Tag: Caroline Lucas

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will list the average wholesale price for electricity in (a) nominal and (b) real pounds sterling for each year from 2000 to 2015.

Andrea Leadsom

DECC receives wholesale prices data from Argus Media on a daily basis. The following table shows the yearly average of day-ahead baseload prices since 2001 when this data is available from. We have converted the daily data into a yearly average, and converted nominal data into real data using HM Treasury’s GDP deflators1.

Calendar Year	Yearly Average (nominal)	Yearly Average (2014 prices)
2015*	41.5		41.9**
2014	42.5		42.5
2013	50.8		51.7
2012	45.3		47.0
2011	48.3		50.9
2010	42.0		45.2
2009	37.8		41.9
2008	74.8		84.7
2007	31.1		36.2
2006	42.6		51.0
2005	39.5		48.7
2004	23.3		29.6
2003	21.3		27.9
2002	16.8		22.5
2001***	21.3		29.4
Source: Argus Media
		* Data available until November 11th 2015
		** Percentage change on previous year in line with July 2015 Budget *** Data available since October 15th 2001

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gdp-deflators-at-market-prices-and-money-gdp-october-2015-the-blue-book.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of (a) the extent to which UK pension funds are investing in fossil fuel and high carbon industries and (b) the potential effect of climate change on the stability of the UK pension sector; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson

The Investment of UK pension funds is a matter for the trustees of the scheme. Trustees are required to take advice on investment from a suitably qualified person to ensure they are appropriate. Trustees make investments according to a statement of investment principles they prepare after taking advice. The statement will set out the extent to which the trustees take into account environmental considerations when making investments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average amount the Youth Justice Board will pay for each place for a child in (a) Medway secure training centre, (b)Oakhill secure training centre, (c) Rainsbrook secure training centre, (d) Cookham Wood young offender institution, (e) Feltham young offender institution, (f) Parc young offender institution, (g) Werrington young offender institution and (h) Wetherby young offender institution; and what the average amount the Youth Justice Board paid on average for each place for a child in each of those institutions was in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Andrew Selous

Secure Training Centres (STCs) typically cater for younger offenders with multiple or complex needs and therefore have smaller units and higher staff ratios than Young Offender Institutions (YOIs).

The Youth Justice Board calculates the average cost of custody per place per year based on assumed full occupancy of all youth secure establishments. Table 1 shows the average costs for a place per year at each of the specified STCs and YOIs for each year since 2013/14.

Table 1: Average costs per place per year by youth secure establishment

Establishment	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
(a) Medway STC	£214,606	£157,110	£138,051
(b) Oakhill STC	£204,301	£210,926	£217,485
(c) Rainsbrook STC	£175,479	£181,194	£134,955
(d) Cookham Wood YOI	£76,051	£53,915	£81,089
(e) Feltham YOI	£53,690	£55,120	£68,548
(f) Parc YOI	£67,995	£68,611	£69,331
(g) Werrington YOI	£55,638	£57,090	£91,306
(h) Wetherby YOI	£46,688	£59,579	£70,505

Notes:

1. Prices not adjusted for inflation
2. Business rates are included for STCs (business rates are charged on non-domestic property).
3. Costs do not include VAT where this is applicable (STCs and Parc).
4. Advocacy service prices are included for STCs and YOIs. The advocacy service is an independent service that supports young people within the secure estate.
5. These costs do not include costs associated with escorting of young people between courts and secure accommodation.

In 2015/16 the YJB became responsible for commissioning education in public sector YOIs, which was previously funded through the Education Funding Agency. New YOI education contracts have also increased the number of education hours available to young people.

Costs at Medway and Rainsbrook STCs reduced between 2014/15 and 2015/16, following contract renegotiations and the removal of healthcare costs from these contracts. The Oakhill contract includes costs associated with healthcare, unlike the other two STCs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is offering to the government of Lebanon on the distribution of central resources to municipalities to enable host communities to assist refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK is providing £9 million this year to support the Lebanese Host Community Support Programme. This programme is aimed at providing basic services to 49 of Lebanon’s most vulnerable municipalities (those most affected by the pressures of hosting large refugee communities). It is jointly run by the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The programme does not use central government resources, but the Government of Lebanon does provide strategic direction through consultations with UNDP. We hope that their involvement will help to strengthen their capacity to respond to the Syria crisis.

Since the start of the Syria crisis the UK has contributed over £330 million to help maintain Lebanese stability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20630, if he will publish the initial findings of the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study covering the establishment of a Brighton Mainline 2.

Claire Perry

The Government does not propose to publish the initial findings, which are being more fully developed at present. The Study is expected to be completed early in 2016, and the Government will subsequently consider the timeframe for releasing the study findings, including our response.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) AWE personnel and (b) contractors are working on legacy decommissioning projects at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

Mr Philip Dunne

There are 209 contractors and 78 AWE personnel working on decommissioning projects, including demolition, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what contingency plans the Government has in place to ensure security of energy supply in the event of the proposed Hinkley nuclear power station not being completed.

Andrea Leadsom

We remain confident that Hinkley Point C will go ahead on schedule. Security of supply is ensured through the Capacity Market, in which National Grid recommends a volume of capacity to secure ahead of each four year- and one year-ahead auction. The process in determining the amount of capacity to secure, uses a thorough plant level assessment of what capacity the UK is likely to be able to rely on from other plants.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff are employed within his Department’s Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigation Unit.

Priti Patel

Child Maintenance Group currently has 33.01 full-time equivalent staff working within the Financial Investigations Unit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27465, what the budget is for the Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigations Unit for 2015-16.

Priti Patel

The Financial Investigations Unit does not have a separate budget, but there is sufficient funding in the wider Child Maintenance Group budget for the planned level of staffing in the Unit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Base Case Conditions for EU approval of state aid for Hinkley Point C, whether there have been modifications to the (a) date of 31 December 2020 and (b) cap on the amount of debt drawn until Flamanville 3 has completed the trial operation period; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands

The Chancellor’s announcement on 21 September 2015 set out that the government and the Hinkley Point C project company had agreed the terms of a £2 billion guarantee through the UK Guarantees Scheme. This initial guarantee will be repaid in December 2020. There is no further obligation to issue guarantees after that date.

This initial guarantee is the first tranche of debt guarantees that was approved as part of the European Commission’s approval of the wider support package for Hinkley Point C. The government is satisfied that the terms of the guarantee remain within the Closing Decision of the EU Commission.