| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
8 Jan 2008 : Column WA193
Energy: Microgeneration
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Given the sharp decline in grant applications under the low-carbon buildings programme, what consideration is being given to other policies that will encourage micro and decentralised energy generation. [HL875]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): The low-carbon buildings programme (LCBP) phase 1, with a £36 million budget, has successfully supported a number of microgeneration installations since April 2006. We have completed nine rounds of calls for larger scale projects under stream 2, committing funds to over 200 projects. We have seen a slow-down in applicants for household projects over the last eight months and are working with industry to promote the household stream to increase uptake. We continue to monitor uptake before making decisions on future developments.
The LCBP phase 2, with a £50 million budget, continues to make good progress supporting the public sector and not-for-profit organisations.
In addition, we already have policies in place and under development to encourage decentralised energy and help it become cost-competitive. These include:
strengthening the market price for carbon—so technologies are better recognised for their carbon benefits;rewarding renewable electricity generation—through the renewables obligation;support for combined heat and power—such as better treatment in the EU ETS phase 2;the Prime Minister announced in November that we will publish a call for evidence on new measures to bring forward renewable heat in January;Defra published new regulations on the CERT earlier this month, which builds on the success of the EEC and will allow support of microgeneration, community level CHP and biomass-fuelled district heating;8 Jan 2008 : Column WA194
Energy: Wind Generation
Lord Morris of Aberavon asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total annual subsidy for the generation of electricity through wind turbines, including renewable obligation certificates; and what estimate has been made of the cumulative amount by 2020. [HL895]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): The renewables obligation is the Government's main mechanism for supporting renewables generation. It is a market-based instrument and the amount received by generators is set by the market. It is therefore not possible to say with certainty how much support has been received by wind generation.
The tables below, however, provide an indication of the amount that the RO has provided to support wind generation. This is based on renewables obligation certificates’ (ROCs) value to suppliers. The ROC value is the buyout price avoided and the amount of money recycled from the buyout fund.
Multiplying the number of ROCs issued for wind generation by the ROC value therefore gives you a nominal figure for the total support for wind generation between 2002-03 and 2005-06.
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
8 Jan 2008 : Column WA195
Modelling carried out by Oxera published alongside the energy White Paper in May 2007 suggests proposals to band the renewables obligation will deliver 16.7 terawatt hours of offshore wind and 12.4 terawatt hours of onshore wind by 2015. As our proposals will allow us to change the amount of support given for future developments in line with market conditions, it is not possible to estimate how much support wind generation will receive up to 2020.
EU: Exports to UK
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many jobs in goods and services in the rest of the European Union depend on European Union exports to the United Kingdom. [HL1077]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government do not have an estimate for how many jobs in the rest of the European Union depend on European Union exports to the United Kingdom, and such an estimate could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, as stated in the European Commission's publication Steps Towards a Deeper Economic Integration: The Internal Market in the 21st Century, the single market has created an additional 2.75 million jobs across the European Union and boosted prosperity by €225 billion in 2006 by removing cross-border barriers to the free movement of goods, services, capital and people, and by strengthening competition.
EU: UK Balance of Trade
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the United Kingdom's latest published trade deficit in goods and services with the European Union. [HL1076]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Figures for the United Kingdom's trade position with the EU are published by the Office for National Statistics. The most recent release is available in table C of www/statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/bop1207.pdf.
Food: Supplements
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
What public policy objectives are served by allowing value added tax exemption under the low-value consignment relief scheme for personal imports from the Channel Islands of food supplements and herbal remedies which, if placed directly on to the United Kingdom market, would be illegal by virtue either of their composition or of the claims made about them. [HL1090]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Goods imported into the United Kingdom from the Channel Islands are subject to import VAT in the same way as goods imported from any country outside the European Union.
8 Jan 2008 : Column WA196
However, under European Community legislation, import VAT is not payable on commercial consignments if the total value of the goods in the consignment does not exceed £18.
The de minimis limit was implemented by the UK many years ago to simplify import procedures, and reduce the administrative and operating costs for businesses, and similar costs for consumers, involved in importing low-value goods.
There is no prohibition on the importation of food supplements for personal use within the EC food supplement directive, with the exception within the UK of kava-kava containing foodstuffs. Therefore UK Customs must apply the VAT exemption rules until the policy on the import of such goods is changed.
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which categories of products would be illegal if placed upon the United Kingdom market but qualify for relief from value added tax under the low-value consignment relief scheme when imported for personal use from the Crown dependencies. [HL1091]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Any goods which can legitimately be imported for personal use and which fulfil the relevant criteria may benefit from the low-value consignment relief scheme if the total value of the consignment does not exceed £18.
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why they continue to permit value added tax exemption under the low-value consignment relief scheme for personal imports from the Channel Islands of food supplements and herbal remedies which, if placed directly on to the United Kingdom market, would be illegal by virtue either of their composition or of the claims made about them; when they next intend to review their policies on this matter; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such exemptions upon the United Kingdom health food retailers and mail order companies. [HL1092]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Goods imported into the United Kingdom from the Channel Islands are subject to import VAT in the same way as goods imported from any country outside the European Union.
However, under European Community legislation, import VAT is not payable on commercial consignments if the total value of the goods in the consignment does not exceed £18.
There is no prohibition on the importation of food supplements for personal use within the EC food supplement directive, with the exception within the UK of kava-kava containing foodstuffs. Therefore UK Customs must apply the VAT exemption rules until the policy on the import of such goods is changed.
8 Jan 2008 : Column WA197
No assessment has been made on specific products imported under the import VAT accounting scheme, but the scheme is very closely monitored, taking into account the revenue consequences and the impact on the UK market.
Gershon Review: Scotland Office
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
In the case of the Scotland Office, how many (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory redundancies have been taken to date as a result of the Gershon review; what is the total departmental bill for each type of redundancy; and what is the natural wastage during the Gershon period to date for the department. [HL1064]
Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on loan from other government departments and redundancy issues are a matter for the parent departments.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |