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  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost of disallowance penalties relating to the Common Agricultural Policy as a result of the return to paper-assisted digital applications in 2015.

    George Eustice

    The new Common Agricultural Policy has been widely recognised as being more complex for farmers to understand and harder for Member States to administer. The new schemes have not yet been audited by the European Commission so it is too early to say what the level of any disallowance will be, but complexity tends to increase disallowance risk.

    For the Basic Payment Scheme 2015 the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) sent pre-populated claim forms to farmers and land owners to allow them to submit their applications before the deadline. The RPA provided an unprecedented level of support to farmers and land owners through the Rural Payments Helpline and 50 Drop In Centres that allowed some 88,000 applications to be received within the deadline. ‘Paper-assisted’ means that forms were completed on paper but then entered on to a digital system by RPA staff.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of farmers who received payments under the Environment Stewardship Scheme in October rather than August 2015 as a result of the withdrawal of online applications for such payments.

    George Eustice

    Environmental Stewardship (ES) claims are administered by Natural England. Historically, about 60% of advance payments have previously been paid in August.

    All ES and Basic Payment Scheme claims have to be cross-checked before payment can be made in line with European regulatory requirements. This year, due mainly to the extension of the claims deadline, it was necessary to delay ES advance payments until they could be cross-checked. From 2018, new European rules will prevent any payments from being made before 16 October each year.

    Natural England had paid 28,523 (60.24%) of advance payments by the end of October. Ninety-two percent of ES advance payments have now been made, and Natural England aims to pay the remainder of advance claims by the end of December.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she has written to the European Commissioner for Trade on ending the minimum import price on Chinese solar panels.

    Andrea Leadsom

    My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the European Commissioner for Trade in November, requesting ending the minimum import price.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what form of transport she used to travel to the COP21 conference in Paris in December 2015; and for what reasons she used that form of transport.

    Andrea Leadsom

    My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State made two separate visits to the COP21 conference in Paris. For the first, she travelled out by train and returned by plane. For the second she travelled there and back by train.

    In accordance with the Ministerial Code, it was ensured that these were the most efficient and cost-effective options for the Secretary of State to meet her commitments at COP.

  • Alan Whitehead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alan Whitehead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what level of actual or projected overspend against original projections of expenditure under the Levy Control Framework she has identified for each year from 2014 to 2018; and in which of those years overspend has exceeded the 20 per cent headroom within the Levy Control Framework agreement between her Department and HM Treasury.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Office for Budget Responsibility published updated projections on spending under the Levy Control Framework on 25 November:

    http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-november-2015/.

    “

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the change in the number of jobs in the UK solar industry has been since the Summer Budget 2015; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government proposed changes to the feed-in tariff scheme (FITs) as part of the FIT review, on which we consulted widely between 27th August and 23rd October. Part of the purpose of that consultation was to gather views on the broader economic impact of the proposals. The actual impact on the sector will, of course, depend on the options taken forward after all responses to the consultation have been considered. We intend to publish a Government response as soon as possible.

    The ONS has published first estimates of the UK’s ‘Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy’1 based on 2014; further information from this survey on sub-sectors including solar PV jobs will be published in 2016.

    [1] http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_426448.pdf

    “

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the feed-in tariff scheme will be paused in January 2015; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We will be publishing the Government response to the review of the feed-in tariff as soon as possible detailing the changes we will make to the scheme.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many legal challenges have been made against her Department related to renewable energy policy in the last year.

    Andrea Leadsom

    There have been no such legal challenges in the last year.

  • Alan Whitehead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alan Whitehead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much overspend against original estimates within the levy control framework has arisen from variations in (a) performance of offshore wind, (b) levels between strike price and reference price and (c) variations in allocations feed in tariff payments for solar PV installations in each of the last three years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We do not break down published information on components of Levy Control Framework (LCF) spend to the level of detail requested, due to potential disclosure of commercially confidential information.

    On 25 November 2015, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published LCF projected spend of just under £9bn in 2020/21 (see Tables 1 and 2 below)1. Between the projections Government published in November 20142 and this forecast, we have undertaken analysis to make changes to many assumptions, including technology-specific factors (including offshore wind), fossil fuel prices and electricity demand3. Collectively, changes in these factors have all affected overall estimates of LCF spend. However, we do not provide published estimates of how much is attributable to each individual factor. DECC will publish a further update to its projections, including the underpinning assumptions, in 2016.

    Annex A

    Table 1: OBR November 2015 main projections were as follows:

    Policy (£m, nominal prices)

    2015/16

    2016/17

    2017/18

    2018/19

    2019/20

    2020/21

    RO

    3,850

    4,615

    5,375

    5,855

    6,035

    6,230

    FiTs

    1,325

    1,515

    1,700

    1,880

    2,055

    2,220

    CfDs

    15

    225

    545

    1,095

    2,225

    2,805

    Total

    5,190

    6,355

    7,620

    8,830

    10,315

    11,255

    Figures are rounded to the nearest five million pounds. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

    Table 2: OBR November 2015 main projections in 2011/12 prices:

    £m, 2011/12 prices

    2015/16

    2016/17

    2017/18

    2018/19

    2019/20

    2020/21

    RO

    3,360

    3,990

    4,555

    4,820

    4,820

    4,820

    FiTs

    1,155

    1,310

    1,440

    1,550

    1,640

    1,720

    CfDs

    15

    210

    500

    980

    1,950

    2,415

    Total

    4,530

    5,505

    6,495

    7,350

    8,415

    8,955

    Figures are rounded to the nearest five million pounds. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

    [1] Note that OBR publishes figures in nominal terms, as opposed to our figures which are in 2011/12 real prices. Both sets of figures are attached at Annex A

    2 Annual Energy Statement, page 73, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/371388/43586_Cm_8945_print_ready.pdf

    3 Data on fossil fuel prices and electricity demand assumptions have recently been published online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fossil-fuel-price-projections-2015 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2015 respectively.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children and young people acquire the skills necessary to make healthy food choice.

    Edward Timpson

    There are opportunities across the school curriculum for children to be taught the skills they need to make healthy food choices. In science lessons at key stages 1 and 2, children are taught to describe the importance for humans of exercise and eating the right amounts of different types of food and that humans need the right types and amount of nutrition. In secondary science, children are taught about the content of a healthy human diet, such as carbohydrates, fats and oils, proteins, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and water, and why each is needed. They also learn about the consequences of imbalances in the diet, including obesity.

    In design and technology lessons (key stages 1 to 3), children are taught about food, nutrition and healthy eating and how to cook a repertoire of dishes. Pupils in primary schools are taught about healthy eating and the importance of a good, balanced diet. In secondary schools, children’s knowledge becomes more in-depth as they learn how to feed themselves and others affordably and well and learn where their food comes from.

    Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education also provides opportunities for pupils to learn about health and wellbeing, including being taught what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, the benefits of physical activity and healthy eating.

    It is important that children eat nutritious, tasty food at school as fuel for learning, to help their growth and development and so that they develop healthy eating habits. The School Food Standards, introduced in January 2015, severely restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods. They help ensure that pupils always have healthy options for their school lunch.