Tag: David Anderson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what meetings she has had with Jobcentre Plus to discuss measures to help redundant onshore wind workers back into employment; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government was elected with a commitment to end subsidies for new onshore wind projects. We are taking the steps necessary to deliver this commitment, which includes closing the Renewables Obligation (RO) early to new onshore wind projects.

An Impact Assessment (IA) considering the potential effects of the Government’s proposals to close the RO early was published on 8 September, with an update published on 8 October. The IA suggests, under the central scenario, that ending RO support early could have a small impact on employment in this sector compared with the do nothing option.

Under the Government’s proposals onshore wind is expected to deploy 11.6GW of capacity under the RO and an additional 0.75GW under Contracts for Difference by 2020. Taken together, this is sufficient to meet onshore wind’s expected contribution towards our renewables target as set out in the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan whilst minimising the impact of potential over deployment on consumer bills. This strong pipeline of projects will support jobs in this sector, including construction, maintenance and management opportunities out to 2020.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State for Work and Pensions of 23 November 2015, Official Report, column 467HL, what the evidential basis is for her statement that most of the women affected by state pension equalisation have accepted this.

Justin Tomlinson

My noble friend, the Minister for Pensions, engages regularly with older workers, employers and other stakeholders. The Minister for Pensions was summarising from her frequent discussions with these groups.

All women affected by faster equalisation will reach State Pension age after the introduction of the new State Pension. Around 650,000 women reaching State Pension age in the first ten years will receive an average of £8 per week (in 2014/15 earnings terms) more due to the new State Pension valuation of their National Insurance record.

Equalisation of the State Pension age was necessary under EU law to eliminate gender inequalities in welfare provision.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects to be able to announce how carbon capture and storage research and deployment will be funded in future; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

Decisions on which technologies to support with research, development and demonstration funding will be made in due course, in the context of our agreed policy objectives, with a clear focus on targeting investment in areas of demonstrable market failure. A generating station connected to a complete CCS system is an eligible technology for Contracts for Difference under the Contract for Difference Regulations. Contracts for Difference for CCS are awarded on direction of my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State. Whether or not the Secretary of State would consider awarding a CfDs to a specific project would be subject to the circumstances at the time, including factors such as the value for money and affordability of a project and competing demands on available budgets.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will ensure that her Department’s coal consultation, announced in her speech of 18 November 2015, examines how the UK electricity generation market can use as high a proportion as possible of UK-produced coal; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

On 18 November 2015, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced an intention to consult on proposals to close all unabated coal-fired power stations by 2025 and restrict the use of unabated coal power from 2023. The proportion of UK-produced coal used in power stations is determined by the commercial decisions of the owners of power stations about where to source coal cost-competitively.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what financial assistance is available to UK businesses in the oil industry supply chain who face financial difficulties resulting from the reduction in the price of oil.

Anna Soubry

The Government has taken steps to help reinvigorate the supply chain by stimulating more investment opportunities in the UK Continental Shelf through a £1.3bn package of tax cutting measures and £20m of new funding for a second round of seismic surveys, announced at the end of January 2016.

The government has taken forward the rapid implementation of the Wood Review and the Oil and Gas Fiscal Review, establishing the Oil and Gas Authority, and in recognition of the current economic pressures hitting the industry, has established a cross-government, Ministerial oil support group. This will look at issues such as how to support the supply chain and workers through this difficult period.

UKTI also continue to work with supply chain companies to access overseas opportunities in countries including Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan and Mexico.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what additional resources his Department plans to make available to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator to ensure it meets the 90-day target in issuing complaint outcomes set by the European Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Joseph Johnson

Should an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, such
as the Office for the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA),be found
to be continually failing to comply with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Regulations
2015, the Government has set out a process that enables an appointed body (the
Chartered Trading Standards Institute) to monitor compliance, recommend
improvements and, ultimately, remove a body from the approved list.

The OIA is independent of Government and funded by compulsory subscriptions
from higher education providers. All higher education providers in receipt of
student support funding are required, through legislation, to join the OIA and pay
subscription fees. The OIA makes an assessment each year of the level of
funding it requires to ensure that its costs can be met.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will place in the Library any information her Department holds on the number of jobs imported coal supports in each of its source countries; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

The number of jobs imported coal supports in each of its source countries is not information that the Department of Energy and Climate Change holds.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will commission independent research on the (a) economic, (b) environmental and (c) technical viability of building ultra-supercritical coal fired power stations in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

Coal is the most carbon intensive form of electricity generation. I have no plans to commission independent research on the viability of building ultra-supercritical coal fired power stations in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department holds data on the amount of heat a tonne of biomass gives off when burned compared to a tonne of coal; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department annually publishes the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES). Appendix A of DUKES contains data on the calorific value of fuels:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/447648/ DUKES_2015_Annex_A.pdf.

The gross calorific value of dry biomass fuels, (the DUKES values have been corrected for moisture content), vary between 10 gigajoules per tonne (GJ/t) for poultry litter and 24 GJ/t for meat and bone meal. A typical dry wood based fuel has an energy content close to 19 GJ/t. Treatments such as torrefaction or charcoal production increase the energy density of biomass derived materials. However these manufactured biomass fuels are not commonly used for heating in the UK.

A tonne of coal can also vary in heat content, depending on the rank of the coal, but lies between 24 GJ/t for bituminous coal as used in the pulp, paper and printing industries and 34 GJ/t of fuel for anthracite used in households. Typical bituminous house coal has a gross heat content of 30 GJ/t.

These values represent the maximum heat available from a fuel in a laboratory test. The useful heat provided by combustion of that fuel to the business or home will depend on the efficiency of the combustor in which it is burnt and the design of the energy distribution system. The combustor efficiency can range from an open fire which may provide 20% of the energy in the fuel as useful heat, to modern condensing wood pellet boilers with gross efficiencies around 90%.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in her Department hold qualifications at A-level or above in statistics.

Nick Gibb

The Department does not hold information requested.

For staff joining the Department specifically as statisticians there are minimum requirements.

For those joining at Fast Stream level, the requirements are:

• a minimum of a 2:1 degree in a numerate discipline such as mathematics, economics, psychology or geography; the degree should contain some formal statistical training;

• a graduate diploma of the Royal Statistical Society or an equivalent qualification.

For those joining at EO grade, the requirements are:

• a minimum of a 2:2 degree in a numerate discipline such as mathematics, economics, psychology or geography; the degree should contain some formal statistical training;

• a graduate diploma of the Royal Statistical Society or equivalent qualification;

We also welcome applications from candidates who do not have a degree but can demonstrate significant experience in a statistics related field, plus continuing professional development in a relevant area that leads to qualifications (for example the RSS Higher Certificate).