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  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to require all police referrals to the National College of Teaching and Leadership to include details of the school where the alleged teacher previously taught.

    Mr David Laws

    Referrals by the police to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) are currently made under the Notifiable Occupations Scheme, which is the responsibility of the Home Office (Home Office Circular No. 6/2006). The scheme is currently under review with new provisions being considered by the Home Office to supersede the existing scheme.

    Officials at NCTL are in discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers to ensure that the new scheme continues to provide consistent, timely and relevant information. Disclosure of the teacher’s current or last employment will be considered as part of those ongoing discussions.

  • Sarah Champion – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Sarah Champion – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in (a) Rotherham constituency and (b) South Yorkshire living in fuel poverty.

    Gregory Barker

    Fuel poverty is measured at the household level rather than the individual level and detailed data on the age of household occupants is not available at the sub-regional level.

    The number of households in fuel poverty in England, which contain at least one child under the age of 16, was 898,000 in 2011. This is equivalent to about 38 per cent of all fuel poor households.

    The total numbers of households in fuel poverty, for the areas in 2011 were estimated as:

    • Rotherham constituency – about 3,960 fuel poor households

    (around 11 per cent of all households in the constituency)

    • South Yorkshire – about 62,750 fuel poor households

    (around 11 per cent of all households in the county)

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on what date he intends to publish the Bioenergy Emissions and Counterfactual calculator.

    Gregory Barker

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change intends to publish the Bioenergy Emissions and Counterfactual calculator during the first half of 2014, as set out during the Commons debate on the Draft Renewables (Amendment) Order 2014, on 20th March 2014 by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what audit requirements are (a) in place and (b) planned for generating stations over 1Mw in size that use solid biomass or biogas.

    Gregory Barker

    The Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2014, which came into force on 1 April 2014, requires generating stations with a total installed capacity of 1MW and above that use solid biomass or biogas to provide an annual sustainability audit report in respect of the biomass that they use. There are exceptions for landfill gas, sewage gas, municipal waste, manure and for other fuels which do not meet the specific definition of biomass within the Renewables Obligation (RO).

    The audit report must be prepared to ISAE3000 standard or its equivalent, and must be prepared by a person who is not the owner or operator of the station or a connected person. In the case of biomass which is not waste or derived from waste, the audit must cover the information provided by the operator of the station in respect of the land criteria or Timber Standard, and greenhouse gas sustainability criteria. In the case of biomass which is waste or derived from waste, the audit must cover the information provided by the operator of the station that the biomass was waste or wholly derived from waste. Other detailed requirements for the audit report are set out in article 54B of the Renewables Obligation Order 2009, as inserted by article 15 of the Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2014.

    A similar audit requirement is planned to apply to Combined Heat and Power (CHP) stations receiving support under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) if they choose not to source fuel from the RHI Biomass Suppliers List (BSL), a list of suppliers selling sustainable fuel, but instead report against the RHI sustainability criteria to Ofgem.

    It is intended that the Contracts for Difference (CfD) awarded for bioenergy under the first Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan will follow the same approach on sustainability audit as set out under the Renewables Obligation.

    Ofgem, as the administrator of the Renewables Obligation, carries out a programme of audits of accredited generating stations, primarily to guard against fraud and error. This can include stations over 1MW in size that use solid biomass or biogas. They also ensure that a generating station remains an eligible renewable generating station for the purposes of the RO, that Ofgem holds the most up-to-date information for a station, and that the correct number of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) has been issued to the generator in question. The audits are carried out on a rolling basis, with targeted audits where it is deemed necessary. The CfD Counterparty company will be empowered under the Contracts for Difference to audit any generating station it chooses, with 1 business day’s written notice, to check compliance with agreed Fuel Measurement and Sampling procedures.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of deterioration in normal operation on the efficiency assumptions for the new combined heat and power classifications.

    Gregory Barker

    In 2013 the Government reviewed the minimum performance standards for renewable Combined Heat and Power (CHP) set in our Quality Assurance programme. In response to the consultation responses on the proposed revisions we reviewed available data on renewable CHP performance, including deterioration. As a result of this review performance assumptions for new engines/turbines were relaxed in finalising the requirements based on evidence. In respect of deterioration in normal operation the Government reviewed CHP Quality Assurance data on the operational efficiency of eight renewable CHP schemes, each with 2-13 years operational data. Of these, three showed increasing efficiency over time and five showed no discernible increase or decrease over time.

  • David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether customers phoning Ofgem can speak to an employee in addition to using the automatic system; whether it is Ofgem’s policy to advise callers to contact the nearest citizen’s advice bureau for queries on energy firms and prices; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    Telephone calls to Ofgem’s main telephone number initially lead to an automated system, where complaints or inquiries about an energy company or a need for advice lead to a recorded message advising the person to contact the relevant energy company or Government-funded Citizen’s consumer service. If callers wish to speak to a named person, have an inquiry about Ofgem policies or have any other inquiry they will be transferred to a person.

  • Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress his Department has made in mobilising the mid-scale solar photovoltaic sector; and if he will make a statement.

    Gregory Barker

    On Friday 4th April I launched the UK’s first Solar PV Strategy, which set out our ambition for Solar PV in the UK. Central to this is an emphasis on deployment on Commercial and Industrial buildings as well as domestic roof tops, rather than large scale ground-mounted systems.

    The solar strategy sets out a number of wide ranging actions which will encourage deployment in this part of the sector.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Julian Sturdy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, columns 340-1W, on warm home discount scheme, on what date his Department will publish its consultation on changes to the warm home discount for 2015-16 onwards.

    Gregory Barker

    We plan to publish the consultation on changes to the Warm Home Discount for 2015-16 later this spring. We have not set a date for publication.

  • Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that veterinarians are present at all live animal exports from the UK to provide an export certificate and ensure relevant standards of animal care are being adhered to.

    George Eustice

    The Government has no plans to propose changes to the legislative basis for pre-export inspections beyond those measures which are currently in place. These measures were reviewed and, where necessary, modified in 2012. Details of these operational changes were set out in the Written Ministerial Statement made by the then Minister of State for Defra, Mr David Heath on 4 March 2013 (Hansard, Column 53 WS).

  • Nick Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nick Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the fire services was of dealing with fires at privately-owned waste management sites in the last two years.

    Brandon Lewis

    This information is not held centrally. The cost to fire and rescue authorities in England of dealing with specific fires is a matter for each fire and rescue authorityThe cost to fire and rescue authorities in Wales of dealing with specific fires is a devolved matter.

    Fire and rescue authorities must produce regularly, and consult on, an integrated risk management plan. The plan must identify the risks facing local communities and detail how the fire and rescue authority will allocate its resources to mitigate them effectively. People have opportunities to make their voices heard on such issues.

    There is still scope for fire and rescue authorities to make sensible savings, such as through reforms to flexible staffing and crewing arrangements, better procurement; shared services, collaboration with emergency services and other organisations on service delivery and estates, sickness management; sharing of senior staff, locally led mergers and operational collaborations, new fire-fighting technology, preventative approaches and working with local businesses.