You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

Departmental Assets

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what stocks of (a) antiques, (b) paintings and (c) fine wines are held by her Department; if she will list such assets sold over the last three years together with the sale proceeds from such transactions; what plans she has to sell further such assets over the period of the current comprehensive spending review; and if she will make a statement. [10839]

Ms Hewitt: The Department does not hold stocks of antiques, paintings or fine wines. It holds a number of paintings and artwork on loan from the Government Art Collection, and a small collection of contemporary art purchased for the refurbished Conference Centre at 1 Victoria street. The only antique items owned by the Department are the Pyx chair and a Grandfather clock.

There has been no sale of such assets during the last three years nor are there any plans for sales in the future.

Small Business Service (Chorley)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries the Small Business Service has had from the Chorley constituency. [10089]

Nigel Griffiths: Since April 2001, there have been 116 inquiries to the Small Business Service in the Chorley constituency.

31 Oct 2001 : Column: 702W

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses have been started in the Chorley constituency with the help of the Small Business Service. [10090]

Nigel Griffiths: Since April 2001, there have been six business start-ups in the Chorley area. The number of businesses started in Chorley during 1999 was 285 (latest figures available).

Renewable Energy

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 22 October 2001, Official Report, column 11W, if he will list the location of the sites where tidal stream generators could be deployed. [10699]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 30 October 2001]: The following is a list of identified sites in UK waters where tidal stream generators could be deployed.












31 Oct 2001 : Column: 703W









































Additional sites may be identified in the course of continuing research.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the sites of the wind farm developments seeking sea-bed leases from the Crown Estate which have achieved pre-qualification status; and what the projected time scale is for their construction and commissioning. [10235]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 30 October 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the Crown Estate press release of 5 April 2001 which provides details on the 18 developers, including specific site information, that pre-qualified for Crown Estate leases. A copy is being placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Information on the construction and commissioning phases of projects is a commercial matter for the developers concerned.

31 Oct 2001 : Column: 704W

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she intends to implement the provisions of the EU Renewable Energy Directive for good quality energy from waste as part of the hierarchy of waste treatment. [10901]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 29 October 2001]: The European Directive on Renewable Energy sets out the European context for support schemes for renewable forms of energy. It is for each member state to design and implement domestic support systems. In our recently published statutory consultations on the Renewables Obligations we do not propose to support energy from mixed waste incineration. This position is entirely consistent with the EU Directive, which we will be implementing in due course.

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on the need to include high quality energy from waste in the Renewables Obligation, consistent with the EU Renewable Energy Directive. [10899]

Mr. Wilson: [holding answer 29 October 2001]: We published our Statutory Consultation on the Renewables Obligation in August this year. We have received responses both commending the Government's proposals to exclude energy from the incineration of mixed wastes from the Renewables Obligation, and advocating that it should be included. We are currently considering the comments we have received and hope to bring a draft order before the House as soon as possible.

Electricity Trading

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress she has made on reaching a settlement with the energy regulator on the viability of combined heat and power projects under the new electricity trading arrangements. [10648]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 30 October 2001]: Ofgem published on 31 August their review of the impact of NETA on smaller generators. The report covered the first two months since the implementation of the new electricity arrangements (NETA). The Government will be issuing a consultation paper in response to the Ofgem report on smaller generators imminently which contains proposals aimed at addressing the issues surrounding NETA that have been raised by the smaller generator community, including the CHP generators.

As well as consideration of the impact of NETA, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will also be publishing wider proposals in the form of a CHP strategy in the coming months.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received regarding the new electricity trading arrangements. [10647]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 30 October 2001]: In October 1997, the then Minister for Industry, Energy and Science proposed that the electricity pool system be reviewed. In the review and the subsequent development of regulations to implement new electricity trading arrangements (NETA), there were a number of consultations undertaken by my Department and Ofgem. During the development and implementation of NETA, numerous representations were received from a range of

31 Oct 2001 : Column: 705W

organisations, in the form of letters, responses to consultation exercises and in meetings. Since NETA went live in March of this year, the DTI and Ofgem have consulted on further refinements to the trading arrangements in light of experience of the new system. This has prompted further representations from interested parties.

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will publish her consultation document responding to the Ofgem report on the effects of new electricity trading arrangements on small generators. [10428]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 29 October 2001]: The Government will be publishing their consultation document responding to Ofgem's reports on the operation of NETA and the initial impact of NETA on smaller generators in the near future.

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the part aggregation could play in addressing the position of small generators under new electricity trading arrangements. [10429]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 29 October 2001]: The impact of NETA on smaller generators, including renewables and CHP, was, and continues to be, of great concern. Following a request by the then Minister for Energy, Ofgem published on 31 August 2001 a report on the impact of NETA on smaller generators, based on the first two months of NETA operation, as well as a report on NETA operation generally.

Ofgem's report on the impact of NETA on smaller generators includes the finding that there is widespread concern that aggregation (or 'consolidation') services have yet to become fully operational.

The Government believe that effective aggregation services, which would group smaller generators into portfolios of predictable and less predictable generation, are one of the keys to addressing issues faced by smaller generators under NETA.

The Government will imminently be issuing proposals specifically aimed at addressing the concerns of the smaller generators community, including wind generation. These will include proposals on aggregation services under NETA and will set out the Government's views on aggregation services in detail.

Next Section Index Home Page