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Airline and Aerospace Industries (Assistance)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice and assistance she is giving to the (a) airline and (b) aerospace industries in coping with the aftermath of 11 September; and if she will make a statement. [13713]

Mr. Wilson: Officials in the Department of Trade and Industry remain in close contact with the UK aviation industry in co-operation with the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

The Government moved quickly to underwrite, on a temporary basis, third party war risk insurance for UK airlines and service providers to the airline industry, an initiative which has subsequently been widely copied elsewhere. We are considering whether further aid should be paid to the UK airline industry, and will take guidelines issued recently by the European Commission on state aid fully into account in any decision.

The further effects on the aerospace manufacturing industry remain uncertain. The Government and the aerospace industry will continue to work together to ensure a successful future for the industry as the situation becomes clearer.

Regulations

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many regulations her Department has proposed to Parliament since June; what regulatory impact assessments have been made for those regulations her Department have implemented since June; and what plans her Department has to reduce the number of regulations affecting small businesses. [13631]

Ms Hewitt: The Department has proposed 36 regulations to Parliament since June. Of these regulations, more than two thirds were public telecommunications operator licences, amended or simplified regulations or preserved commercial electricity supply agreements.

Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) have to be produced for all new regulations in which the costs and benefits have to be assessed, particularly for small firms. The Department's policy is to "think small first" and the Small Business Service has to be consulted on all RIAs to ensure that the impact on small firms is not disproportionate. The Department is drawing up a Regulatory Reform Action Plan that the Government will publish.

Developing Countries (International Trade)

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) pledge cards and (b) representations she has received from members of the public regarding international trade with developing countries in the last 12 months. [14380]

Ms Hewitt: My Ministerial colleagues and I have received 64 letters from right hon. and hon. Members requesting responses to the pledge card campaign—"Pledge to the World's Poor"—which was focused on MPs.

My Department has separately received over 35,000 representations in the last 12 months regarding international trade with developing countries.

13 Nov 2001 : Column: 655W

Gas Prices

Mr. Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on the three-point strategy in relation to gas price increases and their effect upon UK industry. [12448]

Mr. Wilson: The Government's three point strategy to address high gas prices is:

to work for greater market liberalisation in Europe

to work for improvements in the British gas market

to take action against any anti-competitive activity.

As part of our work on improving the British gas market the Government published a consultation document on 2 November "A Consultation on Gas Prices and Possible Improvements to Market Efficiency" which considers various concerns made about the gas market. The document also seeks views on the wider benefits to the gas market of increased information flows between the onshore and the offshore following a seminar held with the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association on 10 September. Copies of this document are available from the Department of Trade and Industry website www.dti.gov.uk.

There has also been progress with the strategy more generally. In March the EU Commission published proposals for a revised Gas Directive which was a positive step towards greater liberalisation. Interconnector (UK) Ltd now publishes details of flows with a one day lag instead of the previous six week delay. The Government have also been working with IUK and interconnector shippers on improvements to interconnector governance and marketing arrangements. The EU Commission's inquiry into the operation of the interconnector, which was undertaken at the request of the Government, is now reaching its final stages.

Heysham Industrial Estate

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance she is providing for the (a) clearance and (b) remediation of (i) derelict and (ii) contaminated land on the Heysham industrial estate. [13769]

Alan Johnson: The North West Development Agency has so far agreed to provide £18,250 preliminary funding for site studies in respect of the remediation of Trimpell Tip on Heysham industrial estate.

Regeneration (Morecambe and Lunesdale)

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding has been allocated to the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency by the regional development agency for economic regeneration. [13773]

Alan Johnson: Funds managed by the North West Regional Development Agency are allocated to specific projects and initiatives rather than to constituencies. The Agency is currently contributing £4.9 million to three major regeneration projects in the Morecambe area.

13 Nov 2001 : Column: 656W

Luneside East Industrial Estate

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding the North West Development Agency has allocated to Luneside East industrial estate; and for what purpose. [13771]

Alan Johnson: The North West Development Agency has agreed to make up to £130,000 available to support various feasibility studies and investigations, project appraisal and co-ordination, and cost and value estimates in respect of Luneside East industrial estate.

Electricity

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the cost of electricity generated by nuclear power in pence/kilowatt hour, broken down into (a) building costs, (b) running costs, (c) decommissioning costs on a discounted basis and (d) other costs, identifying the assumptions made; and if she will make a statement. [13270]

Mr. Wilson: The Department has made no recent estimates of the cost of electricity generated by nuclear power. The last study published in 1995 concluded that the levelised costs of nuclear power were around 3.9p/kWh. Studies suggest that capital costs account for about 70 per cent. of total costs, operating and maintenance costs about 20 per cent. and decommissioning and waste costs about 10 per cent.

The Department is contributing to the work of the energy review being undertaken by the Performance and Innovation Unit at the Cabinet Office, which is looking at the cost of new nuclear generation. A copy of their paper which includes estimates of nuclear generation costs can be found at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/innovation/ 2001/energy/2050.pdf.

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the (a) total amount of electricity generated from nuclear generators in the UK and (b) proportion of all electricity used in the UK generated from (i) nuclear generation and (ii) UK-based nuclear generation, since 1990. [12788]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 7 November 2001]: The information requested is as follows:

	Electricity supplied from nuclear sources in the UK	Proportion of total electricity supplied that was from UK nuclear sources	Proportion that was nuclear from all sources(7)
	GWh	(Percentage)	(Percentage)
1990	58,664	20	23
1991	62,761	21	25
1992	69,135	23	27
1993	80,979	27	31
1994	79,962	26	30
1995	80,598	25	29
1996	85,820	26	30
1997	89,341	27	31
1998	90,590	26	29
1999	87,672	25	28
2000	78,334	22	25

⁽⁷⁾ Assuming that all electricity imported from France was from French nuclear stations.

Source:

Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2001 Tables 5.11 and 5.12.

13 Nov 2001 : Column: 657W

Climate Change Levy

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from the nuclear industry requesting exemption from the Climate Change Levy; and if she will make a statement. [12793]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 7 November 2001]: The nuclear industry has made a number of representations for exemption from the levy for electricity from nuclear generation.

Nuclear-generated electricity is taxed in the same way as other forms of non-renewable generation as one rate of levy applies to all such electricity.

The PIU (Performance and Innovation Unit) is currently reviewing UK energy policy, and nuclear energy will form part of its consideration.

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