Tag: Adam Afriyie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many In Home Displays have been installed in households to date; and how many such displays are still in operation 12 months after installation.

Andrea Leadsom

It is not possible to give an accurate figure on the number of In Home Displays (IHDs) installed as while energy suppliers are required to offer their domestic consumers an IHD where they install a smart metering system, domestic consumers can choose not to accept one.

Data from the Early Learning Project1 (ELP) which covered the very early part of the rollout at time when energy suppliers were trialling and testing approaches to consumer engagement, found that six in ten (61%) smart meter customers who had received an In Home Display (IHD) reported that they still had their IHD plugged in. These consumers had had their smart meters over a period of between six months and two and half years. The research also found that smart meter customers who had received their installation more recently were no more likely than those who did so around two years ago to still have their IHD plugged in.

[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-metering-early-learning-project-and-small-scale-behaviour-trials

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department (a) has conducted and (b) plans to conduct any research into alternative customer engagement tools to In Home Displays.

Andrea Leadsom

In 2011 the Energy Demand Research Project reported on a series of Government-supported supplier-led trials covering a range of feedback mechanisms from over 50,000 GB houses. These included but were not limited to In Home Displays with research into energy efficiency advice, benchmarking, billing, financial incentives and digital media (e.g. web and television). The findings showed that electricity savings with an In Home Display were generally 2-4% higher than with a smart meter only.

More recently, the Department has consulted on enabling suppliers to undertake controlled trials of innovative In Home Display alternatives when they install a compliant smart metering system. We are currently considering responses ahead of publishing decisions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential change in risk of flooding in South East England if Heathrow Airport expansion were to proceed.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.

The Government will carefully consider all the evidence set out, including that on flood risk, when making a decision on additional runway capacity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the likely proportion of UK exports going to other EU member states in (a) 2020, (b) 2030 and (c) 2050.

Mr Hugo Swire

In 2014, exports to the EU accounted for 44% of UK exports (ONS). The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), sources that we typically refer to, only forecast at the aggregate level. Therefore the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no estimates of the proportion of exports that the EU would account for in 2020, 2030 and 2050.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of homes in Windsor constituency have access to superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey

We estimate that total coverage of superfast broadband in the Windsor constituency will be 94 per cent. Commercial coverage will provide superfast broadband availability to over 39,900 premises. The BDUK project, which focuses on areas where commercial coverage does not exist or is not planned, will add an additional 2,200 premises to the commercial coverage under phase 1 of the project and an additional 1,600 premises under phase 2.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many households in the UK have been fitted with satellite broadband as part of the Government’s broadband rollout.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government has provided £780 million to support the roll-out of superfast broadband to 95 per cent of homes and businesses in the UK. In addition, the Government is supportingseven pilot projects exploring options for delivering superfast broadband services to the hardest to reach parts of the UK. Through these pilots, satellite broadband has been provided to 327 premises to date. Customers are being connected every day, so this figure is subject to constant change.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to attract international FinTech companies to the UK.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government is committed to making the UK the leading global FinTech hub, and has announced a large number of policy initiatives, including more supportive regulatory regimes for peer-to-peer, digital currencies, and other innovative firms.

The Government built on this record at the Summer Budget. First, Eileen Burbidge was appointed as the UK’s ‘Special Envoy for FinTech’, where she will represent UK interests in FinTech at home and around the world. Second, an international FinTech benchmarking exercise was announced to measure the UK’s performance and identify areas of best practice from around the world.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to the UK economy of blockchain technology.

Joseph Johnson

The Government Office for Science is conducting a review of distributed ledger technology, which encompasses Blockchain technology, to highlight the potential benefits of distributed ledgers to the delivery of public services, and to help government identify and remove roadblocks to their safe and effective use.

The review is being conducted by a panel of experts drawn from academia, business and government under the direction of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser. Their findings and recommendations will be published in a report this autumn.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she has taken to remove barriers to small energy providers using the services of the Data Communications Company.

Andrea Leadsom

DECC has undertaken a continuous programme of outreach with independent suppliers. This has allowed us to monitor their views on a range of issues, including costs and their ability to use the services of the Data Communications Company (DCC). One challenge we recognised independent suppliers may face was the cost effective procurement of adaptor software enabling them to access DCC services. Over the last twelve to eighteen months, this challenge has been taken up by a number of commercial providers bringing managed service IT solutions to the market which allow independent suppliers to access the DCC with minimal upfront cost. We will continue to monitor the situation to verify that smaller suppliers are able to access the DCC services satisfactorily.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the fixed charge system outlined in the Smart Energy Code on the ability of small energy providers to access the services of the Data Communications Company.

Andrea Leadsom

The Data Communications Company (DCC) charges for access to the DCC’s services in proportion to suppliers’ market share, calculated on a meter point basis, rather than an equal amount per supplier. This is designed to strike a balance between ensuring a fair contribution from all parties who will have access to the DECC services, and not disadvantaging those parties that are likely to use these services less than others.

The amount small energy providers will pay in fixed charges is therefore directly reflective of their smaller customer base and likely more limited use of the system that results from their lower market share.