Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to his Department's report, Life cycle impacts of biomass electricity in 2020, what assessment he has made of the (a) reliability of evidence that the main UK biomass supplies come from North America and (b) effect of such imports on domestic industries; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Amber Rudd
As part of their sustainability requirements, biomass generating stations must report their biomass sustainability data to Ofgem, and this includes the country of origin. This data is published annually on Ofgem’s website1. From later this year, biomass generators will also be required to have their sustainability data independently audited, annually.
In 2013, the Department carried out an analysis of domestic and imported wood use by major biomass generating stations, using both the above sustainability reporting and additional five- year forecasts that large scale generators provided to the Department as part of a voluntary exercise2. The forecast weight of domestically sourced wood used for biomass power generation is expected to remain stable between 2.3 and 2.5 million oven dried tonnes (modt). This analysis supports the Department’s assessment that major generators intend to focus on international rather than domestic sources of wood.
Furthermore, as ‘high quality’ wood, such as that suitable for saw logs and timber production, commands a significantly higher market price than residues, this makes high quality wood unattractive and unaffordable for use as woodfuel. Therefore market forces, both here and abroad, should mean mixed used of wood continues.
[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/biomass-sustainability-dataset-2012-13
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what meetings he has had with stakeholders to discuss his Department's report, Life cycle impacts of biomass electricity in 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Amber Rudd
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has spoken with, and exchanged correspondence with, industry representatives, academic experts and with environmental organisations about the report. Where correspondence has been received in the form of campaigns, the Government’s response has been published on its website.
DECC officials have also engaged extensively with stakeholders on the report both during and after its preparation and will continue to do so as we further develop our evidence base.
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has made to the German Government about the issue of responsibility for the victims of thalidomide damage in the UK; and what the UK Government's responsibilities are in this matter.
Answered by Norman Lamb
I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on 14 October 2014, asking if she would meet with representatives of the Thalidomide Trust. The specific issue of responsibility for the victims of the Thalidomide disaster was not addressed.
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has made to his German counterpart on thalidomide damage in the UK.
Answered by Norman Lamb
I met with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014 and subsequently wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments, asking if she would meet with the Trust.
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there has been a change to the Government's policy that the type 26 frigates will be built in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The Government is committed to the future of shipbuilding in the UK. Complex warships for the Royal Navy are only built in UK shipyards.
The Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme is currently in its Assessment Phase. While the build contract has not yet been awarded, from 2015 the only shipyards in the UK that are able to build complex warships will be those on the Clyde.
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of members of pension schemes who did not receive a tax-free lump sum on receipt of pension in the few months prior to the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) regulations adopted in April 2010, which allowed members who were not already in receipt of pension payments to give up some of their FAS assistance for a lump sum payment on transfer of the scheme to FAS.
Answered by Steve Webb
The FAS may pay members of schemes which transfer their assets to government a tax-free lump sum when payments begin, provided their scheme has not paid them during the winding up period. In the three months from January to March 2010, 263 such members were paid a scheme pension and did not receive a tax-free lump sum.
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long each claimant has waited for the review and completion of a compensation claim under the War Pension and the Armed Forces Compensation System Schemes since the inception of those schemes.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The length of time each claimant has waited for the review and completion of a compensation claim under the War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation System since the inception of those schemes, in 1921 and 2005 respectively, is not available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the information below provides the average length of time taken to process claims under the War Pensions Scheme and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme in each year since 2009. Information before 2009 is not available.
WAR PENSIONS SCHEME
2009-10 45 working days
2010-11 39 working days
2011-12 51 working days
2012-13 82 working days
2013-14 110 working days
Year to date 103 working days
ARMED FORCES COMPENSATION SCHEME
2009-10 80 working days
2010-11 93 working days
2011-12 125 working days
2012-13 164 working days
2013-14 109 working days
Year to date 89 working days
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people from Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency have secured employment through the Work Programme in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Information on job starts from the Work Programme is not available.
The available information on Job Outcomes is shown in the following table.
Number of Work Programme Job Outcomes in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock Parliamentary Constituency for each of the last 12 months: April 2013 – March 2014
| Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock Parliamentary Constituency |
Apr-13 | 30 |
May-13 | 10 |
Jun-13 | 30 |
Jul-13 | 20 |
Aug-13 | 20 |
Sep-13 | 40 |
Oct-13 | 30 |
Nov-13 | 30 |
Dec-13 | 30 |
Jan-14 | 20 |
Feb-14 | 20 |
Mar-14 | 30 |
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of the removal of Trident from Scotland.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The UK Government has no plans to move the strategic nuclear deterrent from Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, and has not considered options for moving the deterrent. Any alternative solution would come at huge cost to the taxpayer.
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual cost to the public purse is of retaining and basing the nuclear deterrent at Faslane and Coulport.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The cost of retaining the nuclear deterrent at Faslane and Coulport cannot be separately identified from expenditure incurred for multiple activities at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde.