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46505

registered interest
date	02/04/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the quantity of biomass consumed by the one per cent of biomass plant that was below 1MW in capacity.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	195006
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>We have not made a recent estimate of the quantity of biomass consumed by biomass plant below 1MW in capacity.</p><p> </p><p>However, based on modelling published in the Impact Assessment to the Renewables Obligation Banding Review 2012, we can estimate the theoretical quantity of biomass that would be consumed by 1% of total generating capacity. Assuming all the planned plants were built, this would give a theoretical maximum equivalent to around 150,000 oven dried tonnes per annum in 2016/17. This figure excludes potential capacity changes to plants below 1 MW as a result of the introduction of the 400MW cap for new build dedicated biomass.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Michael Fallon question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 88 label Biography information for Sir Michael Fallon
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46512

registered interest
date	02/04/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the costs of the regulation and monitoring of exploration and extraction of unconventional gas (a) at each drilling site and (b) the exploration in England and Wales.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194851
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Environment Agency raises charges for environmental permits and licences at the individual sites it regulates in England. The costs can vary depending on the nature of the site and the permits required. The shale gas industry remains at an early exploration stage and the Agency will keep its charges under review in light of developments. The annual budget the Environment Agency receives is adequate to ensure that sufficient money is allocated to costs associated with regulating the industry and for monitoring of sites during the exploration phase. As the industry develops over the next few decades appropriate funds will continue to be available to ensure the safe and sustainable exploitation of shale gas.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46513

registered interest
date	02/04/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy that costs associated with the regulation and monitoring of exploration and extraction of unconventional gas are levied on industry.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194844
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>The issue of environmental licences and permits at individual shale gas sites is financed through the Environment Agency's charges. The shale gas industry remains at an early exploration stage and the Agency will keep its charges under review in light of developments. In the meantime, the Environment Agency will ensure that it allocates sufficient resources within its overall budget to regulate a safe and sustainable shale gas industry.</p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46514

registered interest
date	02/04/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) amount and (b) proportion of the budget of the Environment Agency is allocated to staff and other departmental costs associated with the regulation of hydraulic fracturing and unconventional gas in each year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194845
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency does not keep separate records of its regulatory costs for hydraulic fracturing and unconventional gas so we cannot provide figures for previous years.</p><p>For 2014-15 the Environment Agency has allocated £2.6 million to its work on onshore oil and gas. This is 0.39% of the Environment Agency's total revenue budget.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46515

registered interest
date	02/04/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff of the Environment Agency are engaged in regulation of hydraulic fracturing and unconventional gas.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194846
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Environment Agency has set up a team of ten national officers working full time to develop the regulatory regime for oil and gas activities. This work covers conventional and unconventional oil and gas activities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This team is supported by additional technical resource from elsewhere in the organisation. The workload fluctuates and these specialists are not solely dedicated to regulating and permitting unconventional activities. It is therefore not possible to give an exact answer, but the Environment Agency estimate that approximately a further 40 staff are currently involved in this work across England.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46179

registered interest
date	01/04/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Civil Service Code applies to activities carried out on social media.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>Guidance for departments on the use of social media is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-media-guidance-for-civil-servants" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-media-guidance-for-civil-servants</a></p><p><strong>Copies </strong>are <strong>also available </strong>in the Library of the <strong>House</strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Mr Francis Maude grouped question UIN 194622 question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 115 label Biography information for Lord Maude of Horsham
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46180

registered interest
date	01/04/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidelines are in place for (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers on the use of social media.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194622
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>Guidance for departments on the use of social media is available at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-media-guidance-for-civil-servants" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-media-guidance-for-civil-servants</a></p><p><strong>Copies </strong>are <strong>also available </strong>in the Library of the <strong>House</strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Mr Francis Maude grouped question UIN 194605 question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 115 label Biography information for Lord Maude of Horsham
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46242

registered interest
date	01/04/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on what date he intends to publish the Bioenergy Emissions and Counterfactual calculator.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194603
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>The Department of Energy and Climate Change intends to publish the Bioenergy Emissions and Counterfactual calculator during the first half of 2014, as set out during the Commons debate on the Draft Renewables (Amendment) Order 2014, on 20<sup>th</sup> March 2014 by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy.</p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Gregory Barker question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1389 label Biography information for Lord Barker of Battle
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46243

registered interest
date	01/04/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what audit requirements are (a) in place and (b) planned for generating stations over 1Mw in size that use solid biomass or biogas.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194620
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>The Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2014, which came into force on 1 April 2014, requires generating stations with a total installed capacity of 1MW and above that use solid biomass or biogas to provide an annual sustainability audit report in respect of the biomass that they use. There are exceptions for landfill gas, sewage gas, municipal waste, manure and for other fuels which do not meet the specific definition of biomass within the Renewables Obligation (RO).</p><p> </p><p>The audit report must be prepared to ISAE3000 standard or its equivalent, and must be prepared by a person who is not the owner or operator of the station or a connected person. In the case of biomass which is not waste or derived from waste, the audit must cover the information provided by the operator of the station in respect of the land criteria or Timber Standard, and greenhouse gas sustainability criteria. In the case of biomass which is waste or derived from waste, the audit must cover the information provided by the operator of the station that the biomass was waste or wholly derived from waste. Other detailed requirements for the audit report are set out in article 54B of the Renewables Obligation Order 2009, as inserted by article 15 of the Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2014.</p><p> </p><p>A similar audit requirement is planned to apply to Combined Heat and Power (CHP) stations receiving support under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) if they choose not to source fuel from the RHI Biomass Suppliers List (BSL), a list of suppliers selling sustainable fuel, but instead report against the RHI sustainability criteria to Ofgem.</p><p> </p><p>It is intended that the Contracts for Difference (CfD) awarded for bioenergy under the first Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan will follow the same approach on sustainability audit as set out under the Renewables Obligation.</p><p> </p><p>Ofgem, as the administrator of the Renewables Obligation, carries out a programme of audits of accredited generating stations, primarily to guard against fraud and error. This can include stations over 1MW in size that use solid biomass or biogas. They also ensure that a generating station remains an eligible renewable generating station for the purposes of the RO, that Ofgem holds the most up-to-date information for a station, and that the correct number of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) has been issued to the generator in question. The audits are carried out on a rolling basis, with targeted audits where it is deemed necessary. The CfD Counterparty company will be empowered under the Contracts for Difference to audit any generating station it chooses, with 1 business day's written notice, to check compliance with agreed Fuel Measurement and Sampling procedures.</p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Gregory Barker question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1389 label Biography information for Lord Barker of Battle
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex

46244

registered interest
date	01/04/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of deterioration in normal operation on the efficiency assumptions for the new combined heat and power classifications.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Tom Greatrex
uin	194621
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p>In 2013 the Government reviewed the minimum performance standards for renewable Combined Heat and Power (CHP) set in our Quality Assurance programme. In response to the consultation responses on the proposed revisions we reviewed available data on renewable CHP performance, including deterioration. As a result of this review performance assumptions for new engines/turbines were relaxed in finalising the requirements based on evidence. In respect of deterioration in normal operation the Government reviewed CHP Quality Assurance data on the operational efficiency of eight renewable CHP schemes, each with 2-13 years operational data. Of these, three showed increasing efficiency over time and five showed no discernible increase or decrease over time.</p> answering member constituency Bexhill and Battle answering member printed Gregory Barker question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1389 label Biography information for Lord Barker of Battle
tabling member	4047 label Biography information for Tom Greatrex