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TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Women in Science

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to review the career structures of women in science. [1732]

Mr. Wilson: The Department is currently undertaking a review of women's scientific careers as outlined in "Excellence and Opportunity", the 2000 Science and Innovation White Paper. The study has interviewed women in the public and private sector who have both returned to a scientific career and who have left and wish to return.

The study is due to report at the end of the summer, at which time we will consult stakeholders in the development of an action plan. DTI and DFES will both be involved in this process.

Marconi

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussion she had with Marconi prior to the recent announcement of redundancies. [3158]

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Mr. Wilson [holding answer 10 July 2001]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry did not have any prior discussion with Marconi about its announcement of further job losses in the UK.

Data Protection Act

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date her Department received a request for documents under the Data Protection Act 1984 from Lord Ashcroft; on what dates her Department replied to the request; and if she will make a statement. [3820]

Ms Hewitt: The Data Protection Act 1998 prohibits disclosure of personal data to a third party without the consent of the individual concerned. The position is recognised by the exemption in the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information covering statutory and other restrictions.

Transco

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Transco price review will include consideration of the financing of extension to the gas network; and if she will make a statement. [3713]

Mr. Wilson: Transco's price review is a matter for the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem). The latest proposals for the price control can be found on the Ofgem website at www.Ofgem.gov.uk. The Government's draft Fuel Poverty Strategy included a commitment to working with Ofgem to ensure that, wherever possible, the gas network provides the widest viable coverage and fullest viable capacity. A working group, whose membership includes representatives of Government, Ofgem, the industry and consumers, is taking this work forward.

Bank Holidays

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the case for introducing bank holidays on non-Christian holy days. [4254]

Alan Johnson: No such assessment has been made. However, the Government encourage employers to be flexible when agreeing time off for cultural and religious observance.

Electricity Generation

Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made of the impact of the new electricity trading arrangements on smaller companies in relation to their role as (a) suppliers and (b) generators. [4265]

Mr. Wilson: In late February, the Minister for Energy at the time asked the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) to undertake a review of the impact of the new electricity trading arrangements (NETA) on smaller generators based on the first two months of NETA operation. Ofgem is due to publish its review by August.

In addition, Ofgem is producing regular assessments of how NETA is working, including the impact on smaller suppliers, for the Department of Trade and Industry. It is expected that many of the issues relating to smaller generators apply also to smaller suppliers.

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The Government will consult on any necessary action, including in relation to smaller suppliers, once Ofgem's review report is published.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if revised estimates of emissions of carbon dioxide from the electricity sector have been made to reflect the changes in operational management of (a) combined heat and power and renewable electricity generating plant and (b) centralised power stations since the start of the new electricity trading arrangements; and if these changes are reflected in the Government's UK climate change strategy. [4753]

Mr. Wilson: CO ₂ emissions from the electricity generation sector for the first full quarter under the new electricity trading arrangements (NETA) are not yet available. Government projections of CO ₂ emissions were last published in November 2000 as Energy Paper 68. ¹ These, along with the Government's climate change strategy, are long-term by their nature and we see no reason to revise either at this stage. We do not, as yet, have sufficient information on CHP, renewable or indeed any generation to assess resulting changes in the electricity sector fully. In any event, we are still in the early days of NETA and generator behaviour in response to the new arrangements is unlikely to have settled down. There have been particular issues regarding the impact of NETA on renewables and CHP generation, which Ofgem will shortly be publishing a report on.

¹ Energy Projections for the UK, 2000–2020—Energy Paper 68—published November 2000.

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she intends to implement the proposals set out in February in the DTI Responses to Consultations and Final Proposals document concerning exemptions from the requirement for a licence to generate, distribute or supply electricity. [4466]

Mr. Wilson: The Government plan that an order implementing these proposals should be made in the next few weeks.

Energy Policy

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's target is for the use of renewable energy by (a) 2020, (b) 2030 and (c) 2040; and if she will make a statement. [4444]

Mr. Wilson: The Government have proposed targets for renewable energy for 2003 and 2010 subject to the cost being acceptable to consumers. We shall be considering the possibility of setting additional targets in the light of the energy review being carried out by the Performance and Innovation Unit.

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the subsidy paid to (a) the UK nuclear industry and (b) renewable sources of energy for each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [4441]

Mr. Wilson: No Government investment or subsidy has been paid in years since 1997 toward the production of nuclear power or to the development, planning or construction of nuclear power stations. There is no current expectation that there will be any in the period to 2005–6.

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The levy funds paid for production and development of power from renewable sources under the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation in respect of England and Wales for each year from 1997–98 are shown in the table.

	£ million
1997–98	115.9
1998–99	113.7
1999–2000	41.9
2000–01	52.1
2001–02 (estimate)	111.0

Additional sums will have been made available under the obligations operating in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Support for renewable energy in years from 2002–03 will depend upon the detailed terms of the renewables obligation, on which I will be consulting shortly.

In addition to support to be provided under the renewables obligation, the Government have pledged over £260 million over the next three years in direct support for the production and development of renewable energy. Renewables will also be helped indirectly through exemption from the climate change levy.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of changes in (a) demand and (b) production of energy in (i) the UK, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland until 2020, broken down by (A) nuclear, (B) renewable and (C) fossil fuel; and what proportion of demand will be met from maximum forecast (x) nuclear, (y) renewable and (z) fossil fuel output. [3936]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 17 July 2001]: The DTI published, in Energy Paper 68 (EP68), energy demand projections for the period 2000 to 2020 in November 2000. The projections covered the UK as a whole. The DTI has made no assessment of prospects for demand and supply in separate regions of the UK.

The projected total energy demands and contributions of each fuel, under a range of different economic conditions, are shown in Annexe H of EP68.

Energy Paper 68 is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the maximum output is from (a) nuclear, (b) renewable and (c) fossil fuel sources; and how these capacities will vary in each year until 2020 for (i) Scotland, (ii) the UK and (iii) Wales. [3935]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 17 July 2001]: At the end of 2000 major power producer maximum UK electrical generating capacity was 12.5GW at nuclear stations, 55.8GW at fossil fuel plants, and 2.4GW at all renewable plants (excluding pumped storage plant).

The DTI published, in Energy Paper 68 (EP68), energy demand projections for the period 2000 to 2020 in November 2000. Figures in Annexe G of EP68 show the assumed or projected capacities for a range of generating plant in a number of scenarios. The projections cover the UK as a whole. As a broad indication, in 2010, nuclear

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capacity is estimated to be 10GW, renewables capacity between 7 and 8GW and fossil capacity between 50 and 55GW.

Separate official figures are not available for Scotland and Wales, although the British Energy website gives output data for recent periods www.british-energy.com. The Government have not attempted to predict where capacity by fuel type will be geographically located.

Energy Paper 68 is available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate as proportions of energy (a) produced and (b) forecast to be produced in (1) UK, (2) Scotland and (3) Wales from (i) nuclear, (ii) renewable and (iii) fossil fuel sources for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06. [3934]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 17 July 2001]: DTI publishes each year in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics electricity supplied by each type of fuel. These data are for the United Kingdom as a whole and are on a calendar year basis. Separate official figures are not available for Scotland and Wales, although the British Energy website gives output data for recent periods (www.british-energy.com). The figures for 2000 will be published in the 2001 Digest on 26 July 2001 and a copy of the digest will be made available in the Library of the House. The electricity supplied figures for the years 1997 to 2000 are as follows:

Electricity supplied (gross) by all generating companies in the UK (TWh)⁽²⁸⁾

Year	Nuclear	Renewables	Fossil fuels
1997	89.3	7.2	234.0
1998	90.6	8.8	244.8
1999	87.7	9.9	251.3
2000	78.3	10.2	267.5

⁽²⁸⁾ Supplies from pumped storage stations, and imports of electricity are excluded.

The DTI published, in Energy Paper 68 (EP68), energy demand projections for the period 2000 to 2020 in November 2000. The projections cover the whole of the UK and no assessment was made of energy demand or supply prospects by region. Projections of the amount of electricity generated by the various types of plant are shown in Annexe D of Energy Paper 68. Annual projections of energy demand and supply are not available. In terms of the major producers of power, in the year 2005 nuclear is projected to account for around 24 per cent., renewables around 6 per cent. and other fossil sources around 67 per cent. of electricity supply. The remaining supply is in the form of pumped storage output or imports of electricity through the electricity link with France.

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