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Non-fossil Fuel Obligation
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he will announce the combined capacity and individual capacity per technology for the components of the non-fossil fuel obligation generation of electricity ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make it his policy to require the production of 165 MW of wind energy in the non -fossil fuel obligation.
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Mr. Moynihan : My right hon. Friend will set the level and structure of the 1991 renewables non-fossil fuel obligation after he has completed his statutory consultations with the Director- General of Electricity Supply and with the regional electricity companies.Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what special arrangements he has in mind to encourage renewable energy projects in Scotland of equivalent commercial viability to those proposed in England and Wales to be enabled to contract their supply via the Non-Fossil Fuel Purchasing Agency.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The future exploitation of renewable energy sources in Scotland is being considered by my Department's renewable energy advisory group. The Government will carefully consider the group's report when it is available.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what proposals he has for altering the relative and absolute size of the bands in the second tranche of the non-fossil fuel obligation.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My right hon. Friend will decide his policy for the 1991 renewables order when he has completed the statutory consultations.
Iraq
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the dates since 1979 that Her Majesty's Government have received assurances from the Iraqi Government that plutonium exported to Iraq from the United Kingdom will be used for peaceful purposes.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : In complying with the nuclear suppliers group guidelines covering the exports of nuclear materials and published by the IAEA as INFCIRC/254, the United Kingdom seeks peaceful use assurances from the Government of the country concerned for exports of plutonium in quantities in excess of 50 grams in any given period of 12 months. When the country is, like Iraq, a party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, its obligations under the treaty remain valid even without such a specific reconfirmation.
Since May 1979 there have been no exports of plutonium which have required Her Majesty's Government to seek such assurances from the Iraqi government.
Nuclear Energy
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) with which organisations he has discussed the possibility of nuclear fuel, originally intended for the Kalkar nuclear reactor in Germany, being loaded into the reactor at Dounreay ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) when he next intends to meet the nuclear utilities chairmen's group to discuss nuclear research and development strategy ; and what subjects will be discussed.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The nuclear utilities chairmen's group--NUCG-- has put to my right hon. Friend proposals concerning the future of the fast reactor programme. These proposals include the possibility of using nuclear fuel originally intended for the SNR-300 fast reactor at Kalkar in the prototype fast reactor at Dounreay. My right hon. Friend intends to discuss these proposals with the nuclear utilities chairmen's group in the future.
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Private Security Firms
Mr. George : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the number of private security firms currently employed by his Department, the number of employees for each firm on the contract, the total value of each contract and the total value of all contracts for each financial year since 1984-85.
Mr. Wakeham : The position remains the same as that given in reply to the hon. Member's previous question on this subject on 19 February 1990, at columns 525-26.
Dounreay
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what was the total value to Dounreay of external reprocessing contracts in the years 1985-86, 1986-87, 1987-88, 1989-90 and 1990-91 ; and what percentage of that value came from overseas contracts.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : This is a commercial matter for the Atomic Energy Authority.
Sizewell B
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the computer software programme designed to protect the Sizewell B reactor from major accident.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The reactor protection system planned for Sizewell B comprises a primary protection system which is computer based and a secondary system which is not so based. The Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate--NII--will not consent to the operation of the primary protection system's computer software until the operator, Nuclear Electric plc, has made an acceptable safety case.
The NII's decision to publish its safety requirements in respect of the software system has shown its openness on such matters and should assist public awareness of what is being required, and should demonstrate the high standards which Nuclear Electric plc will have to meet.
The NII is seeking a robust demonstration of excellence of production, independent design assessment, and a comprehensive testing from prototype through to production.
Fuel and Energy Supplies
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of the proposals put forward by the EC Energy Commissioner in Berlin on 24 September on development of an internal market in fuel and energy supplies.
Mr. Wakeham : The Government support the objectives of the Commissioner's proposals for the development of an internal energy market.
Magnox Plants
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether permission has been sought under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 by Nuclear Electric or its predecessor, Central Electricity Generating Board, to make available to the operators of the Japco Tokaimura-I Magnox plant data from the Magnox plant at Bradwell in Essex.
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I understand that Nuclear Electric plc has an understanding with Japco, the operators of Tokaimura-I, concerning the exchange of operational information in respect of Magnox power stations. This arrangement is not subject to provisions contained in the Nuclear Installations Act 1965.Energy Efficiency
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what measures his Department is taking to promote energy efficiency among small businesses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My Energy Efficiency Office is developing a new scheme to encourage smaller businesses to invest in energy efficiency measures. It is envisaged that the scheme will help pay the costs of energy audits, feasibility studies and project management of energy efficient investments in smaller enterprises. It is being designed to overcome the barrier of lack of management time and energy efficiency knowledge in such enterprises. Smaller business can also use our comprehensive information literature and copy the examples of the most effective technologies provided by the EEO's best practice programme.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what are the most up-to-date estimates available to him regarding the annual public expenditure total allocated to energy efficiency in the previous and present financial year in each of the OECD countries.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My Department keeps abreast of energy efficiency developments overseas primarily through its work with the European Community and the International Energy Agency. The IEA publishes annual reports on its reviews of national energy policies and programmes, but its records of expenditure do not identify comparable items.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his most up-to-date estimate of the total annual expenditure of the energy efficiency office, and of all other Government expenditure on energy efficiency.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The Energy Efficiency Office budget is £42 million this year. The report of the ministerial group on energy efficiency, published on 16 October, described a range of programmes to promote energy efficiency, which involve public expenditure in excess of £1 billion.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give the name and principal functions of the chairman and members of the energy efficiency programme committee.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The energy efficiency programme committee-- EEPC--advises the Energy Efficiency Office--EEO--on the strategic, technical and commerical merits of sectoral strategies and individual projects under the best practice programme which are submitted to the committee for consideration. The committee also monitors progress on that programme. The names of the current members including the chairman are as follows :
Dr. E. W. Lees (Energy Technology Support Unit, ETSU) Chairman
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Dr. K. J. Brown (ETSU)Dr. A. B. Birtles (Building Research Energy Conservation Unit) Dr. V. Crisp (Building Research Establishment)
Dr. J. E. P. Miles (Department of Energy, EEO)
Dr. D. J. Vincent (Department of Energy, EEO)
Dr. P. T. Clarke (Department of Energy, EEO)
Dr. R. Moore (Department of Environment)
Mr. A. J. Beaumont (Department of Trade and Industry) Dr. G. J. K. Acres (Johnson Matthey plc)
Mr. D. G. Clarke (Twyford Bathrooms)
Dr. D. A. Everest (University of East Anglia)
Mr. S. A. B. Heppell, CBE (Manchester City Council)
Dr. B. C. Hutt (W. S. Atkins Energy)
Mr. P. Ibbotson (J. Sainsbury plc)
Mr. R. D. Jones (Wimpey Environmental Ltd.)
Mr. F. Nash (McLellan and Partners)
Prof. P. O'Sullivan (University College, London)
Mr. J. Ward (Polytechnic of Wales)
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what was the cost of the production, publication and printing of the 1990-91 annual report of the ministerial conference on energy efficiency ; how many copies were printed ; and to whom they have been circulated.
Mr. Wakeham : Production, publication and printing of the annual report of the ministerial group on energy efficiency was carried out by the Central Office of Information for the Energy Efficiency Office, and cost £25,350. These costs will be met from the EEO's promotional budget. Five thousand copies were printed and have been circulated to colleagues in the Cabinet, Energy Ministers overseas, the major energy industries, energy efficiency bodies, industry trade associations, professional bodies, local authority associations, environmental groups and the press.
I hope that the report will spread awareness of the wide range of the Government's policies and programmes to promote energy efficiency, and will encourage those who receive it to improve the efficiency with which they use energy.
Nuclear Waste
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will give the latest estimate of volume of high-level radioactive waste from spent nuclear fuel imported from other nations which will (a) be returned to overseas customers and (b) not returned to overseas customers.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The latest estimate of high-level waste arising from overseas reprocessing contracts entered into by British Nuclear Fuels plc is :
|cubic metres
---------------------------------------------
signed before 1976 |100
signed since 1976 |400
Overseas reprocessing contracts signed since 1976 contain options for the return of wastes. The Government intend that those options should be exercised. Its policy was set out in the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad) to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 2 May 1986 at columns 500-01.
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Home Energy Efficiency Scheme
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how much of the home energy efficiency scheme grant has so far been allocated.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have notified the Energy Action Grants Agency that some £24 million is available for grants under the home energy efficiency scheme during the financial year 1991-92. Of this amount, some £17 million is being allocated to network installers in quarterly tranches to cover work to be done up to next March. The remainder has now been fully committed in approvals for direct applications.
Oil Exploration
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list the sites off the south coast of England where (a) applications are currently being processed and (b) applications have been granted for exploratory drilling for oil.
Mr. Moynihan : Consent to drill wells to search for oil and gas is given under the terms of licences granted by the Secretary of State for Energy. No applications for consent to drill off the south coast of England are currently being processed. Since 1964, consent has been given to a total of 14 exploratory wells off the coast of Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight. In addition, consent has been given to eight exploratory wells in the English channel.
Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy which consultants are to advise him on the location of the petroleum engineering division ; when they were appointed ; what tendering process was followed ; how many firms submitted tenders ; whether the winning firm submitted the lowest tender ; what are their terms of reference ; and what fee they will receive.
Mr. Wakeham : My Department will be seeking tenders from a range of consultants to review the location of the petroleum engineering directorate. I shall announce who is to carry out the review as soon as the consultants have been chosen.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when Rothschild's and Touche Ross, respectively, were appointed to advise him on coal privatisation ; what tendering process was followed ; whether Rothschild's and Touche Ross submitted the lowest tenders ; what are their terms of reference ; and what fees they are to receive.
Mr. Wakeham : N. M. Rothschild & Sons Limited was appointed as financial advisers on the privatisation of British Coal on 30 May 1991. Touche Ross was appointed as accounting advisers on 12 June 1991. Both appointments were made by competitive tender. Details of the tenders submitted and of the fees paid to Government advisers are commercially confidential. Total expenditure on coal privatisation will be reported to Parliament in the usual way through the publication of departmental estimates and the annual appropriation accounts. Rothschild and Touche Ross have been appointed to provide advice on the possible options for the sale of British Coal. No firm decisions on the sale of the industry will be taken until after the next general election.
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Renewable Energy
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what consultations he has had with the Director-General of the Office of Electricity Regulation regarding the availability of commercially viable renewable energy projects in Scotland.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : As required under section 32 of the Electricity Act 1989, my right hon. Friend has consulted the Director General of Electricity Supply on matters relevant to the proposed 1991 renewables order, including the available field of generators who would be likely to meet the requirements of the legislation.
Coal Industry (Pensioners)
Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make it his policy to ensure that the pension benefits of members of the mineworkers pension scheme and the British Coal staff superannuation scheme will be protected following privatisation of the industry.
Mr. Wakeham : I can confirm that the Government will ensure that the pension interests of both current and past employees of the corporation will be properly safeguarded as has been the case with previous privatisations.
Oldbury on Severn Nuclear Power Station
Mr. Arbuthnot : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if the International Atomic Energy Agency's operational safety and review team's-- OSART--follow-up report on Oldbury on Severn nuclear power station will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Wakeham : The original OSART mission to Oldbury nuclear power station took place in July 1989 and its Report was placed in the Library of the House in February 1990. As is now customary a follow-up OSART mission visited Oldbury in October 1990. I have, therefore, similarly arranged for its report to be placed in the Library of the House. I am pleased to note that, like the original report, this follow-up report commends the high standards of safety being achieved at Oldbury and praises the high degree of professionalism of station management and staff.
Wind Energy
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the estimated reduction in carbon dioxide pollution which would result from wind energy capacity of 50, 100, 150 and 200 MW.
Mr. Moynihan : Savings in carbon dioxide emissions from wind power will depend on both the total annual output from the wind turbines and the kind of fuel displaced. On the assumption that coal fired generation was displaced 50 MW of wind power in typically windy sites for the United Kingdom might be expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 100,000t/year. A larger wind power capacity would increase the savings pro rata.
The energy technology support unit estimates that each kilowatt hour of electricity generated from wind turbines saves about 850 grammes of carbon dioxide from a similar output of coal-fired generation.
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Nuclear Materials
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current value to the United Kingdom of contracts undertaken at Dounreay for the reprocessing of nuclear material ; and if he will list the value of individual contracts.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have been asked to reply.
This is a commercial matter for the AEA.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the total amount of spent nuclear fuel which has been stored or reprocessed at Dounreay in each of the past 10 years, stating for each consignment the point of entry to the United Kingdom, the methods of transportation used, the country of origin, and whether each consignment of reprocessed waste was returned to the country of origin.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have been asked to reply.
In the past 10 years, there have been two consignments of spent irradiated fuel to Dounreay : 4 kg from India transported by road from Felixstowe ; and 14 kg from Germany by rail and road from Dover. Arrangements for the contractual return of wastes are being developed.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on current negotiations between the UKAEA and Canada for contracts relating to the storage or reprocessing of nuclear materials from Canadian nuclear power stations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have been asked to reply.
I understand that that UKAEA is currently considering two requests for the storage and possible reprocessing of spent irradiated fuel from Canada.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Environmental Technology
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters in regard to improving environmental protection and facilitating the transfer of environmental technology were (a) discussed and (b) decided at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Zimbabwe.
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Mrs. Chalker : Commonwealth Heads of Government held wide-ranging discussions on environmental issues during their meeting in Harare. The results are summarised in their communique , a copy of which is being placed in the Library.
Commonwealth Conference
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the television and radio interviews he gave on matters for which he has responsibility, during his visit to Zimbabwe for the Commonwealth conference ; and whether he set out any new policy initiatives in his media interviews.
Mrs. Chalker : During his visit to Zimbabwe for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave the following television and radio interviews : 16 October : BBC Radio
16 October : BBC, ITN and Sky Television--jointinterview 19 October : Mozambican TV and Radio
21 October : South African TV
In all these interviews he explained how we were developing existing policy and commented on developments at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting and elsewhere.
Aid and Trade Provision
Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) which companies had money allocated to them under the aid and trade provision in 1989-90, or the nearest convenient year ; and how much they each received ;
(2) how much money was allocated under the aid and trade provision in 1989- 90, or the most recent convenient year.
Mrs. Chalker [pursuant to her reply, 28 February 1991, c. 564] : A further detailed examination of the list of aid and trade provision agreements entered into in 1989-90, and included in my answer of 28 February 1991, has shown up a number of inaccuracies. The correct list for 1989-90 is as follows :
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Country |Project |Total |United Kingdom contractor-supplier
|commit-
|ment
|£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Egypt |Maghara Coal Mine |0.080 |Babcocks
India |URI-Hydro |17.146 |Boving and Co.
Indonesia |Radio Studios |0.378 |David Whittle Associates
Indonesia |Aircraft Simulator |0.050 |CAA
Indonesia |Satellite Remote Sensing |0.028 |Technology Applied Systems
Indonesia |Cigading/Serpong Railway Rehabilitation|24.690 |Davy/British Railway International
Indonesia |Radio Studio Rehabilitation |5.040 |Audix Ltd.
Kenya |Moi University |0.034 |Cambridge Education Consultants
Kenya |Mombasa South Coast Link Road |0.350 |Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners
Kenya |Digital Micro Wave System |4.214 |Telectron Systems
Kenya |Rural Telecommunication Equipment |4.363 |Telectron Systems
Morocco |Gas Turbines |7.276 |JBE
Morocco |Diesel Electric Locos |6.107 |Brush Electrical
Morocco |Nador Steel Works Study |0.133 |W. S. Atkins
Pakistan |Karachi Water II |6.629 |Portals Water Treatment
Philippines |Gas Turbines Power Station |13.125 |JBE
Red Sea |Regional Hydro Carbon Study |0.187 |Robertson Research International
Swaziland |Fire Equipment |0.123 |Carmichael Fire and Bulk
Thailand |Railway Signalling |0.773 |Transmark
Tunisia |Railway Equipment |0.500 |Balfour Beatty
Tunisia |Yarn and Fibre Plant |0.337 |Extrusion Systems Ltd.
Turkey |Natural Gas Conversion |58.700 |AMEC International Construction
Total 150.263
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
European Court of Justice
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many decisions of the European Court of Justice have not been implemented by member states ; which countries are in default ; and which decisions of what date they have not implemented.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Commission's most recent annual report monitoring the application of Community law records 83 judgments with which member states had not, or had only partially complied. Details of the member states and the judgments involved, and the dates, are contained in the "Official Journal" c 232 of 17 September 1990, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
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