Tag: Lord Donoughue

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2016-01-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any changes in agricultural yields due to sustainable agricultural projects funded, in whole or in part, by the UK International Climate Fund.

Earl of Courtown

Agriculture projects receiving ICF support are assessed against a number of performance indicators, including improvement in people’s resilience to climate change, and how they help improve farmers’ incomes and yields. While the evidence on effective climate change actions is still growing, the DFID funded CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security has reviewed in 2015 the impact of 19 climate smart case studies on agriculture productivity, people’s resilience to climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It found that climate smart approaches clearly have the potential to meet our development expectations: all of the 19 case studies contributed towards sustainably increasing agricultural productivity, and related increases in farm incomes, food security and development. 18 cases helped build resilience of agricultural and food security systems to climate change, and 15 cases clearly contributed to reducing greenhouse gases from agriculture.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2016-01-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the electricity cost per tonne of steel produced in (1) the UK, (2) Germany, and (3) France, and what assessment they have made of the reasons for any differential cost in the UK.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government assessed, and published a report about, the impact of energy and climate change policies on industry and how this compares to other countries. That report was published on 11 July 2012. Based on this data the projected cost per MWh of energy and climate change polices for industry for 2015 (expressed in 2010 prices) was £18.50 in the UK, £5.80 for France, and £13.10 for Germany. However the Government has since taken action to mitigate most of the indirect costs arising from energy and climate change policies for industry, specifically by compensating for the indirect costs of carbon taxes and now by implementing relief from the costs of renewables policies passed through in bills. These measures will save the steel industry around £100m over the financial year – roughly 30% of their electricity bills.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2016-01-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extra electricity cost to steel producers related to climate change policies in financial terms per tonne, and as a percentage, (1) in the UK, (2) in Germany, and (3) in France.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government assessed, and published a report about, the impact of energy and climate change policies on industry and how this compares to other countries. That report was published on 11 July 2012. Based on this data the projected cost per MWh of energy and climate change polices for industry for 2015 (expressed in 2010 prices) was £18.50 in the UK, £5.80 for France, and £13.10 for Germany. However the Government has since taken action to mitigate most of the indirect costs arising from energy and climate change policies for industry, specifically by compensating for the indirect costs of carbon taxes and now by implementing relief from the costs of renewables policies passed through in bills. These measures will save the steel industry around £100m over the financial year – roughly 30% of their electricity bills.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Earl of Courtown on 26 January (HL4975), whether there has been an occasion on which they have not been satisfied with the annual performance report of a charity receiving Programme Partnership Arrangement funding; whether financial penalties were imposed as a result; and whether they publish criteria about when such penalties will be imposed.

Baroness Verma

All Programme Partnerships Arrangement are reviewed on an annual basis, providing an assessment of performance, ongoing relevance, value for money and any remedial action required. We have not to date imposed financial penalties on any Programme Partnership Arrangement recipient. All Annual Reviews are published on DFID’s Development Tracker which is available online.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2016-06-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many new coal-fired plants are planned by China and India over the next decade.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Table 7.2 of the International Energy Agency’s 2015 World Energy Outlook projects the following demand for coal under the Agency’s New Policy Scenario:

	2013	2025
China	2,932	2,957
India	488	812
World	5,613	5,874

Figures in Mtce – million tonnes of coal equivalent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was paid by the Department for International Development to green energy campaign groups between 2010 and 2015 (1) in the UK, and (2) internationally, both as a total and as a percentage of the Department for International Development’s development expenditure.

Earl of Courtown

DFID does not fund any green energy campaign groups in the UK. DFID’s Programme Partnership Arrangement (PPA) funding to Civil Society enables organisations to achieve international development outcomes. Some organisations may choose to use DFID funding for advocacy efforts, including on climate, within the countries in which they work

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2016-06-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent on the International Climate Fund in each financial year from 2011–12 to 2014–15.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Spend under the International Climate Fund by the Department for International Development, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is as follows:

2011-12 – £427m

2012-13 – £548m

2013-14 – £788m

2014-15 – £911m

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in 2014, what percentage of the International Climate Fund was spent on (1) low carbon development, compared to the original target of 30 per cent, and (2) adaptation, compared to the original intention of 50 per cent.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The original thematic splits for the International Climate Fund (ICF) were revised in 2013 as part of a strategic review of the Fund. The revised goals are for a 50:50 split over the 2011/12 – 2015/16 Spending Review period between low carbon development and adaptation, with forestry contributing equally to both themes.

As reported in the International Commission on Aid Impact (ICAI) report in 2014, at the end of the 2013/14 financial year, the ICF had spent 45% of its budget (£1.75bn), with 56% going towards mitigation, 28% on adaptation and 16% on forestry. In 2014 the International Climate Fund spent a total of £880m, with 41.8% on low carbon development and 42.3% on adaptation. The remaining spend was mainly directed at forestry programmes, with a small amount categorised as cross-cutting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2016-06-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Clean Technology Funds financial eligibility threshold of $200 per tonne of CO2 equivalent abated represents good value for UK taxpayers in the context of global mitigation effects.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

In order to ensure value for money, the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) Investment Criteria (2009) has six objectives, of which cost-effectiveness is one. The other objectives are Potential for GHG Emissions Savings, Demonstration Potential at Scale, Development Impact, Implementation Potential and Additional Costs and Risk Premium.

The financial eligibility threshold of $200 per tonne of CO₂ equivalent is in place to safeguard value for money. This threshold was based on the International Energy Agency’s Energy Technology Perspectives 2008 Report, as the lower-end estimate of the marginal incentive needed to achieve a reduction of global GHG emissions to 50% by 2050. The average total investment cost per tonne achieved in the CTF is $39.60 (£26.40), which is significantly below this threshold.

More information is available in the document Climate Investment Funds (2009), Clean Technology Fund Investment Criteria for public sector operations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Donoughue on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to ensure that civil servants respond to comments in the 2014 report on the UK’s International Climate Fund (ICF) by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact that pressure to spend ICF funds quickly has not always been conducive to effective delivery.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Government’s response to the Independent Commission for Aid Impact’s review is available online. We accepted or partially accepted all of ICAI’s recommendations and we are on track to implement or have already implemented the actions set out in this response.