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Wind Farm, Wales
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason her Department did not allocate the funding requested by the Awel Amen Tame to develop Wales' first community owned wind farm. [16663]
Mr. Wilson: The Department provided £70,000 of funding for Awel Aman Tawe for the initial phase of their community wind farm development programme. This was used to fund a number of awareness raising and information dissemination activities and culminated in a local referendum to assess the level of local support for the proposed wind farm.
A further request for funding of the second phase of the project was received in response to a call for proposals for our new and renewable energy programme. That was assessed and rejected by a panel of independent assessors and by our programme managers. Broadly, much of the work content was concerned with normal development activities and only some elements seemed novel.
Of the £100 million for renewables announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in March, it has been decided to allocate £10 million to support community developments across a range of technologies. Once this scheme has been developed, Awel Aman Tawe may be interested in applying for further support.
Nuclear Security
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor), on 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 541W, on Sellafield, what assessment she has made of how long it would take a
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commercial passenger plane flying at 2,200 ft above sea level two nautical miles from Sellafield to crash into Sellafield. [15572]
Mr. Wilson: No such assessment has been made.
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations have been undertaken since 11 September with (a) non-governmental organisations and (b) independent academic experts on the security of nuclear installations and nuclear materials in transport by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security; and what were the (i) dates and (ii) matters covered in the meetings. [19871]
Mr. Wilson: There have been no consultations since 11 September 2001 between the Office for Civil Nuclear Security and non-governmental organisations or independent academic experts on the security of nuclear installations and nuclear materials in transport.
Nuclear Reprocessing (Toxic Effects)
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the report published on 23 November by the European Parliament's Scientific and Technological Options Assessment Programme on possible toxic effects from the nuclear reprocessing plants at Sellafield and Cap de la Hague, France. [19874]
Mr. Wilson: None. The subject matter of this report—which was prepared by an organisation called WISE-Paris—appears to relate to assessment of the possible environmental impacts of reprocessing. In the UK such matters fall to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs to whom I understand my hon. Friend has addressed a similar question.
I am aware, however, that the objectivity and scientific validity of the study produced by WISE-Paris have been called into question by Members of the European Parliament and that, in view of this, the European Parliament body that commissioned the report in response to a request from a separate committee formally sought from three experts an independent evaluation of the report.
The Chairman of the Scientific and Technological Options Assessment Panel (STOA) makes clear in a letter written as a cover to the study on its publication that publication of the document
"does not imply adoption of its contents and these do not necessarily reflect the views of members of the STOA Panel or the European Parliament".
"the STOA Panel expresses regret that WISE-Paris saw fit to break the confidentiality clause in its contract by making public parts of the study prior to its publication. This behaviour of WISE-Paris is not in line with the long-standing tradition of STOA, which has always endeavoured to associate its work with the highest scientific and ethical standards".
"as a first contribution to the scientific debate".
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Energy Policy
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates the Energy Minister attended meetings of the performance and innovation unit inquiry into energy policy; and on what further dates this year he expects to attend such meetings. [17936]
Mr. Wilson: I attended and chaired meetings of the PIU steering group on 16 July, 17 October and 22 November of this year. There was also a meeting of the PIU steering group on 25 September which I was unable to attend. No further meetings of the PIU steering group are currently planned.
Nuclear Industry (North-West)
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's estimate is of the value of the nuclear industry to the output of the economy of the north-west region (a) in real money value and (b) as a percentage of overall north-west output in the last 12 months; and what predictions her Department has made of the future value of the industry. [17353]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 23 November 2001]: The DTI does not hold this information. The DTI has not made any prediction of the future value of the nuclear industry to the north-west.
Civil Nuclear Liabilities
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is her estimate of the (a) current and (b) projected liabilities arising from radiological contamination owned by (i) BNFL, (ii) UKAEA and (iii) the oil industry; and if she will make a statement on what steps she plans to take to deal with these liabilities. [19881]
Mr. Wilson: As at 31 March 2001, BNFL manages some £35 billion liabilities (undiscounted) of which it is financially responsible for £24 billion (undiscounted). It was announced on 28 November by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry that the liabilities will be increased by some £1.9 billion (discounted at 2.5 per cent.) due to the recently completed review of historic waste management by BNFL.
As at 31 March 2001 UKAEA manages some £7.4 billion liabilities (undiscounted) (excluding those at BNFL sites).
The figures represent current best estimates of lifetime liabilities and do not take account of the potential cost of changes in regulatory and policy requirements.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry made a statement to the House on 28 November about the future management of public sector civil nuclear liabilities.
The Government do not have an estimate of the oil industry's liabilities arising from radiological contamination.
Railtrack
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department is undertaking investigations into potential insider dealing regarding
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Railtrack shares in the period immediately before the suspension of shares in Railtrack; and if he will make a statement. [19784]
Ms Hewitt: It is not the policy of my Department to comment on the affairs of particular companies. However, in view of the Department's concurrent responsibility with the Financial Services Authority for insider dealing from 1 December, the Department is willing to consider, in conjunction with the Financial Services Authority, any information the hon. Member may have suggesting insider dealing in Railtrack shares.
Low-cost Electricity
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she has reviewed the impact of the Competition Act 1998 on the provision of low-cost electricity for persons over 60; and if she will make a statement; [19654]
- (2) for what reason the stay warm scheme which provides electricity at a lower price is being offered in every area of the nation apart from the east of England; and if he will make a statement. [19653]
Mr. Wilson [holding answer 3 December 2001]: TXU Energi has not made its Stay Warm tariff available to its "home" customers in the north-west and east Anglia, although I understand that it is considering whether to do so. The standard licence conditions for electricity introduced on 1 October 2001 removed remaining restrictions on incumbent suppliers such as TXU operating in their "home" areas. Like other suppliers, TXU remains subject to the operation of competition law, including the Competition Act 1998, which protects competitors and consumers from companies' abuse of a dominant position. It is for TXU, like companies in other markets, to judge whether offers to particular groups of consumers could be deemed anti-competitive. The Competition Act 1998 provides the opportunity for companies to seek guidance or a direction on schemes from the Office of Fair Trading.
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