given to UK Financial Investments Ltd to ensure those banks in receipt of special borrowing rights from the Bank of England make available loans to small businesses and take steps to facilitate the flow of funds to applicant businesses. [146891]
Sajid Javid: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) continue to be responsible for managing the Government's investments in Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) on an arm's length and commercial basis. They do not manage the banks; the banks retain their own independent boards and management teams for strategic and operational decision-making.
The relationship with RBS with regards to the Bank of England is on the same basis as all other commercial banks.
Child Benefit
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many higher rate taxpayers have instructed HM Revenue and Customs to stop child benefit payments since October 2012. [146921]
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Sajid Javid: The number of child benefit recipients who have asked to have their child benefit payments stopped is over 370,000 as at 7 March. The charge will raise over £1.7 billion each year to tackle the deficit.
Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of means testing household income as an alternative measure of determining eligibility for child benefit. [147251]
Sajid Javid: Child benefit continues to be paid to all families who claim it and who are entitled to it. A tax charge is used to withdraw child benefit so that people on lower incomes do not continue to subsidise those who are better off. The tax charge only applies to people on an income over £50,000, who claim child benefit or whose partner claims child benefit. This charge increases gradually for taxpayers with an income between £50,000 and £60,000.
The Government considered a number of different options relating to child benefit including how any change should be delivered. Looking at household income would mean finding out the incomes of everyone in each of the 8 million households getting child benefit. This would effectively introduce a new means test. Our approach means that we only had to contact around 15% of those families.
Employment: Bradford
Mr Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to increase employment opportunities in Bradford. [146642]
Sajid Javid: The Government is helping private sector growth through a radical programme of reforms and investment, including through reducing corporation tax to 21% in April 2014, and funding £10 billion of projects that have already pre-qualified for the Government backed UK Guarantees Scheme.
In addition, the Government has invested £3 billion to £5 billion into the Work programme that will support 2.4 million people by 2017, and £1 billion into the Youth Contract that will create up to 500,000 employment and education opportunities for young people.
Excise Duties: Beer
Julie Elliott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue accrued to the Exchequer from beer duty in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012. [147197]
Sajid Javid: The following table shows the amount of Exchequer revenue accrued from beer duty in 2009 to 2012, as published in the Alcohol Duty bulletin.
| Total beer duty revenue (£ million) | |
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Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on (a) consumer perceptions of the cover by banking licence provided by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and (b) the replacement of such cover by cover by brand. [146774]
Greg Clark: Ministers and officials, as part of the process of policy development and delivery, have meetings with and receive representations from a wide variety of organisations and individuals in the public and private sector. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and representations.
Financial Services: Taxation
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential economic effects of the European Commission's proposed financial transactions tax in the (a) Eurozone and (b) European Union on long-term economic growth in the United Kingdom. [146479]
Greg Clark: The European Commission have failed to provide an economic assessment of what their proposed financial transaction tax implemented through enhanced cooperation would mean for individual member states.
The European Commission's own impact assessment of their original EU wide proposal for a financial transaction tax estimated that it would lead to a reduction in EU gross domestic product of up to 3.43%.
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of whether the European Commission's proposed financial transactions tax will lead to increased levels of tax avoidance amongst investors in the (a) Eurozone and (b) European Union. [146482]
Greg Clark: The European Commission published their proposal for implementing a financial transaction tax through enhanced cooperation on 14 February. The Commission did not provide any detail on the impacts this would have on member states.
We are currently considering the European Commission's proposal very carefully.
Housing: Construction
Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to support local authorities in their spending on house building. [146939]
Danny Alexander: In March 2012 the Government ended the complex centralised subsidy system for financing local authority housing and gave them control to run their housing businesses. Local authorities have also benefited from the £4.5 billion Affordable Homes programme which will deliver 170,000 new homes over this spending review period.
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Income Tax
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many basic rate taxpayers there are in (a) each parliamentary constituency and (b) each local authority area. [146793]
Mr Gauke: The information requested will be deposited in the Library of the House.
Inheritance Tax
Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on extending to siblings who live together the same inheritance tax rights as couples who live together; and if he will make a statement. [146689]
Mr Gauke: The Government receives numerous representations from stakeholders and considers them as part of the annual Budget process.
The relief for transfers of assets between spouses and civil partners is a long-standing part of the inheritance tax regime and reflects the particular position of assets held by married couples. Changing the current regime so that siblings receive the same reliefs as married couples and civil partners would not provide level treatment for different families’ circumstances and would add complexity to the tax regime.
All individuals benefit from the nil-rate band allowance which is currently £325,000 and this amount can be left to any beneficiary entirely free of inheritance tax. When combined with other reliefs, this means that fewer than 4% of estates left on death are expected to pay inheritance tax for the 2011-12 financial year.
Mr Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the amount of inheritance tax yield derived from ISAs forming part of estates subject to inheritance tax. [146800]
Mr Gauke: An assessment of the amount of inheritance tax yield derived from ISAs is not available.
Ministers
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the list of Ministers' meetings, hospitality, gifts and overseas travel for the last quarter of 2012. [147024]
Sajid Javid: The list for the fourth quarter of 2012 is currently being compiled and will be published as soon as it is ready.
Mortgages
Mr Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on how many mortgage brokers have been authorised by the Financial Services Authority to carry on regulated activities under Part IV of the Financial Services and Market Act 2000 in the last year; and how many such firms have had their Part IV permission revoked or ceased regulated activity. [147064]
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Sajid Javid: The Government do not hold data on the number of mortgage brokers that have been authorised by the Financial Services Authority, or on the number of mortgage brokers that have had their permission revoked or ceased regulated activity.
New Businesses: Government Assistance
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many investments he expects will be made under the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15 and (d) 2015-16; what the total value will be of each such investment; and what benchmarks or targets he has set in relation to this. [146494]
Mr Gauke: HMRC does not produce forecasts of the number of investors that would invest in SEIS companies.
It is estimated that 300 completely new companies will benefit from SEIS in the first year. In total 1,000 companies will benefit from investment under the scheme.
A beneficiary company may receive a maximum of £150,000 in total via SEIS, while an individual investor may invest a maximum of £100,000 annually via SEIS.
No benchmarks or targets have been set. Tax relief will be given where both company and investor demonstrate a set of defined criteria.
Eligibility criteria are available in the following link:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/seedeis/invest.htm
Overseas Aid
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on retaining the commitment to designate 0.7 per cent of national income to international development from 2013 onwards. [146995]
Sajid Javid: The Government made a commitment at the 2010 spending review to spend 0.56% of gross national income (GNI) on official development assistance (ODA) in 2011 and 2012 (calendar years) and to increase the ODA to GNI ratio to 0.7% in 2013 and 2014.
PAYE
Mike Freer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish detailed estimates of the anticipated £300 million in savings to business following the introduction of real-time payroll reporting. [146519]
Mr Gauke: HMRC will publish an updated Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) in mid March 2013 which will contain information on the costs and benefits of PAYE Real Time Information for both employers and HMRC.
Public Sector Debt
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the national debt was in May 2010; and what estimate he has made of the national debt in May 2015. [147190]
Sajid Javid: Historical data is set out in the Public Sector Finances databank, available on the Treasury website at
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psf_statistics.htm
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The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out forecasts for public sector net debt (PSND) in Table 4.32 of the December 2012 “Economic and Fiscal outlook”.
Public Sector: Pensions
Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost of reforming the Fair Deal policy for public sector workers compulsorily transferred to the private sector. [146667]
Danny Alexander: The cost of the Fair Deal policy will, in part, depend on the number of individuals that will be affected under plans in future. The Government does not hold data on the number of staff that may be subject to transfers from the public to the private sector in the future.
The Government expects the new approach to lead to savings in procurement. Under the proposals, independent providers will be able to offer access to the public service schemes for newly transferred staff. This is expected to be a cheaper way of providing pensions for many independent providers when compared with the requirement to offer a broadly comparable pension scheme. Current costs to the employer can be very high—up to 40% of the total pay bill. This additional cost will often be reflected in the contract price. The Government would expect lower costs to be reflected in lower contract prices.
Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on extending the reformed pension arrangements under the Fair Deal policy for public sector workers transferred to the private sector to cover staff already transferred. [146792]
Danny Alexander: In publishing its response to the consultation on the Fair Deal Policy in November 2012, the Government included further consultation questions exploring how Fair Deal should apply to those employees that have already been transferred out under the existing Fair Deal policy when a contract is subsequently retendered. This further consultation closed on 11 February.
The Government is now considering responses to these further questions to determine whether staff already transferred out under the existing policy should also have access to a public service pension scheme, or whether they should continue to accrue benefits in a broadly comparable scheme. The Government will make a further announcement on this issue in due course.
Road Haulage Forum
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Road Haulage Forum. [147324]
Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
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Secondment
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff from business and industry outside the public sector are currently on secondment to his Department and the agencies for which he is responsible. [146495]
Sajid Javid: As at 28 February 2013 there were 14 individuals from business and industry outside the public sector on secondment to HM Treasury and its agencies.
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff from his Department and the agencies for which he is responsible are currently on secondment to business and industry outside the public sector. [146496]
Sajid Javid: As at 28 February 2013 there were seven employees of HM Treasury and its agencies working on secondment to business and industry outside the public sector.
Small Charitable Donations Act 2012
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which hon. Members have requested that events take place in their constituencies to publicise the Small Charitable Donations Act 2012. [147071]
Sajid Javid: The Government is not aware of any Members of Parliament, other than myself, who have arranged events in their constituencies to publicise the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme.
Stamp Duties: Stocks and Shares
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on revenue of removing the liability to pay stamp duty on transactions in shares listed on the Alternative Investment Market. [146999]
Sajid Javid: All taxes are kept under review as part of the Budget process.
Tax Burden
Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer further to the answer of 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 832W, on tax burden, if he will estimate how much of the average tax burden of a working family has gone towards paying for (a) welfare payments including tax credits but excluding the basic state pension and (b) debt interest in each of the last five years. [147358]
Sajid Javid: The vast majority of taxes are not hypothecated to specific expenditure and therefore making a direct connection is not possible. However an indicative calculation can be made based on the available National Statistics releases for tax and public spending.
The available statistics show that the average amount of income tax paid by tax payers in the UK was £5,210(1) in 2011-12.
Using the latest available National Statistics for spending this provides the following breakdown of how income tax funds the requested categories:
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(1) Taken from table 2.6 in HMRC's Income Tax Liabilities Statistics for 2010-11 to 2012-13:
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http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/liabilities.pdf
| Average amount of income tax | Welfare payments (including tax credits but excluding pensions) | Debt interest | Other | ||
| Note: Average amount of income tax figures for 2008-09 are not available. | |||||
UK Financial Investments
Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the accountability to Parliament of UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI); what steps he intends to take to increase such accountability; and what the annual cost to his Department is of UKFI. [146906]
Sajid Javid: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) produce annual reports together with the company's audited accounts which are laid before Parliament. The CEO, if required attends relevant parliamentary Committees (including Public Accounts Committee and Treasury Select Committee) for scrutiny and has done so on multiple occasions during this Parliament.
The UKFI budget covers a period of at least 12 months and is reviewed by their board on an-annual basis and otherwise as necessary to take account of any additional or amended obligations or responsibilities assumed by the company. Their budget is subject to review by, and the approval of, HM Treasury on an annual basis.
UKFI's budget for 2011-12 was c.£5 million this can be found in HM Treasury's annual report in box 4 on page 134 by following this link:
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hmt_annual_report_2012.pdf
Also, UKFI's budgeted amount for 2012-13 is £2.7 million, this can be found on page 4 of the Estimates document by following this link:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hmt_mainsupplyestimates_201213.pdf
HM Treasury will be publishing UKFI's 2013-14 in the main Estimate which will be available on HM Treasury's website in April.
Welfare Tax Credits
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects on child poverty of planned changes to the uprating of tax credits and other payments announced in the autumn statement. [146632]
Sajid Javid: Treasury has not measured the impact of the autumn statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882, on the narrow relative income measure of child poverty as the Government strongly believes looking at relative income in isolation is not a helpful measure to track progress towards our target of eradicating child poverty.
The Government is seeking a wide range of views as part of a consultation on better measures of child poverty, which include income but also wider measures to tackle the root causes of poverty including worklessness and educational failure.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2012, Official Report, column 577W, on mass media, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish information relating to meetings since 1 July 2012 on that website; and for what reasons that answer did not follow the practice described by the Leader of the House in the answer of 12 February 2013, Official Report, column 649W, on written questions. [146837]
Sajid Javid: Information for the period July to September 2012 has now been published and can be accessed at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
Information for the period October to December 2012 is being compiled for publication.
This Government is the most transparent ever and is publishing more information than ever before on a regular basis.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the risk carbon assets pose to the financial system. [147043]
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Gregory Barker: The Department has made no formal assessment of this risk.
The Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee is aware of the issue of systemic risks to the financial system posed by carbon assets. The Bank has said that, should the Committee conclude at any point that carbon assets do pose a systematic risk to the financial system, it will report and explain that risk in its six-monthly Financial Stability Report.
Carbon Emissions: Business
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with counterparts at the (i) Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs and (ii) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about carbon asset accounting by FTSE 100 companies. [146914]
Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), and Ministers have various meeting with their counterparts in other Departments to discuss a range of topics.
Electricity
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on (a) the anticipated costs of network reinforcement and (b) the impact on fuel poverty of these costs for each electricity network operator within the electricity distribution price control period; and if he will make a statement. [146957]
Gregory Barker: Significant investment in the electricity distribution network is needed to replace aging infrastructure and facilitate the rollout of new low carbon technologies. Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) are responsible for assessing how much new investment is needed, and are regulated by Ofgem to ensure they deliver value for consumers.
DECC and Ofgem established the Smart Grid Forum (SGF), an industry group which includes all the DNOs, to coordinate policy across the sector. Last year, the SGF produced a cost benefit model (“Model Transform”) to assess the anticipated costs and the benefits of different technologies and approaches to ensuring distribution networks have sufficient capacity to meet future demands. This model showed that the appropriate deployment of "smart" solutions, such as demand side management, can drive down costs by deferring or avoiding network reinforcement. This work was an input into Ofgem's electricity distribution price control review. Further details are available on the Smart Grid Forum website:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/SGF/Pages/SGF.aspx
DECC publishes an Annual Report on Fuel Poverty which sets out analysis of the characteristics of those in fuel poverty. This report also looks at the impact of the drivers of fuel poverty, including changes in prices. The latest report is available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66016/5270-annual-report-fuel-poverty-stats-2012.pdf
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Electricity and Natural Gas: EU Law
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what recent assessment his Department has made of Ofgem's compliance with Article 40 of the Electricity Directive 2009/72/EC; [146931]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of Ofgem's compliance with sections 1(i) and 1(j) of Article 41 of the Gas Directive 2009/73/EC; [146932]
(3) what recent assessment his Department has made of Ofgem's compliance with Article 44 of the Gas Directive 2009/73/EC; [146933]
(4) what assessment his Department has made of Ofgem's compliance with sections 1(i) and 1(j) of Article 37 of the Electricity Directive 2009/72/EC. [146934]
Mr Hayes: DECC implemented new licence conditions in gas and electricity supply licences to impose the requirements of these Articles on suppliers. We understand that Ofgem has not to date requested any information or undertaken any investigations under these conditions.
However, the Directives granted Ofgem much wider powers to request information on a compulsory basis from suppliers and other regulated persons. These powers relate to monitoring of the market for purposes wider than transactions in supply contracts, such as monitoring the level of competition and market opening. Ofgem has used these wider powers to request information from regulated persons, for example in their ongoing work on the retail market review.
Energy
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ofgem on ensuring Distribution Network Operators investigate an alternative cost benefit analysis of other demand-side response actions that could be undertaken to defer or mitigate the need for network reinforcement; and if he will make a statement. [146959]
Mr Hayes: Significant investment in the electricity distribution network is needed to replace aging infrastructure and facilitate the rollout of new low carbon technologies. Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) are responsible for assessing how much new investment is needed, and are regulated by Ofgem to ensure they deliver value for consumers.
DECC and Ofgem established the Smart Grid Forum (SGF), an industry group which includes all the DNOs, to co-ordinate policy across the sector. Last year, the SGF produced a cost benefit model (“Model Transform”) to assess the anticipated costs and the benefits of different technologies and approaches to ensuring distribution networks have sufficient capacity to meet future demands. This model showed that the appropriate deployment of “smart” solutions, such as demand side management, can drive down costs by deferring or avoiding network reinforcement. This work was an input into Ofgem's electricity distribution price control review. Further details are available on the Smart Grid Forum website:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/SGF/Pages/SGF.aspx
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Energy: Capital Investment
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the final investment decision enabling process is successful in its aim of facilitating projects which could otherwise be jeopardised by the timetable for the Energy Bill. [147193]
Mr Hayes: The Government is committed to working with project developers to enable investment decisions to progress to timetable wherever possible. We are taking powers in the Energy Bill to enable early CfDs to be issued in advance of the implementation of the enduring regime envisaged by electricity market reform. We are in active discussion with EDF over the terms of an early CfD for its proposed new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point C. We are also talking to a significant number of renewables developers about how FID enabling could help them and we will shortly publish further details of the process through which renewables projects can seek early CfDs.
Energy: Housing
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem about the steps Distribution Network Operators could take in (a) identifying off-gas grid fuel poor customers and (b) identifying alternative electric heat technologies and (c) household efficiency improvements that could be used; and if he will make a statement. [146958]
Gregory Barker: Ministers and officials meet Ofgem regularly to discuss a wide range of issues relevant to energy efficiency, heating technology and fuel poverty.
Ofgem is responsible for ensuring Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) offer value for consumers through regular price controls. Its strategy for the next price control, which will cover the period from 2015 to 2023, includes measures to incentivise DNOs to improve the quality of information they have on vulnerable consumers, such as those who are not on the gas grid. DECC has actively participated in the development of Ofgem's price control, including with regard to vulnerable consumers, to help ensure it aligns with Government objectives.
DECC is also working with Ofgem on the development of Ofgem's vulnerable consumer strategy and the Government's heat strategy and fuel poverty strategy.
Later this month DECC will publish a Heat Policy paper covering alternative electric heat technologies as part of its overall approach on promoting low carbon heating. DECC already has a range of policies in place to provide support to off-gas grid and fuel poor households. This includes the Warm Home Discount, the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (for energy efficiency) and the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (for alternative heating technologies, including heat pumps).
Fossil Fuels: Reserves
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the Capital Markets Climate Initiative on the level of capital being made available to develop fossil fuel reserves. [146915]
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Mr Hayes: I established the Capital Markets Climate Initiative (CMCI) in 2010 as a forum where Government, private sector and third sector can come together to develop best practice and help drive innovation and new ideas for action to mobilise private finance flows for low carbon technologies, solutions and infrastructure in developing economies. Consequently, there is no assessment of the effect of CMCI on the level of capital being made available to develop fossil fuel reserves.
Green Deal Scheme
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have had a Green Deal assessment to date. [146912]
Gregory Barker: In accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, the statistics on Green Deal assessments have been pre-announced to be published by DECC on 14 March 2013 and therefore cannot be released before then. This publication will include the number of properties that have had a Green Deal assessment which has been lodged on the central register.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) how many households have taken out a green deal package to date; [146913]
(2) how many Green Deal plans have been signed to date; [147282]
(3) how many Green Deal finance agreements have been signed to date. [147283]
Gregory Barker: DECC will release official statistics on the number of Green Deal plans at pre-installation stage (finance agreements have been signed), and post-installation stage (measures have been installed) in June 2013.
Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the potential cost of the Energy Company Obligations to consumer energy bills resulting from low take up of the Green Deal. [147582]
Gregory Barker: In the final Green Deal and ECO impact assessment, we estimated a total cost to energy companies of delivering ECO at around £1.3 billion a year on average. This is broadly comparable to the estimated costs of the previous schemes, CERT and CESP, and on this basis we have estimated there should be no significant change to pass-through costs to consumers—though whether and how costs are passed through to consumers is a question for individual energy companies. The IA also set out a number of sensitivities, including low and high demand scenarios(1), but £1.3 billion was the central, best estimate.
Under ECO, we have new powers to collect data on the actual costs of delivery, the costs of administering the scheme and the costs passed through to consumers.
(1) See pages 54-60
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/42984/5533-final-stage-impact-assessment-for-the-green-deal-a.pdf
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Housing: Energy
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish and place in the Library the data he holds on domestic energy costs for households in each year since 2002 and an estimate of such costs in each year until 2022. [146462]
Gregory Barker: DECC routinely publishes historic and projected electricity and gas prices in its Updated Energy and Emissions Projections. The latest publication—from October 2012—is available online at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/2012-energy-and-emissions-projections
The following table sets out residential gas and electricity prices for each year from 2002 to 2022 (based on central fossil fuel price assumptions).
In addition DECC publishes an assessment of the impact energy and climate changes policies on energy prices and bills. The latest report, available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessment-of-the-impact-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-prices-and-bills
was published in November 2011 and focused on the impacts of policies in 2011, 2020 and 2030.
| Residential retail energy prices (in real 2012 prices)(1,2) | ||
| p/KWh | ||
| Electricity | Gas | |
| (1) Prices are converted to real prices using the GDP Deflator series. (2) Projected retail prices are based on projected wholesale prices (based on central fossil fuel price assumptions), averaged historical non-fuel costs, and are uplifted by taxes, fuel duties and policy costs recovery, including implementation of the EMR programme as outlined in the Draft Energy Bill and the impact of the Carbon Price Support Floor commitment in Budget 2011. Source: DECC, Updated Energy and Emissions Projections, October 2012 | ||
Peat Bogs
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect that wind farms (a) installed on peatlands, (b) approved for construction on peatlands and (c) awaiting planning approval for construction on peatlands (i) have had to date and (ii) will have on the capacity of such peatlands to sequester carbon dioxide. [146897]
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Gregory Barker: The Department for Energy and Climate Change does not hold information on the number of wind power installations installed on peatlands.
It is important to ensure that when wind turbines are constructed on peatlands, the process is managed carefully to minimise carbon losses from the soil. Applicants for consent for major energy infrastructure sited on peatland must provide assessments of potential biodiversity and geological impacts. The decision-making authority would need to take such impacts into account before making its decision.
In most cases, if managed carefully, new wind turbines constructed on peatlands from now until 2030 will still have significantly lower carbon emissions per unit of electricity generated than the UK marginal electricity mix.
Plants
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees in each year between 2005 and 2010. [147423]
Gregory Barker: DECC have not spent any money on plants or trees since it was created in 2008.
Through our facilities management contractor a Christmas tree has been provided in the main reception areas of 3 Whitehall Place and 55 Whitehall; however, no separate cost was attributed to this within the contract to DECC.
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the number of park home owners in England who would be eligible for energy discounts under the Warm Home Discount scheme if their electricity accounts could be in their own name. [147063]
Gregory Barker: The Department for Communities and Local Government consultation, ‘A Better Deal For Mobile Home Owners’, stated that there are approximately 85,000 households living on mobile home sites in England. The consultation is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8362/21280282.pdf
We do not have estimates for the number of people living in park homes who would be eligible under the Warm Home Discount if their electricity accounts were in their name.
Wind Power
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of UK waters currently feasible for the construction of offshore wind turbines. [146606]
Mr Hayes:
No estimate has been made on the proportion of UK waters currently feasible for the construction of offshore wind farms. However it is the Crown Estate who are the owners of the sea bed and a maps of the
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round 1, 2 and Scottish Territorial Water wind farm sites along with the round 3 development zones can be found at:
http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/media/266423/offshore-wind-uk.pdf
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many offshore wind turbines have been erected in UK waters in each of the last five years. [146631]
Mr Hayes: The Department does not keep records of when individual offshore wind turbines are erected. However we do have details for when offshore wind farms have become complete and become fully operational.
| Wind farm | Turbines | |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Bangladesh
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent violence in Bangladesh. [147107]
Alistair Burt: The British Government is concerned by reports of the recent violence in Bangladesh, which erupted following the International Crimes Tribunal's latest verdict in the case of Delwar Hossain Sayedee. We understand that there have been multiple deaths and thousands of people injured.
Opposition parties, Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have called for hartals throughout the last week. As the Senior Minister of State, my right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Warsi, stated during her visit to Bangladesh last month, violence and vandalism have no place in legitimate protests. In a statement issued on Sunday, our high commissioner in Dhaka, Robert Gibson, said he deplored the violence and expressed sadness over the deaths and noted the impact on the lives of all citizens and businesses.
We have urged all parties to exercise restraint and will continue to monitor the situation.
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Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcomes were of the Senior Minister of State's recent visit to Bangladesh. [147108]
Alistair Burt: The Senior Minister of State, my right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Warsi, had a very successful trip to Bangladesh. She discussed a wide range of topics with various interlocutors.
With Bangladesh set for its next parliamentary elections by January 2014, the visit was an opportunity to deliver messages on the importance of free, fair and participatory elections to Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, and the leader of the opposition, Khaleda Zia. Baroness Warsi also met with the Chief Election Commissioner to discuss Bangladesh's election preparations and the role of the Election Commission in helping to deliver free and fair elections.
The Minister raised our concerns about the International Crimes Tribunal and our absolute opposition to the death penalty in meetings with Sheikh Hasina and the Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Dipu Moni, during her visit. Furthermore, she raised the issue of disappearances, including that of Elias Ali and his driver and extra-judicial killings. Baroness Warsi, also became the first British Minister to visit the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar and witnessed the seriousness of this humanitarian situation. She called on the Government of Bangladesh to continue allowing international aid to reach the Rohingya community and repeated our call for Burma to find a long-term solution for the Rohingya people.
The British Government will continue to discuss these issues with the Bangladesh Government at all opportunities.
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Bangladesh regarding recent violence in that country. [147109]
Alistair Burt: The British Government is very concerned about the ongoing violent protests in Bangladesh. We have called for restraint both publicly and privately with the Bangladesh Government. Our high commissioner in Dhaka, Robert Gibson, met with the Bangladesh Government, including the Foreign Minister, Dipu Moni, this week to raise our concerns. He also released a statement on 3 March expressing sadness over the violence and the deaths that have taken place across Bangladesh recently.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support Bosnia's proposed membership of the EU; and if he will make a statement. [146706]
Mr Lidington:
The Government fully supports Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in its aspiration to join the European Union. We continue to deliver clear and consistent messages to BiH's leaders on the importance of a committed effort to meet the conditions required for progress towards accession. In particular, BiH must take early steps to align the Constitution with the European Convention on Human Rights and to establish
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an EU co-ordination mechanism. Both are necessary to unlock BiH's Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU.
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to bring those held responsible for the Srebrenica genocide to justice. [146734]
Mr Lidington: The UK is committed to justice and reconciliation in Srebrenica and throughout the Western Balkans. The arrest and trials of Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic underline the international community's commitment to bringing those responsible for the genocide to account. The trial of Mladic, along with that of Goran Hadzic, the last remaining indictee to be brought to trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, marks a turning point for all the countries of the Western Balkans and the start of a new chapter of cooperation and reconciliation.
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to institutionalise a day of remembrance for the victims of Srebrenica. [146735]
Mr Lidington: The UK Government commemorates the Srebrenica genocide annually and in line with the European Parliament's 2009 resolution institutionalising 11 July as a day of remembrance throughout the EU. The UK is represented every year at the commemoration ceremony in Srebrenica by the UK ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, often accompanied by a Minister. In 2012, to mark the anniversary, the Prime Minister issued a statement reminding that the genocide must never be forgotten or denied.
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will represent the Government at the Srebrenica memorial event in Bosnia in July 2013. [146736]
Mr Lidington: The Government is usually represented at the memorial event by our ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Baroness Warsi also attended in 2010 and 2011.
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support Bosnia to become a member of NATO; and if he will make a statement. [146737]
Mr Lidington: The Government is a strong supporter of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) NATO ambitions. In order to make further progress and start the first annual national programme under their NATO Membership Action Plan, BiH must resolve the outstanding issue of the registration of immovable defence property. We continue to communicate the benefits NATO membership will bring to all parts of BiH and to encourage BiH's leaders to work together to reach agreement soon.
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support he is giving to the International Commission on Missing Persons for victims of the Srebrenica genocide; and if he will make a statement. [146738]
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Mr Lidington: The UK is a strong supporter of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). We have provided consistent political and financial support to ICMP for many years, investing almost £2.5 million since 2000. Recent UK programmes have focused on establishing local sustainable capacities in BiH and building on ICMP’s expertise beyond the Western Balkans.
Burma
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the benefits of increased trade between the UK and Burma. [146467]
Mr Swire: In response to positive political developments in Burma, in April 2012 the British Government adopted a policy of encouraging responsible investment in Burma. We believe such investment will support Burma's ongoing political and economic transition taking place. To help strengthen responsible business in Burma, including those investing in the country, the UK through the Department for International Development will provide £600,000 to establish a responsible investment resource centre in Rangoon. We urge all companies considering investing in Burma to abide by international standards of corporate governance and social and environmental responsibility. UK Trade and Investment also has a presence in Burma and is able to provide services to UK businesses, including tailored market research, to help them plan how to invest in the market sustainably and responsibly.
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the Burmese government's committee on political prisoners will be an inclusive and transparent review mechanism; and whether the Government is in discussions with the Burmese government to ensure that the mandate of this new committee will extend to all prisoners who have been unfairly detained. [146695]
Mr Swire: The British Government welcomes the creation by the Burmese Government of a committee on political prisoners and notes the range of independent civil society organisations taking part. This committee builds on earlier steps by the Burmese Government to grant access to the International Committee for the Red Cross to prisoners and prisons. It will be important that all cases are reviewed promptly, impartially and transparently.
We have not been in touch with the Burmese Government on whether they plan to extend the mandate of the committee to review all prisoner cases, though we do note the challenges faced with regards to rule of law and the status of the judiciary in Burma more generally.
Caribbean
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken in respect of the commitment made at the UK-Caribbean Forum held in January 2012 to mitigate the effects of air passenger duty on the Caribbean region. [147070]
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Mark Simmonds: To date there is a lack of firm evidence directly linking air passenger duty (APD) to any decline in the tourist industry in the Caribbean. But we have maintained a dialogue with the Caribbean on this issue and last November facilitated a meeting between the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid). The CTO delegation, which included Tourism Ministers from Jamaica and Barbados, used the opportunity to inform the Treasury of the Caribbean's concerns about APD.
European Court of Human Rights
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2012, Official Report, column 466W, on European Court of Human Rights, whether the UK will make discretionary payments to the European Court of Human Rights to assist that court to clear its backlog of cases; and if he will make a statement. [146882]
Mr Lidington: We have no plans to make discretionary payments to the European Court of Human Rights. We believe the best way to reduce the Court’s backlog is through effective reforms. That was a key UK priority during our chairmanship of the Council of Europe and culminated in agreement of the Brighton declaration in April 2012. Our focus is now on implementation of the Brighton declaration.
Nigeria
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with Shell the clean-up and decontamination of that company's oil spill sites in the Niger Delta. [146620]
Mark Simmonds: Oil spills in the Niger Delta occur because of criminal activity as well as oil company operations. However, we regularly raise environmental issues with representatives of the oil industry. I discussed the Delta's environmental problems with Shell on 29 October 2012. The British High Commissioner raised environmental damage with senior Shell executives on 19 February.
We support oil-sector legislation that promotes transparency and accountability in the oil and gas sector, including environmental responsibility. I discussed this, and broader environmental issues in the Niger Delta with the National Coordinator of Nigeria's Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project when I visited Abuja on 27 February. Prior to my visit, I met the Chair of the Nigerian Senate Committee for Ecology and Environment on 26 February to discuss the progress of proposed legislation including an amendment on the management of oil spills,
Nuclear Weapons
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason the Government did not send a representative to the Oslo Conference on the Consequence of Nuclear Weapons Use. [146773]
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Alistair Burt: After careful consideration, the Government decided not to send a representative to the conference on the ‘humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons’ in Oslo.
The Government supports fully the objective of a world without nuclear weapons, and is committed to working with all nations in pursuit of this shared goal. We fully understand the serious consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and will, alongside our P5 partners, continue to give the highest priority to ensuring that such consequences are avoided. While we recognise the seriousness of this subject and attach the utmost importance to it, our main concern was that the conference in Oslo could divert discussion and focus away from the practical steps required to create the conditions for further nuclear weapons reductions.
We believe that the practical, step-by-step approach that we are taking to progress multilateral nuclear disarmament through existing mechanisms, such as the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and Conference on Disarmament, have proven to be the most effective means to increase stability and reduce nuclear dangers. We will therefore continue to work together with our P5 colleagues, and non nuclear weapons states, toward strengthening the foundation for mutual confidence and further disarmament efforts.
Sexual Offences
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his G8 counterparts to support the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative ahead of the G8 Foreign Ministers' meeting in April 2013. [146702]
Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has made it a priority to use the G8 Foreign Ministers' meeting in April 2013 to secure a clear political statement from the G8 of its determination to make real, tangible progress on combating the use of sexual violence in conflict. He intends to seek commitments from the G8 to overcome a wider set of practical barriers that impede the implementation of existing international legal frameworks and prevent successful investigations and prosecutions. We will also be seeking a declaration from G8 partners that rape and serious sexual violence constitute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
The Secretary of State has used every opportunity to raise awareness of the Initiative and to seek support G8 countries and more widely. Individual visits to G8 countries to meet counterparts have been undertaken by the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) team; the Initiative has been raised by the Secretary of State and other Government Ministers in numerous bilateral meetings; and it was promoted at a PSVI side event at the UN General Assembly in September 2012, and at a Wilton Park Conference in November 2012, both of which had G8 attendees. In February 2013, a G8 experts meeting was held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. This was attended by representatives from all the G8 countries and presented an opportunity to discuss the key components of a G8 communiqué.
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Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that human rights are at the heart of the development of its Preventing Sexual Violence initiative. [146771]
Mark Simmonds: Upholding human rights and promoting justice and accountability is at the heart of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) Initiative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to support legislative programs in other countries to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment and to tackle violence against women. The Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) is intended to support and complement this work and that which is under way across the British Government on the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
PSVI seeks to protecting the human rights of women, girls, men and boys, all of whom are affected by sexual violence in conflict. PSVI also seeks commitments from G8 partners to support the work of human rights defenders, in particular women.
Sudan
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. [146510]
Lynne Featherstone: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for International Development.
We are deeply concerned by the plight of civilians caught up in the fighting in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Around 900,000 people have been displaced or severely affected by conflict since it began in June 2011. Although limited access means that we are unable to make a detailed assessment of the humanitarian situation, evidence received, including from refugees arriving in South Sudan and Ethiopia, points to a level of food, insecurity among those remaining in the conflict zones. We are working with the UN and other agencies to ensure all options for access are explored, and are also ready to make further funding available to meet the needs of people in all areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile as soon as access is possible.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet with the Sudanese Ambassador to discuss the detention of opposition party member Mohammed Zain al-Abdeen and to request that he receives adequate medical care with regard to his poor health. [147069]
Mark Simmonds:
We are concerned at the case of Mr Mohamed Zain Al-Abdeen. Officials at our embassy in Khartoum are in contact with Mr Al-Abdeen!s family to discuss the details of his detention and his welfare, most recently meeting them on 6 March. We have raised his case with senior officials within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will continue to do so. As Professor Osman is also a dual national, we have requested consular access twice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are deeply concerned that we have had no response to these requests. Embassy consular officials will continue
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to press strongly for access, and have issued another request for access on 7 March. We await their response.
We will continue to monitor this case closely, and look for further opportunities to raise our concerns about this case, as well as looking for opportunities for co-ordinating action with our international partners in Sudan. As well as raising our concern over consular access with the Sudanese authorities in Khartoum, we will also seek to raise this case with the Sudanese ambassador in London at the next available opportunity.
Culture, Media and Sport
BBC
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what reports she has received on allegations that the BBC used money raised from the licence fee to prevent whistleblowing; and if she will make a statement. [146688]
Hugh Robertson: I am aware that there have been allegations against the BBC with regards to whistleblowing. The BBC is examining this in the context of their ongoing inquiries and I expect the BBC to consider what action is required in response to the findings. In addition to this, the National Audit Office (NAO) now has full access to the BBC in carrying out value for money studies following the last licence fee settlement. NAO reports are laid before Parliament, along with the BBC Trust's response, and can be examined by the Public Accounts Committee.
Broadband
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the overlapping communications requirements of universal broadband and smart metering. [147229]
Hugh Robertson: The communication requirements of the Smart Metering Implementation programme in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are different from those of communities requiring broadband access, which is being addressed by my Department. DECC is in the process of completing the requirements for smart metering communications and, depending on the solutions selected, this may, or may not, make use of parts of the mobile telephony infrastructure in which my Department is supporting investment. The Smart Metering solution once developed is unlikely to be a means of providing broadband communications to households. Officials in the two Departments are sharing information on the respective programmes.
Buildings
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what occupation costs of each type are incurred for each property used by her Department. [143287]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) occupies two properties:
2-4 Cockspur Street, London (main office of the Department);
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Queens Yard 179a Tottenham Court Road (the Government Art Collection and other ancillary uses).
The following table identifies departmental spend on the occupation of these properties in the year 2011-12.
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In April 2013, as part of the Department's planned reduction of its administration costs, DCMS will be leaving 2-4 Cockspur Street and moving into a building shared with HMRC.
| £ | ||||
| 2-4 Cockspur St | Tottenham Court Road | Not allocated by building | Total | |
The Prime Minister announced in a written ministerial statement of the 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 96WS, the transfer of the Government Equalities Office (GEO) from the Home Office to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. GEO currently occupies space in the Home Office's headquarters at 2 Marsham Street, and will contribute £1,182,000 for the workstations it uses in 2 Marsham Street for 2012-13. This charge covers both space and information and communications technology. In early 2013-14, GEO will move into a building occupied by the DCMS.
Digital Broadcasting: Radio
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to improve coverage of digital radio in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber. [146968]
Hugh Robertson: As part of the Government's Digital Radio Action Plan, Ofcom are leading a review of current and future local DAB coverage. In May 2012, Ofcom published a report setting out the parameters for future DAB coverage planning and how infrastructure needs to change to match current FM level. The report can be found at:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/radio/coverage/dab-coverage/?utm_source=updates&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=dab-coverage-report
Ofcom is now working with industry on a detailed planning exercise to optimise the number, location and power of additional DAB transmitters needed to replicate FM coverage in the most cost-effective way, and will report to Government in the summer.
In June 2012 the Government, multiplex operators and the BBC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on local DAB funding for radio switchover. The MoU set out the process for providing up to £21 million of investment to build-out local DAB coverage in the next two years, subject to a decision on radio switchover. In addition, the MoU has facilitated the launch of five new local commercial DAB multiplexes this year and a further eight next year, including the local multiplex in North Yorkshire.
Energy: Meters
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role (a) her Department and (b) Broadband UK have in the roll-out of smart metering and smart grids. [147230]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, including Broadband Delivery UK, does not have a direct role in the roll-out of smart metering and smart grids which is led by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Officials in the two Departments are sharing information on the respective programmes.
Entertainments: Tickets
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about regulation of the secondary concert ticket market; what monitoring of abuse of this market she has carried out; and if she will make a statement. [147479]
Hugh Robertson: The Department receives a range of representations on ticket fraud and the secondary ticketing market. Government has no plans to change the legislative framework concerning the secondary ticket market. We will, however, continue to monitor this area through a range of methods including analysis of the representations received and observation of the sector as a whole.
Internet
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2013, Official Report, column 213W, on internet, what recent assessment she has made of the provision of free community internet access points for use by those who do not have internet access at home in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [146670]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has made no assessment of the provision of free community internet access points across the UK.
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Plants
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees in each year from 2005 to 2010. [147160]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent £84,412.59 on indoor and outdoor plants and trees for the period 2005 to 2010.
Sick Leave
Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many days of paid sickness leave per individual member of staff are authorised in her Department on an annual basis. [144482]
Hugh Robertson: DCMS provides a framework of procedures and behaviours, to enable absence to be dealt with fairly and consistently by both managers and staff.
In accordance with civil service policy on sickness absence and departmental rules, DCMS allows up to 12 months’ sick pay in any period of four years. Within this limit, up to six months in any period of 12 months may be on full pay, less any social security benefit received; the remaining six months’ entitlement may be on half pay.
The average number of paid sickness leave per individual member of staff authorised in my Department is 4.8 days per annum.
Sports
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research and data collection relating to sport her Department has (a) initiated, (b) terminated and (c) amended since May 2010. [146623]
Hugh Robertson: The information is as follows:
Regular data collection and statistical reporting of sport participation for both adults and children, collected through the Taking Part survey, was initiated in 2005-06 and has been collected and reported on since then. One off research reports are as follows—they are normally initiated around six months before the publication (termination) dates listed as follows:
Publication date: 13 December 2012
Inspiring a generation: a Taking Part report on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/9583.aspx
Publication date: 19 August 2010
Alternative methods of measuring participation in culture and sport: Analysis of the Taking Part Survey
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/137992/TP_alternativemeasures_report.pdf
Publication date: 19 August 2010
Participation, engagement and intensity of sports participants: Analysis of the Taking Part Survey
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/137993/TP_Sportparticipationreport__1_.pdf
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Publication date: 22 August 2011
Appendix K—Themed Report—Developing a new set of sports participation questions for Taking Part
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-reports
2. DCMS London 2012 Meta-evaluation
The London 2012 meta-evaluation pulls together the results of evaluations of individual legacy programmes, projects and initiatives, and uses these along with additional research to assess the overall legacy and impacts of the games. The following work was initiated in March 2010 with publication (termination) dates as follows:
Report 1: Scope, Research Questions and Data Strategy: Meta-Evaluation of the Impacts and Legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games—30 June 2011
Report 2: Methods: Meta-Evaluation of the Impacts and Legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games—30 June 2011
Report 3: Baseline and Counterfactual: Meta-Evaluation of the Impacts and Legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games—31 January 2012
Report 4: Interim Evaluation: Meta-Evaluation of the Impacts and Legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games—13 November 2012
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=&publication_ filter_option=all&topics%5B%5D=sports-and-leisure&departments%5B%5D=department-for-culture-media-sport&world_locations%5B%5D=all&direction =before&date=2013-04-01
London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Host Borough Survey Results (initiated January 2012 and published 11 June 2012)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/london-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-host-borough-survey-results
The final meta-evaluation report of the project (Report 5) will be published in summer 2013.
3. DCMS School Games Indicator
School Games Indicator 2011-12. First published 24 September 2012 as a new departmental performance indicator.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-games-indicator-2011-2012
2004-06 Sport Satellite Account Report Organisations Published: 26 October 2011.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-culture-media-sport/series/sport-satellite-account-for-the-uk-statistics
DCMS has contracted for further editions of the Sport Satellite Account to 2009, but the publication schedule has not been confirmed.
5. DCMS Culture and Sport Evidence (CASE) Programme
CASE is a strategic programme of research, focusing on cross-cutting issues of relevance to the sport and culture sectors. Its work does not focus specifically on an individual sector; however, its research will include coverage of such cross-cutting issues as they relate to sport. Since May 2010, the following pieces of work addressing issues within the sport sector, have been commissioned and/or completed:
This work was published in July 2010 and provides evidence on the factors driving participation in culture and sport and its impact and value.
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https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/case-programme-understanding-the-drivers-impacts-and-value-of-engagement-in-culture-and-sport
Originally set up in 2008, the database was updated in summer 2012 and now contains over 12,000 studies on engagement in culture and sport, in an online, searchable database.
http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/webdatabases4/Intro.aspx?ID=2
Local Data Regional Insights Tool:
As part of its 2009-10 programme, the DCMS Culture and Sport Evidence (CASE) programme commissioned Regional and Local Insights, a resource bringing together a wide range of data on culture and sport. Since their publication in 2010, a number of the data sources for the Regional and Local Insights data have been refined, updated or discontinued and the tool is currently being updated at present. This update is drawing in the sports insights tool, previously set up by Sport England.
https://www.gov.uk/case-programme-local-tools-sport-and-culture-and-heritage
Commissioned autumn 2012, this current piece of research aims to draw together evidence on the range of social impacts e.g. health, well-being, education resulting from sport and cultural participation and engagement.
Commissioned in late 2011, this current piece of work seeks to investigate the views and activities of organisations within the sports and cultural sectors.
The data collected by the Department from all of the sports lottery distributors is amended on a regular basis following updates from the distributors themselves.
http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/Search.aspx
Staff
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff her Department employed in each of the past five years; how many such staff were employed in London; how many such staff were employed in other regions of England; how many posts moved from London to these regions; and what steps she is taking to move her staff to regional offices. [145690]
Hugh Robertson: The number of full-time staff equivalents (FTEs) employed within DCMS, as disclosed in our Remuneration Report, are shown in the following table.
| Full-time equivalent staff | |
| (1) Latest data-final figures will be published in the Remuneration Report after the year-end. | |
The Department does not employ employees in other regions of England and has no plans to move employees to regional offices.
However, the Department is relocating at the end of March 2013 to 100 Parliament Street to share a building with HMRC, which will generate a saving of £2 million per year.
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Television: Licensing
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in each constituency in Northern Ireland have a black and white television licence. [147060]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS does not hold this information. TV Licensing was able to provide the figure of black and white licences held for Northern Ireland but does not hold a breakdown of black and white licences by constituency. There are 822 black and white TV licences in force in Northern Ireland (as at January 2013). Some black and white TVs may require a colour licence if they can receive and record programmes in colour, for example when using a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) connected to a black and white TV. The cost of a black and white TV Licence is frozen at £49 until 2016.
Tourism
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote cross-departmental working to support the English tourist economy. [146725]
Hugh Robertson [holding answer 7 March 2013]: Tourism is vitally important to the future of the UK economy and this Government is working across all Departments to remove barriers to tourism growth.
DCMS worked with the Home Office, UK Border Agency and other key Departments in developing the service improvements to the visa service in China which were announced in December 2012. The 2013-14 fuel duty increase of 3.02p per litre, originally planned for 1 January 2013, will be deferred until 1 September 2013. This will in particular benefit the rural tourism economy. We also continue to work closely across Whitehall on a range of issues including deregulation, including the relaxation of entertainment licensing that will come into force in April 2013, planning, improving skills and infrastructure.
The Government has also developed the world class GREAT campaign, which works across a wide range of Departments to promote tourism, inward investment and education and which is estimated to deliver over a quarter of a billion pounds to the UK economy in the next two years.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she plans to take to provide support to the English tourist economy. [147051]
Hugh Robertson:
The English tourist economy will continue to benefit from VisitEngland's work in a number of ways, including marketing, providing business support, research and insights, strategy development and its work with individual destinations. A £25 million campaign is under way (including Holiday's at Home are GREAT) which aims to deliver an additional £500 million in visitor spend over four years (2011-15). VisitEngland received £19.8 million from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills' Regional Growth Fund for its ‘Growing Tourism Locally’ programme. Delivered over three years by VisitEngland and local partners, and supported by private sector funding, it aims to inspire
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Britons to take more holidays at home, boosting local economies through growth in visitor spend, resulting in the creation of 9,100 indirect jobs.
DCMS is also working with Departments across Whitehall on a range of issues including deregulation, visas, improving skills, planning and infrastructure to remove barriers to tourism growth.
English tourism will also continue to benefit from both VisitBritain's £100 million tactical marketing campaign and the GREAT Image campaign which over four years (2011-15) aims to deliver an additional 4.6 million overseas visitors, an additional £2.3 billion visitor spend, and the creation of almost 60,000 new job opportunities.
Tourism: VAT
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the rate of VAT on visitor accommodation and attractions. [147122]
Hugh Robertson: DCMS Ministers have regular meetings with Treasury Ministers on a range of issues.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to answer question 139706, tabled on 23 January 2013 for answer on 28 January 2013. [147228]
Hugh Robertson: I am sorry that the answer to the hon. Lady's question was delayed. This was due to a technical error in the Department's PQ tracking system. I understand the Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), has now answered this question—7 March 2013, Official Report, column 1151W.
Cabinet Office
Energy: Yorkshire and the Humber
Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in the energy sector in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber. [147361]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people are employed in the energy sector in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber. [147361]
Annual employment statistics are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). Table 1 below contains the latest figures available, which show the number in employment in 2011 for industries that are considered to be in the energy sector for Brigg and Goole constituency and Yorkshire and The Humber.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
11 Mar 2013 : Column 66W
| Table 1: Employment in Brigg and Goole constituency and Yorkshire and The Humber for the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply sector | ||
| Industry (SIC 2007) | Brigg and Goole constituency | Yorkshire and The Humber |
Exports
Damian Hinds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of UK net export growth has come from developing and middle-income countries in the last five years. [146893]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to respond to your question to the Minister for Cabinet Office, asking what proportion of UK net export growth has come from developing and middle-income countries in the last five years. 146893
There is no single definition of developing and middle-income countries. The World Bank (which has two institutions, managed by 188 member countries) identifies 108 countries they place in the lower middle income or upper middle income categories. A simpler definition, however, considers countries outside the G20 group(1). If they are taken as this set of countries, figures in current prices are as follows:
| Export of goods, balance of payments basis | |||
| £ billion | |||
| G20 group | Rest of the world | World total | |
Of the total change in UK exports of £79.4 billion between 2007 and 2012, £22.6 billion (28.4%) was accounted for by exports to countries outside of the G20.
(1) Members of the G20 are:
1. Argentina
2. Australia
3. Brazil
4. Canada
5. China
6. France
7. Germany
8. India
9. Indonesia
10. Italy
11. Japan
12. Mexico
13. Russia
14. Saudi Arabia
15. South Africa
16. South Korea
17. Turkey
18. United Kingdom
19. United States (inc Puerto Rico)
20. European Union