Guto Bebb

The Department holds regular discussions about the proposed Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant with the developer Horizon Nuclear Power, the Welsh and local governments and other interested parties including members of the local community.

The Government expects the Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant to bring massive economic benefit to the region, Wales and the UK as a whole. The project is still in the planning phase, so it is too early to estimate its value. However, the developer, Horizon Nuclear Power, has stated that it expects hundreds of millions of pounds to be invested in the local economy. Horizon also expects that the plant will create 1000 permanent jobs and up to 8,500 jobs during the construction phase.

There is no threat to the UK’s National Health Service from TTIP. This was confirmed again by the European Commission’s chief negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero at a meeting organised to the All Party Parliamentary Group on TTIP this week.

The chief negotiator outlined that EU public services are automatically excluded from all EU trade in service market liberalisation agreements. Publicly funded health services are specifically excluded. Member states decide how to deliver their public services and can change the delivery model at any time. TTIP will not change the fact that it is up to UK Government alone to decide how UK public services, including the NHS, are run.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is responsible for EU structural funds policy and regulations. The United Kingdom’s Managing Authorities have responsibility for issuing guidance to recipients of the funds.

In England, the Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Department for Work and Pensions is the Managing Authority for the European Social Fund (ESF).

In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Devolved Administrations are responsible for the management of the ERDF and ESF programmes.

All the Managing Authorities have websites which give guidance to potential applicants for funding, as well as reports and publicity about their programmes.

The links to the structural funds websites are as follows:-

England

Department for Communities and local Government:

https://www.gov.uk/erdf-national-guidance

Department for Work and Pensions:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/european-social-fund-2007-to-2013#guidance-and-regulations

Northern Ireland

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (ERDF):

http://www.eucompni.gov.uk/

Department of Education and Learning (ESF):

http://www.delni.gov.uk/esf

Scotland

Scottish Government:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/17404

Wales

Welsh European Funding Office:

http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/publications/guidance/?lang=en

In August this year, the Department confirmed a grant award under the Marine Energy Array Deployment fund of up to £10m for the development of the world’s first tidal stream array project in the Pentland Firth.

Tidal energy projects may also receive support under the Renewables Obligation and through applying for a Contract for Difference.

In October 2010, the Government published the conclusions of a 2-year feasibility study into tidal power on the Severn estuary, including a regional economic impact assessment. While the Government concluded it did not see a strategic case for public investment in a tidal energy scheme in the Severn estuary, the outcome of the feasibility study does not preclude a privately financed scheme. The document can be downloaded at the following web-link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/1-severn-tidal-power-feasibility-study-conclusions-and-summary-report.

My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has received no representations about (a) Gold Crest Finance and (b) Hertford Solutions LLP.

The seventh round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) took place between 29 September and 3 October in Chevy Chase, Maryland. As expected, negotiations were largely focused on regulatory issues. Discussions also covered energy, intellectual property, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and services.

There was good technical progress, particularly on regulatory coherence, for example in the automotive and pharmaceutical sectors. This progress is crucial and prepares the ground for an ambitious and comprehensive agreement.

The cost of paying a one-off payment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff in lieu of their entitlement to annual increments was £3.2m. This cost is offset against a reduction in overall pay bill costs over the longer term.

The non-consolidated payments were staggered by grade in line with contractual step values.

The payback period in relation to the one-off payment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff who opted to forego their entitlement to annual increment payment was estimated to be 6 years. This is based upon an assumption of 1% paybill increases year on year until 2020.

We have asked the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for an assurance that redress offers which take the form of a substitute hedging product are only being offered where it is fair and reasonable to do so. In response, the FCA has said that robust oversight and challenge processes are in place to ensure that this is the case and that a replacement product offer can only be made if an independent reviewer is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to support the decision.

In addition, my officials liaise regularly with the FCA to draw the regulator’s attention to swaps redress cases that have been raised with the department where we think this is justified.

The Government wants to encourage all householders to invest in energy efficiency, whether rural or urban. The Green Deal Home Improvement Fund is designed to incentivise householders in England and Wales to install a wide range of energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and better glazing. Many rural properties have solid walls, making them well placed to take maximum advantage of the scheme - such households could be eligible to receive up to £6000 for installing solid wall insulation, or up to £7000 for installing solid wall insulation and two other eligible measures.

However DECC does consider it appropriate to exclude oil and LPG fired boilers from the GDHIF scheme. The Government fully recognises that LPG and oil, like other fossil fuels, will continue to play a part in the UK's energy mix, but we must begin to revolutionise the way we heat our homes to make the transition to a low carbon economy. To this end, DECC has introduced the domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme to support renewable heating systems; this support aims to compensate householders for the additional costs they face when installing a renewable heating system compared to an oil heating system. The domestic RHI is targeted at, but not limited to, homes off the gas grid. Incentivising oil and LPG boilers in this context would undermine the balance struck in the design of the RHI, and potentially cause confusion for consumers. For low income and vulnerable customers, support is available through the Affordable Warmth element of the Energy Company Obligation. Through this, energy suppliers deliver heating cost reductions in eligible off gas and on gas grid households through the provision of any measures which will reduce costs. We have proposed changes to ECO which will actively incentivise suppliers to deliver measures to non-gas fuelled households.

The Government fully recognises that LPG and oil, like other fossil fuels, will continue to play a part in the UK's energy mix, but we must begin to revolutionise the way we heat our homes to make the transition to a low carbon economy. To this end, DECC has introduced the domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme to support renewable heating systems. The domestic RHI is targeted predominately at off gas-grid households, by compensating for the additional costs faced when replacing an oil boiler with a renewable heating system. New incentives for oil and LPG boilers would undermine the balance struck in the design of the RHI, and potentially cause confusion for consumers.

For more vulnerable customers, support for condensing boilers will remain available through the Energy Company Obligation. DECC has proposed changes that will strengthen the support for off-grid properties.

The Department has not carried out a specific assessment on the potential link between offshore wind farms and tidal patterns in North Wales.

The Department does undertake a programme of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) for offshore energy technologies which identifies and addresses relevant environmental issues at a strategic level. At a project level, developers are required to undertake Environmental Impact Assessments through the planning system and development consent will not be granted if significant effects on the environment cannot be mitigated.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has not discussed broadband rollout with his counterpart in the Welsh Assembly Government, since being appointed on 9 April 2014. However, DCMS officials have weekly discussions with Welsh Assembly officials on this subject.

The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in 2013/14.

The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in 2013/14.

The three local authorities in Wales that applied for additional Discretionary Housing Payments from the additional £20 million reserve fund provided by the Government are detailed on the table below:

This information was published on 24 March 2014 in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) subsidy circular S3/2014. Please find attached a link where the information can be found.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295291/s3-2014.pdf

The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in 2013/14.

The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in 2013/14.

The three local authorities in Wales that applied for additional Discretionary Housing Payments from the additional £20 million reserve fund provided by the Government are detailed on the table below:

This information was published on 24 March 2014 in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) subsidy circular S3/2014. Please find attached a link where the information can be found.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295291/s3-2014.pdf

In 2013-14, 240 local authorities in Great Britain spent less than 100% of their total Government contribution in DHP, of which 5 were in Wales. Thirteen local authorities, of which two were in Wales, reported expenditure which exactly matched their Government contribution.

In June, the Government published an analysis of local authority DHP expenditure in 2013-14, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/322455/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-june-2014.pdf

Five local authorities in Wales spent less than their 2013-14 Government contribution in Discretionary Housing Payments. These were:

Local Authority Government Contribution Amount Unspent

Details for all 240 local authorities in Great Britain which spent less than their 2013-14 Government contribution in DHP are provided in the attached annex.

For the remaining 140 local authorities across Great Britain, of which 17 were in Wales, DHP expenditure in 2013-14 either matched or exceeded the Government contribution.