here - United Kingdom Parliament

1247W
Written Answers
6 JUNE 2013
Written Answers
1248W
Michael Fallon: The Government is firmly committed
to ensure that the conditions are right for investment in
new nuclear power in the UK. It is for energy companies
to construct, operate and decommission nuclear power
stations. Industry has set out plans to develop around
16GW of new nuclear power stations in the UK, the
first of which is expected to come on line in the early
2020s.
Renewable Energy
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy
and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had
with community energy co-operatives and other community
energy groups on developing such local initiatives; what
assessment he has made of the success of such groups
in Germany; and if he has given consideration to the
ways in which British communities could twin with
German towns and cities where community energy schemes
have demonstrated success. [158042]
Michael Fallon: In April, the Secretary of State for
Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for
Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), met the Community
Energy Coalition and the Community Energy Contact
Group. DECC officials continue to meet regularly with
the Community Energy Contact Group and other key
stakeholders.
The Community Energy Strategy, which will be published
later in the year, will look at how community projects or
initiatives, including co-operatives, focused on energy
generation, energy saving and management, collective
purchasing and collective switching can realise their
potential. In order to inform that strategy, we have
launched a Call for Evidence on community energy.
The Call for Evidence is seeking information from
both the UK and overseas, including Germany. On the
basis of the evidence received, we will consider ways in
which our communities may be able to learn from good
practice in other countries.
Wind Power
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for
Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he
has made of the level of public support for offshore
and onshore wind. [158092]
Michael Fallon: We recognise that many people have
real concerns about the siting of onshore wind turbines
in their communities and how they are involved in this
process: The government has today announced reforms
to change the balance and give local people a stronger
say of the siting of onshore wind farms. Where new
turbines are agreed we will ensure that they are developed
in a way that benefits the local community, such as
cheaper bills.
DECC publishes a regular tracker which includes
public attitudes to renewable energy. The most recent
survey is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/198722/Summary_of_Wave_5_findings_
of_Public_Attitudes_Tracker.pdf
Wind Power: Planning Permission
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State
for Energy and Climate Change what onshore wind
energy generation capacity (a) had been installed, (b)
had gained planning consent and (c) was seeking
planning permission on 1 June 2013. [R] [158541]
Michael Fallon: This information is publicly available
within the monthly extract of the Department’s Renewable
Energy Planning Database (REPD), which tracks all
renewable projects through the planning system:
https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
As of the end of April 2013, the date of the latest
REPD update, the figures for installed capacity for
onshore wind in the UK were:
MW
Operational 6,345.74
Awaiting and under construction 6,738.91
Submitted for planning consent 5,769.53
WORK AND PENSIONS
Absenteeism
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the
annual cost to companies in England of workplace
absenteeism. [158307]
Esther McVey: DWP does not routinely collect data
on the cost of sickness absence or workplace absenteeism,
but the 2011 report ″Health at Work″ by Dame Carol
Black and David Frost estimated that sickness absence
costs employers in Great Britain £8.9 billion per year.
The Government is currently working on a range of
measures that will support people to remain in and
return to work, including a new health and work assessment
and advisory service which will make occupational health
expertise more widely available to those employees and
employers who need it most.
Children: Poverty
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for
Work and Pensions how many children were living in
poverty in (a) Wirral, (b) Merseyside and (c) England
in the last three years for which information is available.
[157350]
Esther McVey: This information is not available for
all the areas requested. The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets
four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020.
The targets are based on the proportion of children
living in households with relative low income, combined
low income and material deprivation, absolute low income
and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have
been taken into account). Estimates of these are published
in the National Statistics Households Below Average
Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income
adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and
composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
The most recent figures showed that 300,000 children