Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding is available for research and development into sustainable aviation fuels.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government believes sustainable aviation fuels are of strategic importance, both in reducing carbon emissions and to drive the development of an advanced biofuels industry in the UK.
Those developing sustainable aviation biofuels were eligible to apply for funding under the Department’s Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition, the winners of which were announced last September.
In early 2015 a Transport Energy Taskforce including aviation industry experts considered, amongst other things, the potential for sustainable aviation fuels to contribute to our climate change commitments to 2030 and beyond. Further to that work we are planning to consult on potential changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation later this year, including to make renewable fuels used in aviation eligible for reward under the scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the carbon savings that could result from increasing the use of biofuels in UK aviation.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government believes sustainable aviation fuels are of strategic importance, both in reducing carbon emissions and to drive the development of an advanced biofuels industry in the UK.
Those developing sustainable aviation biofuels were eligible to apply for funding under the Department’s Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition, the winners of which were announced last September.
In early 2015 a Transport Energy Taskforce including aviation industry experts considered, amongst other things, the potential for sustainable aviation fuels to contribute to our climate change commitments to 2030 and beyond. Further to that work we are planning to consult on potential changes to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation later this year, including to make renewable fuels used in aviation eligible for reward under the scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was spent on the civil nuclear police force last year, and what is the budgeted expenditure on the force for each of the next four years.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary is mostly funded by industry through arrangements for it to charge nuclear sites for provision of service to those sites, as set out in the Energy Act 2004.
The table below set out how much was spent on the force last year, via this mechanism:
2015/16 | |
Revenue Expenditure | £100.2m |
Capital Expenditure | £3.9m |
Total | £104.1m |
The budgeted expenditure for future years is set out in the Civil Nuclear Police Authority’s Strategy and Business Plan 2016-2019 (copy attached).
Figures for 2019/20 are not provided because this is not yet forecast, given the current extent of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority’s business planning.
Some costs that are not for provision of service to nuclear sites cannot be charged to industry, and are covered by the Department of Energy and Climate Change. In 2015/16 that amount was £213,000. It is difficult to predict in advance which costs might not be rechargeable, therefore we do not have a forecast for costs for future years.
Similar information was provided in January 2016 in response to a House of Commons named day parliamentary question (reference: 22582), which asked what expenditure has been allocated to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.
The figures given in answer to that question and the figures given and referred to here, show some variation. The reason for this variation is partly that the previous figures were based on indicative budgets whereas the figures given here are final budgets as approved by the Civil Nuclear Police Authority Board.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there exists a 10-year rule under which departmental papers and records may be destroyed, and if so, where that rule is set out.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
There is no ten year rule for the destruction of records created by ministers. Departments work to the guidance published by The National Archives on the appraisal and selection of official records which are retained and transferred for permanent preservation.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the 10 year rule that is given as the reason that Lord Owen's and Lord Jenkin of Roding's ministerial papers in regard to contaminated blood were destroyed.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
We do not recognise that a ten year rule has been established for the destruction of records created by ministers. The Department works to the guidance published by The National Archives on the appraisal and selection of official records which are retained and transferred for permanent preservation.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they have forecast they will spend on staff costs related to regulating fracking in each year to 2020.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Staff costs related to shale gas will be determined as part of the Department’s current business planning process.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland have the exclusive rights to nominate people for two of the seats on the Smart Energy Code Panel, as specified in paragraph C3.4 of that Code.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government considers that it is important that the interests of energy consumers are represented on the SEC Panel. The current arrangements were consulted on in the Government’s Smart Energy Code Consultation in April 2012, and were concluded in the Government Responses in November 2012 and April 2013. The Government concluded that Consumer Futures, as the exclusive statutory consumer body in the energy sector, was best placed to nominate consumer representatives for the Panel. These statutory responsibilities were transferred to Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland when Consumer Futures was abolished in 2014.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect work to commence on the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
On 10 February the Government announced that it will commission an independent review to assess the strategic case for tidal lagoons and whether they could represent good value for consumers. We anticipate that the review will be completed in the autumn.
The Government is currently in the first phase of a Contract for Difference negotiation with the developer of the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project. At present there is no timeframe for how long the negotiation process may take. The timeframe depends on a number of factors, many of which would be outside the control of the Department.
The work programme and the construction timetable for the proposed lagoon are matters for the developer.
Asked by: Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money they have spent in this Parliamentary Session on support for fracking activities.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer my Hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change gave to the hon. Member for Huddersfield on 21 January 2016 to House of Commons Parliamentary Question 22696.