The most important thing we have done with respect to housing benefit was to put a cap on it because, when we came to office, some families were claiming £60,000, £70,000 or £80,000. When we put that cap on housing benefit, what was the Labour reaction? Labour voted against it. When we said that in order to make savings housing benefit should not be paid in respect of spare rooms that people are not using, what was Labour’s attitude? Labour opposed it. That is what is happening.

The good news from the hon. Gentleman’s seat in Stalybridge and Hyde is that unemployment is not going up—it is down 31%. Of course, some of those people in work are claiming housing benefit, but because of this Government’s long-term economic plan, more of his constituents are in work and earning.

The total spending for the Feed-in-Tariffs (FITs) scheme is set out as follows.

All figures are nominal, and are published in Ofgem's annual report; 2013-14 figures will be published at the end of 2014:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/feed-tariff-fit-scheme/feed-tariff-reports/annual-reports

We do not publish information on spending on individual technologies within the FITs scheme, nor on spending on individual bands for each technology. More information about deployment levels of the different technologies supported by FITs is available via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monthly-small-scale-renewable-deployment

As the first degression for wind tariff bands was only introduced on 1 April 2014, it is too early to say what impact it has had on manufacturing and employment in the sub-15kW wind sector. Up to the end of 2013, over 5,150 wind installations had been accredited for FITs, and this pace of deployment has shown no signs of slowing since April 2013. The degression mechanism is very important for the cost control of the FITs scheme and for keeping the cost to the electricity consumer as low as possible.

The number of sub-15 kW wind turbines accredited under the feed-in tariff scheme during 2012 and 2013, were 1,747 and 327 respectively.

Installations are grouped into years based on their ‘commissioning date’ i.e. the date the technology was physically installed and deemed to be up and running.

The Department does not hold this information.

The renewables industry, including the small and medium wind manufacturers, is an important source of jobs and investment in the UK. In 2013, RenewableUK, the trade association for the onshore wind sector, reported that the UK is home to over 10 small and medium wind manufacturers and that nearly 3,800 sub-15 kW turbines were exported¹.¹ “R-UK Small and Medium Wind Market Report 2013” available at:

http://www.renewableuk.com/en/publications/index.cfm/Small-and-Medium-Wind-UK-Market-Report-2013

The Major Infrastructure Tracking Unit is part of Infrastructure UK, a team of 70 FTE staff.

Figures on coal imports used for generation are not available by country.

However, in 2012, 39,619 thousand tonnes of steam coal (mainly used by coal-fired stations) were imported into the UK, representing 72% of coal used for electricity generation (54,906 thousand tonnes).

Imports of steam coal in 2012 were:

Budget 2014 reaffirmed the Government's commitment to implement zero carbon homes from 2016. In Growth Review 2011 we set out a fair, practical and cost-effective approach to zero carbon homes. This made house builders responsible for abating the carbon from energy use from systems which they can control—heating and hot water systems and building services—not the energy use from appliances which they cannot be expected to control. We are taking forward the zero carbon homes policy through a staged approach of steadily strengthening the energy performance requirements in the building regulations and through the introduction of cost-effective options for off-site carbon reductions—‘Allowable Solutions'. Under this Government the energy performance requirements for new homes, the latest of which come into force on 6 April 2014, have been strengthened by around 30% from the previous 2006 standard saving house holder's fuel bills and cutting carbon emissions.

We would not have brought forward that measure in the Bill had we not intended to fulfil it. This is a coalition commitment, which we are proud of. We will make sure that it is implemented properly and we will consult appropriately. We are proud of that Bill and we are going to implement it.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate has been made of the UK's current account deficit (193883).

The current account deficit for Quarter 4 2013 was estimated to be £22.4 billion, which equates to 5.4% of GDP. These estimates were published on 28 March 2014 as part of the Balance of Payments publication and are the latest available.

Further details on the latest Balance of Payments estimates can be found at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/balance-of-payments/q4-and-annual-2013/index.html

The Government is interested in exploring the possible mutual benefit of an interconnector between the UK and Iceland. Following a general election in Iceland in April 2013 the new Government submitted the project to the Icelandic Parliament for a review. I met with the Icelandic Energy Minister Ragnheiôur Elín Árnadóttir on 10 March and I hope that discussions between the two Governments can begin.

DECC releases statistics on a quarterly basis which detail meter installations by the larger energy suppliers. The latest release details installations up to the end of quarter 3 2013, and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistical-release-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-3-2013

For the purposes of statistical reporting, smart meters are defined as those that are, or are expected to be, compliant with the technical specifications (SMETS)

defined by Government to support the smart meter roll-out. At the end of quarter 3 2013 a total of 200,400 smart meters had been installed in domestic properties by the larger energy suppliers. Suppliers have indicated that most, if not all, of these meters will need to receive software updates, which are expected to be delivered remotely, before they are fully SMETS compliant. Once the meters have received these updates, they will not need to be replaced during mass roll-out.

DECC releases statistics on a quarterly basis which detail total smart meter installations by the larger energy suppliers, but does not collect or publish information on the actual number of households with smart meters. The latest release details installations up to the end of quarter 3 2013, and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistical-release-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-3-2013

At the end of quarter 3 2013 a total of 200,400 smart meters had been installed in domestic properties by the larger energy suppliers, of which 117,500 are electricity and 82,900 are gas. We understand that, to date, suppliers have generally targeted dual fuel installations (i.e. installing both gas and electricity smart meters at the same property).

Some energy suppliers are already offering smart metering services ahead of the Government’s mandated roll-out. We do not hold detailed information on the extent of communications coverage in relation to these services, but they typically depend on standard mobile phone network services.

Wide area communications coverage for the mandated roll-out will be provided through the Data and Communications Company (DCC). The DCC is currently developing its infrastructure and services in readiness for Initial Live Operations from late 2015.

The DCC has committed to WAN coverage targets of not less than 99.25% of GB premises by 2020, when suppliers are required to complete the roll-out. In the meantime it is obliged under its licence to seek ways of providing coverage for the remaining premises subject to technical feasibility and disproportionate cost.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change published the second annual report on the roll-out of smart meters in December 2013. The report notes that the programme has passed a number of significant milestones on the road to smart meters being rolled out. These include:

the appointment in September 2013 of the Data and Communications Company (DCC) licensee and of the data and communications service providers. The DCC will deliver communications between smart meters and energy suppliers, network operators and other authorised service users;

designation of the Smart Energy Code (SEC) that sets out the contractual relationship between the DCC and its users;

confirmation of the regulatory approach to the Foundation Smart Market;

the establishment in June 2013 of the Central Delivery Body responsible for centralised consumer engagement;

the coming into effect in June 2013 of the Smart Meter Installation Code of Practice governing the consumer experience throughout the smart meter installation process at both domestic and micro-business premises;

the publication in September 2013 of the first quarterly report on the progress of suppliers' smart meter installations;

the publication of a range of research on consumer attitudes to and engagement with smart metering, with a further programme of in depth research under way;

the developments of arrangements for monitoring both costs and delivery of benefits.

The Government has made no such assessment but keeps all tax policies under review.

The Government is committed to ensuring that care and support assessments are carried out by assessors with suitable knowledge and training. The Care Bill will require local authorities to ensure assessments are carried out in an appropriate manner, which will require local authorities to ensure staff are appropriately trained. Regulations will place a duty on local authorities to ensure that any person carrying out an assessment has the skills, knowledge and competence to carry out the assessment in question and that this is maintained. In addition, local authorities will be required to consult an expert in the individual's condition in cases where the assessor lacks experience. These requirements will apply to assessors who carry out assessments for people with autism, and this will be set out in the statutory guidance that will support the implementation of the Bill.

These legal requirements build on the existing guidance around autism, 'Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives' which states that assessments should be carried out by trained practitioners.

I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders), on 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 172W.