To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the carbon emissions generated by the electricity requirements of Christmas lights; and if he will make a statement. (119498)

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister for Science and Innovation on 15 January 2007, Official Report, column 807W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria are used by his Department in selecting companies providing carbon offsetting services; and if he will make a statement. (119405)

DEFRA acts as co-ordinator for the cross-Whitehall Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF). In August 2006 an open Official Journal of the European Union tender was issued for a company to deliver the emission reductions required to fulfil Government’s carbon offsetting requirements via the GCOF. The tender specified that the following offsetting project criteria were required:

1. All offsetting projects are Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects

2. Project activities are limited to small-scale renewable energy and or energy efficiency projects

3. All projects have strong sustainable development benefits. These include environmental, social, economic and technological benefits.

The GCOF tender also required:

1. Delivery of 255,000 Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) by April 2009, with a delayed option to purchase a further 50,000.

2. A price per CER fixed for the duration of the contract.

The tendering process concluded with the selection of EEA Fund Management, announced on 28 December 2006.