Tag: Teresa Pearce

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of raising the level of support offered through the Contract for Difference for Hinkley Point C as a result of low wholesale energy prices.

Andrea Leadsom

The Contract for Difference mechanism provides increased price certainty to generators regardless of wholesale electricity sale prices, thereby incentivising investment in low carbon generation. It does this by paying the generator the difference between the strike price and the market reference price (a composite of wholesale price indices) for electricity sold into the market for the duration of the contract. The generator will make difference payments back to the Low Carbon Contracts Company should the market reference price rise above the strike price.

The strike price for the Hinkley Point C project was agreed in October 2013 and is £92.50/MWh. If EDF take a Final Investment Decision in relation to Sizewell C, the strike price for Hinkley Point C will be reduced to £89.50/MWh.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for consumer credit licences for debt advice and debt adjusting on a commercial basis have been made in the last 12 months; and how many such applications have been (a) granted, (b) rejected, (c) withdrawn and (d) await a decision.

Harriett Baldwin

These questions have been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA will reply to directly to the Honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when her Department will publish its most recent assessment of the effect of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is committed to making energy more affordable, supporting a more competitive, innovative, and smarter energy system that drives down bills. At the last Autumn Statement, the government also set out action to reduce the projected impact of policies on average household energy bills by around £30 a year from 2017.

The Department intends to publish, in due course, an update on the projected costs of policies funded through supplier levies and obligations that impact consumer energy bills. In addition, the department continues to assess the impact of individual policy proposals on the energy bills of various consumers (including households and businesses), which it sets out in relevant policy impact assessments, available online at www.gov.uk.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what targets his Department has for the granting, rejection and withdrawal of consumer credit licences for debt advice and debt adjusting on a commercial basis.

Harriett Baldwin

These questions have been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA will reply to directly to the Honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-04-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to review Building Regulations Approved Document B (Fire Safety).

James Wharton

My Department is considering a number of issues related to the Building Regulations and the building control system. We will make an announcement about our plans in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that new gas-fired power stations are built in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

Gas generation currently forms an integral part of the UK’s electricity mix and it will continue to do so over the coming decades as we decarbonise our electricity system; it is the cleanest fossil fuel and is one of the most flexible and reliable sources of electricity. We have said that we will consult on regulating the closure of all coal power stations by 2025. This gives an important investment signal to new gas developers.

The Capacity Market is in place to drive investment in new capacity such as building new gas-fired power stations when they are required. We have just run the second capacity auction which was successful in securing the capacity we needed at good value for consumers. We are currently reviewing whether the current framework maintains the confidence of gas investors, and will make any adjustments necessary to build on the success of the first two auctions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses of (a) Lyme disease and (b) chronic Lyme disease have been made in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance supports primary care doctors in managing Lyme disease but to further strengthen the evidence base we have commissioned NICE to develop guidelines for the recognition and treatment of Lyme disease; this is expected in June 2018.

Public Health England (PHE) provides information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and the public, holds regular medical training days, and works with Lyme Disease Action to support the needs and interests of patients.

NHS Choices also publishes information on its website to raise awareness of Lyme disease and encourage timely medical consultation because early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is the best way of limiting complications from infection.

The number of human cases can be reduced by raising public awareness of how to avoid tick bites, and by environmental measures in public places to reduce the long grass and scrub which harbor ticks. PHE works with interested local authorities to raise tick awareness, and has produced joint public information with local authorities in areas such as the New Forest with a significant incidence of Lyme disease.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales varies annually, in 2013 there were 878 and in 2014 there were 730, but the majority of diagnoses are made clinically by general practitioners and those figures are not recorded.

Patients with late or complicated Lyme disease may be diagnosed in a variety of specialist clinics, and the numbers are not recorded. Based on the clinical information supplied with the laboratory request, only a small proportion of the annual number of cases fall into this category.

There is no clear definition for chronic Lyme disease, and no general acceptance of what the term means, so no data is available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on classification of capacity payments as an environmental levy.

Damian Hinds

The classification of transactions for National Account purposes is a decision for the independent Office for National Statistics.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of Lyme disease amongst medical professionals.

Jane Ellison

The existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance supports primary care doctors in managing Lyme disease but to further strengthen the evidence base we have commissioned NICE to develop guidelines for the recognition and treatment of Lyme disease; this is expected in June 2018.

Public Health England (PHE) provides information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and the public, holds regular medical training days, and works with Lyme Disease Action to support the needs and interests of patients.

NHS Choices also publishes information on its website to raise awareness of Lyme disease and encourage timely medical consultation because early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is the best way of limiting complications from infection.

The number of human cases can be reduced by raising public awareness of how to avoid tick bites, and by environmental measures in public places to reduce the long grass and scrub which harbor ticks. PHE works with interested local authorities to raise tick awareness, and has produced joint public information with local authorities in areas such as the New Forest with a significant incidence of Lyme disease.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales varies annually, in 2013 there were 878 and in 2014 there were 730, but the majority of diagnoses are made clinically by general practitioners and those figures are not recorded.

Patients with late or complicated Lyme disease may be diagnosed in a variety of specialist clinics, and the numbers are not recorded. Based on the clinical information supplied with the laboratory request, only a small proportion of the annual number of cases fall into this category.

There is no clear definition for chronic Lyme disease, and no general acceptance of what the term means, so no data is available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what level of financial return the Government expects from diesel generators who will benefit from payments through the capacity market.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government itself will not make any financial return from generators participating in the capacity market. As with all types of capacity, diesel generators that have been successful in the second capacity market will receive a payment of £18/kw in return for providing electricity at short notice when the system requires it; and may have other sources of revenue outside the capacity market. Diesel engines are a flexible form of capacity that run for short periods to meet peaks in demand, and can reduce the consumer bill impacts by lowering the cost of securing the necessary capacity.