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Energy: Renewables
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether electricity providers can contribute to meeting the terms of the renewables obligation by providing financial assistance to renewable energy projects outside the United Kingdom. [HL1364]
Lord Bach: The purpose of the renewables obligation is to encourage more renewable generation in the UK. Allowing suppliers to meet their obligation by sourcing renewable supplies from outside the UK would not meet this objective. Therefore electricity suppliers cannot comply with their renewables obligation by providing financial assistance to renewable energy projects outside the UK.
Environmental Protection: Aarhus Convention
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps are envisaged to secure compliance with the requirement in Article 9(4) of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters for private remedies which are not prohibitively expensive; and [HL1084]
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Whether the general rule that the loser pays the winner in judicial review proceedings means that in practice those proceedings are “prohibitively expensive”, within the meaning of Article 9(4) of the Aarhus Convention. [HL1085]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The UK is supportive of the goals of the Aarhus Convention. The UK will report on the legislative, regulatory or other measures that the UK has taken to implement the provisions of the convention; and their practical implementation.
EU: Structural and Cohesion Funds
Baroness Cohen of Pimlico asked Her Majesty's Government:
What administration costs were incurred by HM Treasury in relation to the European structural and cohesion funds for the last financial year for which figures are available. [HL1384]
Lord Davies of Oldham: EU structural funds in the UK are not administered by the Treasury but by the appropriate managing authority.
Baroness Cohen of Pimlico asked Her Majesty's Government:
What administration costs were incurred by the Department for Communities and Local Government in relation to the European structural and cohesion funds for the last financial year for which figures are available. [HL1386]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Communities and Local Government employed a division of 28 people in 2006-07 to administer England's European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant programmes. The staff cost for that year was £1.2 million.
The division has been reorganised during 2007-08 and the number of staff employed is currently being reduced.
Gershon Review: NIO
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
In the case of the Northern Ireland 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. [HL1062]
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Lord Rooker: On (a) and (b), there have been no voluntary or compulsory redundancies to date as a result of the Gershon review. The department is on course to meet its target under the Gershon efficiency review. During the Gershon period, staff numbers in the Northern Ireland Office have increased from 1,817 in April 2004 to 2,074 in December 2007. However, these figures include staff in the Youth Justice Agency, the Public Prosecution Service and the Northern Ireland Prison Service which are considered front-line growth services and are excluded from Gershon headcount reduction targets. When these staff are excluded, the Northern Ireland Office headcount has reduced by 109, from 1,114 to 1,005.
Government: Composition
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to extend their policy that the Civil Service should be representative of the population which it serves in respect of gender, black and minority ethnic and disability representation to ensuring that the Cabinet and other ministerial ranks are similarly representative. [HL1182]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Prime Minister of the day organises departments and appoints Ministers as necessary to deliver the Government's objectives and priorities.
Government: Data Transfer Protocols
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the security arrangements and protocols for the transfer of sensitive or confidential data from government departments and agencies to Eurostat and other European Union organisations are adequate; and [HL778]
On how may occasions in the past five years sensitive or confidential data have been transferred from government departments or agencies to Eurostat or other European Union organisations by other than electronic means; and [HL779]
On how many occasions in the past five years sensitive or confidential data have been transferred from government departments or agencies to Eurostat or other European Union organisations in an unencrypted format. [HL780]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government use a secure infrastructure for transmission of data to European Union institutions—the TESTA EU Commission network—and the organisation of transfers using this network, or transmission of data by any other means, is the responsibility of individual departments, in accordance with a memorandum of understanding between the European Commission and the UK.
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I also refer the noble Lord to the Statement made by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007 (Official Report, col. 1179). The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within departments and agencies for the storage and use of data. On 17 December, the Cabinet Office published an interim progress report (Official Report, col. WS 69). Copies are available in the Library. A further report is expected in spring 2008.
Health: MMR Vaccine
Lord McColl of Dulwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the appropriateness of the legal aid fees of £6 million to Alexander Harris, solicitors, for the measles, mumps and rubella and measles and rubella vaccines litigation. [HL1210]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Decisions about funding in individual civil legal aid cases are entirely a matter for the Legal Services Commission (LSC) or, prior to 1 April 2000, its predecessor the Legal Aid Board. As such, Ministers do not intervene in or comment on decisions made about the grant of funding in individual cases.
Housing: Energy Efficiency
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they will take through the Energy Saving Trust and other bodies to advise the public on home energy savings measurements, within the officially recognised range of 200 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) for a typical untreated dwelling home, down to 15 kWh/m² for a fully adjusted unit with full insulation, solar panels and other energy saving methods. [HL1361]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Measurements of energy performance for dwellings use the Government's standard assessment procedure (SAP). SAP and reduced data SAP (RDSAP), a simplified version which is used to assess existing dwellings, are used in the production of energy performance certificates (EPC), which have to be made available when a dwelling is constructed, sold or rented out. For the owner-occupier sector, EPCs will be provided as part of the home information pack and will contain recommendations for improving the dwelling's energy performance; they also direct the reader to the Energy Saving Trust for further information and advice.
The Government have also developed a web-based carbon calculator, which is available to view on the Directgov website; this uses the RDSAP methodology. The calculator helps individuals and households to work out their carbon footprint and to access advice about the improvements they can make.
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Housing: Homes and Communities Agency
Baroness Whitaker asked Her Majesty's Government:
What mechanisms they will put in place to ensure that new housing funded by the Homes and Communities Agency or built on its land is well designed; and [HL1254]
What external scrutiny there will be of design of housing schemes for which the Homes and Communities Agency will be responsible; and [HL1255]
What role the Homes and Communities Agency will have in championing well-designed schemes for homes and communities; and [HL1256]
How the Homes and Communities Agency will ensure there will be expert consultation on design issues for new schemes which it funds or which will be built on its land. [HL1257]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The Homes and Communities Agency will be the national housing and regeneration agency responsible for helping deliver 3 million homes by 2020. The agency will work within the planning policy framework, notably Planning Policy Statement 3 (Housing) in delivering good-quality, well-designed housing.
This agency is not just about delivering housing numbers. It is also about regenerating the areas in which these will be built, developing places where people want to live. The agency will champion the highest standards of sustainability, including low and zero carbon technologies and will lead the way in design, facilities and services involving local communities.
The Homes and Communities Agency will be an expert delivery partner working with local authorities, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and developers, to ensure support, tools and guidance are used to assist in the creation of well-designed communities where people want to live, now and in the future.
Local Government: Parish Councils
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will deal with any of the outstanding parish reviews which involve the creation of new parish councils in time for elections to be held on 1 May; and, if so, which ones. [HL1132]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): We are currently discussing with the councils concerned and the Electoral Commission which of the eight such outstanding parish cases should be completed in time for elections to the new
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In seven further cases we have now approved the creation of new parishes and intend to make the orders establishing the parishes in time for elections on 1 May 2008. I will place copies of these orders in the Library of the House.
Northern Ireland Office: Staffing
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any proposals to reduce the number of employees in the Northern Ireland Office. [HL1238]
Lord Rooker: As part of its CSR07 settlement, the Northern Ireland Office is required to make 5 per cent per annum real savings in administration costs from 2008-09 onwards. Detailed plans to achieve these savings are being developed. These include savings in staff costs through natural wastage or redeployment, and savings in non-staff costs. The NIO’s participation in shared services initiatives across the Northern Ireland Civil Service, for example Account NI (for financial services) and HRConnect (for human resources), will contribute to the delivery of these savings.
Pigs
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs, Jonathan Shaw, on 10 December 2007 (Official Report, cols. 39-40W), what assessment they have made of the effect of the drop in the number of pigs in breeding herds from 629,915 in 1998 to 374,861 in 2007; and what steps are in place to reduce this decline. [HL1265]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Information on UK breeding pigs and pigmeat production is collected in various forms by Defra; for example the United Kingdom Pig Notice, published quarterly, includes statistics on breeding herds, slaughter and trade.
The number of pigs in breeding herds declined after 1998 for several reasons including the effects on productivity of animal diseases, and also the recovery of the beef market following BSE, the costs of production, exchange rate movements and increased competition from imports. The government-funded Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme of 2000-01 was brought in to help secure the longer-term viability of the sector. The decline in the breeding herds has slowed in recent years although the industry continues to face considerable challenges. It is to be commended for working to secure a sustainable future through market principles and improvements in efficiency and production standards. Defra is
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Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
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What were the figures for the importation of pig meat into the United Kingdom for each year during the period 1998 to 2007. [HL1266]
Lord Rooker: The tables below show the volume and value of pigmeat imported into the UK each year since 1998 as recorded in the official trade statistics.
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