Parliamentary Information Office: Pleasure to the Readers

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Parliamentary Information Office: Last year was an eventful one for the UK with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. This, coupled with the Government’s GREAT campaign to encourage tourism to Britain , should have an impact on our tourist industry and I am particularly pleased that the new Minister for Tourism is writing an upbeat article for the Parliamentary Yearbook dwelling on the success of the events and their potential benefit on tourism.

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Parliamentary Yearbook Information Office Online

Parliamentary Yearbook Information Office Online: As we have need for any information of a parliamentary nature, the Parliamentary Yearbook online is the first site we turn to and the information can always be sourced. I have been particularly impressed with the fact that the changes brought about by the Government reshuffle and subsequent ministerial changes were so quickly reflected on the site.


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From Parliamentary Information Office: GREEN DEAL CASHBACK SCHEME

The Parliamentary Information Office, as part of its ongoing reports on energy and climate change policy, reported last year (2012) on the launch of the “Green Deal Cashback Scheme”. On Monday of this week, 14th January 2013, Edward Davey announced that the Scheme is now open.

The Green Deal Cashback Scheme is a first-come, first-served offer where householders in England and Wales can claim Cashback from Government on energy saving improvements like insulation, front doors, windows and boilers. Packages could be worth over £1000 - the more you do, the more you get.

Cashback levels are based on the energy efficiency savings typically attached to the qualifying measures. Loft and cavity wall insulation is the simplest and most cost effective basis for an energy efficient home so the cashback will be conditional on having such insulation installed at the same time as other measures if the Green Deal assessment recommends it – the householder gains because the cashback grows.

“Energy saving has never been so attractive” – that’s the message from Energy and Climate Change Secretary, the Rt Hon Edward Davey mp, as he announced the Green Deal Cashback Scheme is open, with hundreds of pounds of cash available to householders in England and Wales who make energy saving home improvements.

Householders who use the Green Deal to make improvements such as loft insulation, solid wall insulation and new heating systems will qualify. Packages could be worth over £1,000.

The more work households decide to have done, the more cash they could receive. To qualify for the Cashback Scheme, households need to book a Green Deal property assessment so they are then ready to have improvements installed under the Green Deal from 28 January and get their cashback.

Edward Davey said:

“The Green Deal will be a great offer for people to insulate their homes from the cold, and their wallets from rising energy prices. With cashback too, energy saving has never been so attractive.

“Our Cashback Scheme is a generous offer but it’s first-come, first-served so householders need to be quick off the mark. Get an assessment, be ready to have home improvements done with a Green Deal when it launches on 28 January and then get your cashback.

“This also sends a clear message to the industry that the Green Deal is coming. Green Deal Providers and businesses in the supply chain need to start gearing up to take full advantage of what promises to be an exciting new market.”

Neil Schofield, Head of External and Governmental Affairs at Worcester Bosch, said:

“The opening of the Green Deal Cashback Scheme really underlines the progress being made on the Green Deal ahead of the first plans being signed on 28 January. This is a great offer for consumers and will help us to attract early customers, so it’s good news for business too.

“This is a clear signal that the Green Deal is building momentum and I’m delighted there is such a strong incentives scheme in place to encourage early take up. We’re excited about how this could open up the energy efficiency market.”

The Green Deal is the Government’s new initiative to transform the UK market for energy efficiency. It will let homes and businesses make energy efficiency improvements with the costs repaid through expected savings on their energy bills.

The Green Deal Cashback scheme is a time-bound offer and is limited to one per household, but can cover a package of improvements so long as the householder is contributing to installation costs and work done is overseen by an authorised Green Deal Provider. To qualify for the Cashback Scheme householders need to:

o   have a Green Deal assessment carried out on their property;

o   get and agree quotes from a Green Deal Provider (this could be directly with a national brand or through a local tradesperson linked with a Provider);

o   apply for a cashback voucher online or by phone; and

o   complete works within the specified period.

A total of £125 million is available so hundreds of thousands of people could qualify. The rates currently available are guaranteed for the first £40 million of the scheme. Community minded households will have the option of donating some or all of their cashback to registered charities and Community Interest Companies who have signed up with the scheme administrator.

The Cashback Scheme also applies to private or social landlords who can benefit if they are the property improver and are paying the costs themselves.

The Parliamentary Information Office will report further on the progress of these and other measures as we go through the months ahead.

Web: www.parliamentaryyearbookinformationoffice.co.uk

Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org

Parliamentary Information Office: LATEST NEWS ON THE ENERGY BILL

In its report on the Government’s draft Energy Bill in November this year, 2012, the Parliamentary Information Office published details of the Government’s long-awaited Energy Bill.

Subject to Parliament, the Energy Bill is expected to achieve Royal Assent in 2013, so that Electricity Market Reform (EMR) is fully up and running in 2014 as planned. The Bill has undergone a period of pre-legislative scrutiny by the ECC Select Committee since it was published in draft in May 2012.

All provisions in this Bill extend to England and Wales, and the majority will also extend to Scotland (apart from Clause 119 – Nuclear decommissioning costs). A number of provisions also extend to Northern Ireland.

The Energy Bill sets out measures to reform the electricity market, in order to keep the lights on, bills down and to reduce emissions.

The Bill was debated by MPs from noon on 19th December 2012 as it was introduced for its 2nd reading in Parliament.

On the eve of the debate, Secretary of State Edward Davey said:

“The Coalition Government is proposing a once-in-a-generation transformation of the electricity market from fossil-fuel dependency to low-carbon diversity.

“The Energy Bill will bring about a renaissance in our energy sector, providing the certainty companies need to invest a record £110 billion to upgrade our ageing power stations.

“This will support our economic recovery, resulting in thousands of new jobs in every nation and region of the UK.

“It will enable us to keep the lights on and to keep bills affordable for consumers, whilst leading to a significant decarbonisation of the power sector in order to meet our climate targets.

“To further support emission reductions in the power sector, we will take additional powers in the Bill to set a decarbonisation target range for 2030. A decision to exercise this power will be taken once the Climate Change Committee has provided advice in 2016 on the 5th Carbon Budget which covers the corresponding period.

“In addition, we will limit the bamboozling array of energy tariffs suppliers provide to four tariffs per fuel type. This will help to move millions of households on to better energy deals.

“Ofgem as independent regulator will be given more teeth, with energy companies required to pay compensation to consumers as well as to the regulator if they breach the terms of their licence conditions.

“New players will be encouraged into the electricity market through measures we have added to promote competition and liquidity.

“And we will further strengthen this Bill by adding proposals to promote energy efficiency and electricity demand reduction.

“This Bill provides the radical reforms Britain needs to secure energy infrastructure that is fit for the 21^st Century.

“It is good for consumers, good for the economy and good for the environment”.

The Bill has now been sent to Public Bill Committee. The first sitting of the committee will be on a date to be announced.

The Bill was debated at second reading on 19 December 2012. The House of Commons voted for the Bill to be sent to a Public Bill Committee that will scrutinise the Bill line by line.

The Committee is expected to report by 12 February 2013.

Summary of the Bill

To make provision for or in connection with reforming the electricity market for purposes of encouraging low carbon electricity generation or ensuring security of supply; for the establishment and functions of the Office for Nuclear Regulation; about the government pipe-line and storage system and rights exercisable in relation to it; about the designation of a strategy and policy statement; for the making of orders requiring regulated persons to provide redress to consumers of gas or electricity; about offshore transmission of electricity during a commissioning period; for imposing further fees in respect of nuclear decommissioning costs; and for connected purposes.

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook will continue to report on the progress of the bill as we go through the months ahead.

Web: www.parliamentaryyearbookinformationoffice.co.uk

Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org

Clearer food and drink labelling for consumers

From Parliamentary Information Office : Clearer food and drink labelling for consumers

The Parliamentary Information Office is currently gathering news items on Food Information Regulations in the next edition and will be monitoring progress.

Shoppers will be able to make more informed decisions at the tills due to food labelling rule changes.

Manufacturers will have to bring in clearer and more honest food labelling on the country of origin of meat, allergen advice and whether the product contains palm oil.

The Government demanded stronger labelling across the whole of the EU, and is now putting the EU rules into action in the UK.

Food and Farming Minister David Heath said:

“The Government is tightening up rules to make it easier for shoppers to make more informed decisions for themselves and their families at the tills.

“We fought long and hard in Europe for more honest labelling so that people can make up their own minds about what they eat.

“We are making it easier for consumers to know what’s in the food and drink that they buy, while at the same time cutting red tape for businesses.”

As part of the Food Information Regulations consultation, the Government is legislating to ensure:

•  That 14 pieces of legislation are consolidated into one;

•  Several national requirements are removed, simplifying the regulations for businesses;

•  caterers and restaurateurs can provide allergen advice to customers verbally; and

These regulations enforce the European regulation on food labelling where rules are made to ensure:

•  consumers are told where their meat is from by providing Country of Origin Labelling (subject to Commission rules);

•  information is written in minimum font size that is easy to read on labels;

•  that food containing nanomaterial ingredients needs to state that clearly on the label.

•  that businesses state the plant origin of the oil in the product, for example palm oil;

Costs will be kept to a minimum by ensuring industry has a reasonable period of time to implement the changes. This means that rather than having to immediately re-label every single product to comply with the law, businesses can absorb the legislative requirements into their planned re-labelling cycle.

There are still some final decisions to be made about how to implement these Food Information Regulations and the Government is asking businesses and interested people to join the conversation and respond to the consultation.

The Parliamentary Information Office will continue to report on Food Information Regulations  and their impact on the UK as we go through the months ahead.
Web: Parliamentary Information Office
Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org

From Parliamentary Information Office : BATHING WATER STANDARDS

From Parliamentary Information Office : BATHING WATER STANDARDS

The Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items on Environmental matters in the next edition and will be monitoring progress.

New figures that show which of England’s bathing waters have met strict quality standards have been published by Defra today.

The figures show that 93 per cent of England’s bathing waters met the minimum European water quality standard, with over 58 per cent meeting the tighter guideline standard following one of the wettest summers on record.

A number of bathing water sites failed to meet the required standards. This is due to some waters in England remaining vulnerable to the effects of very heavy rainfall as pollution is washed from cities and rural areas into our rivers and streams.

Environment Minister, Richard Benyon said;

“While the majority of England’s bathing waters continue to be of a good quality, I am disappointed that a number have fallen short of the tighter standard due to the heavy rainfall we experienced during the summer.

“It is crucial that we continue to work with the Environment Agency, Water Companies and stakeholders to continue to address the effect that pollution is having on bathing water quality in some areas.

“Having quality bathing water and beaches is not only good for the water environment but also for tourism and local economies.

“Water companies are now planning their next round of investment and I am determined that improving bathing water quality should be a key focus of these plans.”

Overall, the long term bathing water quality trend has improved, reflecting the major investment of an estimated £2.5bn by water companies since privatisation.

Defra and the Environment Agency are working with stakeholders to address the problems that can arise from heavy rainfall. The department is also discussing with water companies further investment to ensure that bathing water quality continues to improve.

Lord Chris Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency, said:

Bathing water standards published

“Bathing water quality has improved significantly over the past two decades, but this year heavy rainfall over the summer has affected results.

“During intense rainfall, pollution from farmland, roads, and drains is washed into　rivers and coastal areas. Water companies also operate Combined Sewage Overflows to prevent sewage from backing up and flooding people’s homes.

“This very wet year has re-emphasised　that more needs to be done by water companies, businesses, farmers and local authorities to improve the water at　Britain’s beaches and meet more stringent water quality targets, which will come into force in 2015.”

Notes

The water quality results for bathing waters in England for 2012 can be found at: http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/water/waterquality/bathing/documents/bathing-waters-results-summary-2012.pdf

The original EU Bathing Water Directive will be replaced by the revised Directive in 2015. Detailed information about the Directives and about bathing water quality in England is available at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/water/water-quality/bathing/

More information on measures the Government is taking to improve water quality can be found at:

Non-agricultural diffuse pollution
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/water/sewage/sewage-treatment/

Catchment Sensitive Farming
http://www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/land-manage/nitrates-watercourses/csf/

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
http://www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/land-manage/nitrates-watercourses/nitrates/

Bathing water results for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are published by the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Environment Northern Ireland respectively. The results for Scotland were published on 17 September, and for Northern Ireland were on 4 October. The results for Wales will be published on 6 November. Results are also available on the websites of the Environment Agency (for England and Wales), Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.  Any questions relating to bathing water compliance should be directed to the relevant organisation.

We expect the European Commission will publish the 2012 bathing water results for all EU Member States on its website in May/June 2013.

The Parliamentary Information Office will continue to report on environmental issues and their impact on the UK as we go through the months ahead.
Web: www.parliamentaryyeabook.co.uk
Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org