here - United Kingdom Parliament

1659 Oral Answers
6 JUNE 2013
Oral Answers
1660
Alex Cunningham (Stockton North) (Lab): The Teesside
Low Carbon consortium, comprising some of the country’s
top companies and experts, was rightly disappointed
when its innovative project for capturing and storing
the carbon created by our energy intensive industries
was rejected by the Government. We know that the
project is on the reserve list, but is there any real hope
that the project, which would take huge amounts of
carbon out of the atmosphere, and which has the potential
to drive thousands of jobs in an area where unemployment
is as high as 10%, will receive financial and other
support from the Government to make it a reality?
Michael Fallon: Let me be clear: this project was not
rejected but placed on the reserve list. We are working
with our two preferred bidders to take forward the
carbon capture and storage competition. Should one of
the two bidders drop out, we will of course look again
at the situation.
Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty) (Con): Following on
from the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member
for Sherwood (Mr Spencer), Kellingley colliery in my
constituency is a profitable, high-performing deep coal
mine with 700 highly skilled employees. Will the Minister
update the House on what is being done to ensure its
viability?
Michael Fallon: I think my hon. Friend knows that
we have been working flat out to help the company to
restructure since the fire at Daw Mill. That has involved
intensive work with a number of other Government
bodies. I understand how frustrating it is for him and, in
particular, for those who work in the colliery not to
have had an announcement yet, but I am hopeful that
we will see progress in the next few days.
John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab): Further to
that question, the Minister will know that UK Coal has
applied for a loan from the Government that would be
paid back when the insurance comes through from the
Daw Mill fire. What is happening with that loan?
Michael Fallon: The position is that insurance payments
are now coming through to the company, so the financial
situation is not quite as the hon. Gentleman describes
it. I want to assure him that the Government are doing
everything they possibly can to safeguard the financial
future of the two collieries, and to assist the company in
necessary restructuring following the disastrous fire at
Daw Mill earlier this year.
Tessa Munt (Wells) (LD): Many village halls, such as
the one in East Brent in my patch, have applied for Big
Lottery awards for all funding to install PV solar panels
and use feed-in tariffs as an invaluable source of income
to make repayments on loans to complete their projects.
It is a feature of the lottery that it is funded not by
Government but by individuals, and that that grant
funding is made completely independent of government,
as is stated on its website and in its literature. Ofgem
seems to have decided in February 2013 that lottery
funding is—
Mr Speaker: Order. It is my ambition in this Parliament
to educate the hon. Lady that the second sentence
should usually end with a question mark. That is what
we want.
Tessa Munt: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Ofgem has
decided that this is state aid—[Laughter.]
Mr Speaker: It’s not working.
Tessa Munt: It is, Sir. I must explain myself. Will the
Secretary of State investigate Ofgem’s administration of
the scheme and the lack of information provided to
everybody involved, so that it reverses its decision to
categorise lottery money as state aid?
Mr Davey: My hon. Friend is a doughty campaigner
for her constituents in villages, helping them with
community halls and so on. I am aware of this issue—it
is not just grants from the lottery, but grants from
elsewhere in government that prevent installation of
micro-technology receiving feed-in tariffs under the Ofgem
scheme. This matter has been raised by a number of
hon. Members and I hope we are able look at it in due
course.
Mr Speaker: The Secretary of State does not have to
compete with Back Benchers. There is no obligation for
the answer to be as long as the question.
Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab): Earlier,
the Minister mentioned that the Government’s policies
would result in energy bills being about 7% lower, but is
that not correct only if people go out and buy new
energy-efficient TVs, washing machines, dishwashers
and combi gas boilers, and that if people do not their
bills will actually be higher under this Government?
Mr Davey: I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman is
wrong. The methodology of the bills and prices report
includes examining how often average households replace
these types of goods—it is statistically robust.
Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con): I thank the
Government for listening on wind. Communities across
north Yorkshire will be delighted by this decision. The
Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for
Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon), is already popular in north
Yorkshire, but I am sure that they would join me in
wanting to give him a collective hug to thank him for
this decision.
Michael Fallon: I am married to a girl from Yorkshire,
but I think that a further hug would probably not be
appropriate.
It is important that communities understand that
they will now have more say against developments that
are inappropriate and not properly justified. Too many
communities have felt under siege from wholly inappropriate
applications, and this measure will now bring them
much-needed and long-awaited relief.
Cathy Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab/Coop):
The Minister referred to the coal industry in Scotland.
I am sure he knows of the devastation in my constituency
and in that of my neighbour, my hon. Friend the
Member for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (Sandra Osborne).
What recent discussions have taken place with the Scottish
Government to address the serious environmental
consequences of restoration work not going ahead?