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Written Answers

Tuesday 8 January 2008

Benefits: ESA

Baroness Thomas of Winchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

What safeguards are in place to ensure that claimants whose only income is from contribution-based employment and support allowance (ESA) do not find themselves disadvantaged compared to those on income-based ESA because they will not have entitlement to local authority concessionary schemes and the Social Fund and will need to make separate claims for help with prescription charges and legal aid. [HL1030]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): The Welfare Reform Act 2007 provides that people on income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) will have access to all the income-related passported benefits that those who currently qualify for income support do. Customers whose only income is contributory ESA will also be able to apply separately for passported benefits.

We are working with colleagues in the Department of Health to make access to its low-income scheme easier for those who are not eligible for automatic passporting. This includes the potential for simplifying the claim form and making the process less complex. We are also considering options for those elements of the Social Fund unavailable to customers not in receipt of qualifying benefits.

British Coal Compensation

Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have made an assessment of the number of retired miners and widows in the British Coal litigation whose solicitors required them to pay fees to third parties, to include the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and Vendside Ltd; and, if so, whether those solicitors have been required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to indemnify their clients and to pay them compensation. [HL802]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): No such assessment has been made.

The primary role of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in relation to the miners' health compensation scheme is to investigate possible misconduct by solicitors who have handled claims and, where appropriate, prosecute them before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The SRA does not have the power to require solicitors to indemnify clients or to pay them compensation.

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If solicitors refuse to pay compensation to clients as directed by the separate Legal Complaints Service, however, the SRA would request the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal to order enforcement of the compensation decision.

Climate Change: Bali Conference

Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will propose other alternative forms of power generation to coal-fired power stations, following the Bali outline agreement of 14 December. [HL1053]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made a Statement in another place on the Bali action plan on 18 December 2007 (Official Report, col. 725). The Bali action plan is an historic agreement in which for the first time all the countries of the world agreed to negotiate a new climate deal after the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period ends in 2012. These negotiations will begin early next year and will be concluded in Copenhagen in 2009.

The Government's energy policy is set out in the White Paper on energy Meeting the Energy Challenge, published in May 2007. The UK has a liberalised energy market in which the private sector makes investment decisions. The Government's role is to ensure an effective energy and carbon market and that support mechanisms such as the renewables obligation incentivise low-carbon technologies. We are also supporting the construction of one of the world's first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage power plants in the UK because we recognise that fossil fuels, including coal, will continue to have an important role to play in the energy mix both here and across the world. We support innovation and the development and deployment of new technologies to reduce the carbon emissions from energy.

Climate Change: Emissions Trading

Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the “business as usual” estimates for United Kingdom carbon emissions in the period of the second phase of the European Emissions Trading Scheme. [HL739]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): Projections of UK carbon emissions to 2020 which include the period of the second phase of the European Emissions Trading Scheme were updated and published in May 2007, supporting the energy White Paper. A baseline projection provided at the time which excludes the impact of the EU ETS and the additional proposals in the energy

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White Paper suggests that UK emissions are to be 146.5, 149.4 and 151.2 MtC (million tonnes of carbon) in 2010, 2015 and 2020 respectively.

Estimated UK emissions projections including the impact of the EU ETS assumed through to 2020 and the impact of the proposed energy White paper measures suggest 135.7, 132.2 and 126.5 MtC (million tonnes of carbon) for 2010, 2015 and 2020 respectively. This central projection is based on a level of carbon price assumed to be €25 per tonne of CO2 by 2020 and includes estimates of additional carbon allowances purchased through the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment

Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 20 July (WA 55), whether the sum of £50 million by way of financial correction in relation to the single farm payment scheme payments between 30 June 2006 and 30 March 2007 was a final figure; or whether there have been further penalties imposed subsequently. [HL974]

The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The £50 million referred to in my Written Answer on 20 July (WA55) related to late-payment penalties incurred as a result of the RPA missing the EC target of making 96.154 per cent of payments in respect of SPS 2005 by 30 June 2006. This figure has since increased to £63 million for payments made after 30 June 2006 in regard to SPS 2005. This amount was included as an accrual in Defra's 2006-07 resource accounts and has since been paid. A further £7 million was also noted in the accounts as a contingent liability in regard to potential subsequent payments.

Defra also included provisions totalling £348 million in the same accounts in respect of potential financial corrections (disallowance) imposed by the European Commission for breaches of EC regulations in making payments for SPS 2005, SPS 2006 and other precursor common agricultural policy schemes. The Commission has yet to make any proposals regarding disallowance relating to the single payment scheme. Defra continues to review its potential liabilities on an ongoing basis.

Detailed discussions will take place with the Commission over an extended period, possibly two or

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three years, before a final figure is reached on any disallowances. The outcome will be disclosed in the department's resource accounts in the year in which any financial corrections are imposed.

Corruption

Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:

What support they intend to give to the latest proposals for anti-corruption legislation, especially in the context of private donations to political parties and politicians. [HL1052]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The Government welcome the publication of the Law Commission's consultation paper on reform of the law of bribery. We look forward to receiving the Law Commission's report and draft Bill in the autumn. We shall then consider its report and draft Bill closely and will be seeking to bring forward proposals as soon as parliamentary time allows.

The Government note the recent report by the Public Administration Select Committee,Propriety and Peerages. The Government will consider the report and its recommendations carefully and publish a response in due course.

Energy: Coal Mining

Lord Mason of Barnsley asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many coal mines are still mining coal in the United Kingdom; what are their names and regions; what is their total output; and how many coal-miners these mines employ. [HL1058]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): According to Coal Authority records, at the end of November 2007 there were seven large, two medium and nine small deep mines together with 33 surface mines producing coal or in development in the United Kingdom. A further five underground mines (one large and four small) and two surface mines were also under licence but on care and maintenance.

Details of the names, locations, forecast 2008 output and employment at the developing and producing mines is given in the table below.

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Country	Location	Type	Site	Output (t)	Manpower
England	Bolton	Surface	Cutacre	450,000	54
	Derbyshire	Deep	Eckington Colliery	20,000	26
		Surface	Oxcroft	15,000	12
	Doncaster	Deep	Hatfield Colliery	1,000,000	309
	Gloucestershire	Deep	Cannop Drift Mine	500	2
		Deep	Monument Colliery (Hayners Bailey)	500	3
	Kirklees	Deep	Hay Royds Colliery	20,000	13
		Surface	Temple Quarry	Developing	5
	Lancashire	Deep	Hill Top Colliery	Developing	1
	Leicestershire	Surface	Long Moor	Developing	50
	North Yorkshire	Deep	Kellingley Colliery	2,100,000	732
	Northumberland	Surface	Delhi	350,000	34
		Surface	Maiden's Hall Extension	300,000	114
		Surface	Steadsburn	Developing	50
		Surface	Stobswood	400,000	157
	Nottinghamshire	Deep	Thoresby Colliery	1,800,000	543
		Deep	Welbeck Colliery	1,200,000	484
	Rotherham	Deep	Maltby Colliery	1,200,000	487
	Shropshire	Surface	Caughley Quarry Extension	Developing	5
	Wakefield	Surface	Sharlston Colliery Reclamation	150,000	37
	Warwickshire	Deep	Daw Mill Colliery	2,500,000	655
Scotland	Dumfries and Galloway	Surface	Glenmuckloch	400,000	102
	East Ayrshire	Surface	Chalmerston	550,000	145
		Surface	Greenburn Project	850,000	76
		Surface	Grievehill Site	300,000	37
		Surface	House of Water	Developing	39
		Surface	Laigh Glenmuir Site	265,000	26
		Surface	Powharnal	600,000	122
		Surface	Skares Road	200,000	70
		Surface	Spireslack	150,000	38
	Fife	Surface	Earlseat	250,000	41
		Surface	Greenbank (St Ninians)	600,000	69
	Midlothian	Surface	Shewington	250,000	47
	South Lanarkshire	Surface	Chapelhill Site	500,000	75
		Surface	Glentaggart	200,000	37
		Surface	Wilsontown	150,000	15
	West Lothian	Surface	Polkemmet	50,000	80
Wales	Carmarthenshire	Surface	Dynant Fawr	20,000	14
	Merthyr Tydfil	Surface	Ffos-y-Fran Land Reclamation Scheme	Developing	70
	Neath Port Talbot	Deep	Aberpergwm Colliery	200,000	112
		Surface	Bwlch Ffos	10,000	17
		Surface	East Pit East Revised	Developing	15
		Deep	Gleision Colliery	Developing	4
		Surface	Margam Opencast	300,000	47
		Deep	Nant Hir No.2 Colliery	3,000	2
		Surface	Nant-y-Mynydd Site	Developing	28
		Surface	Selar	450,000	95
		Deep	Unity Mine	200,000	43
	Powys	Surface	Nant Helen	350,000	78
	Rhondda Cynon Taff	Deep	Tower Colliery	Closing Jan 08	227
	Torfaen	Deep	Black Barn Colliery	5,000	6
		Deep	Blaentillery No.2 Colliery	5,000	8
	Total	51	Total	18,364,000	5,558
	Deep	18	16 Producing but 1 closing in Jan 08, 2 Developing	10,254,000	3,654
	Surface		25 Producing, 8 Developing	8,110,000	1,904

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