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Grant Allocations

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list (a) the grant schemes operated by her Department, and (b) the sums of money made available to stimulate new technology in (i) solar power, (ii) heat pumps used for space and water heating purposes, (iii) combined heat and power and micro-chip, (iv) micro-wind power, (v) bio-mass driven electricity generation and (vi) other low, or zero-carbon technologies used for generating heat or electricity. [98671]

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Mr. Wilson: The technology stimulation schemes being operated by the Department and the sums of money available are set out as follows:

	£ million
Offshore wind electricity generation: (including £10 million from the New Opportunities Fund)	74
Biomass driven electricity and heat generation (including £36 million from the New Opportunities Fund; and £34 million for biomass heat)	66
First phase of Major Solar Photo voltaics (PV) Demonstration Programme	20
"Clear Skies" scheme for community and household projects (including solar water heating, heat pumps, micro-wind and micro-hydro)	10
Wave and Tidal Energy Demonstration Projects	5

The Department is also making available £19 million per year for the New and Renewable Energy programme which provides research grants for renewable energy projects.

DEFRA leads within Government on combined heat and power (CHP) and provides support, as set out as follows:

	£ million
Community Energy to install and refurbish community heating networks, mainly based on CHP	50
Energy Crops Scheme to establish energy crops for biomass heat, CHP and electricity generation and to set up producer groups for growers of short rotation coppice	29
Bio-energy infrastructure scheme to develop biomass supply-chains	3.5

In addition, the Carbon Trust's Low Carbon Innovation Programme can provide, inter alia, grants across a wide range of innovative low carbon projects.

LPG

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on the future growth of the market for automotive liquid petroleum gas. [98642]

Alan Johnson: Ministers and officials have regular contact with representatives of the Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry, (including those concerned with automotive LPG such as the LP Gas Association) vehicle manufacturers, and other stakeholders.

In the UK we have over 75,000 vehicles running on LPG, and the market is currently growing at a rate of some 30,000 vehicles per year.

TRANSPORT

Correspondence

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will respond to the request from the right hon. Member for Wokingham of 17 June 2002 for information held on the right hon. Member by the Department. [98715]

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Mr. Spellar: The information requested was sent to the right hon. Member on 21 February 2003.

First North Western

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has collected about cancellations of rail services by First North Western Trains during the past 12 months. [99353]

Mr. Jamieson: In the last 12 months First North Western were scheduled to provide 438,735 train services of which 12,937 or 2.95 per cent. were cancelled. This figure does not include services which were withdrawn as part of a published emergency timetable.

Strategic Rail Authority

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he reconciles the Strategic Rail Authority's goal of a 50 per cent. growth in passenger traffic between 2000–01 and 2010–11 with the Strategic Rail Authority's planning forecast, as reported in their Strategic Plan, that passenger rail travel will be 25 to 35 per cent. greater in passenger kilometre terms than it was at the beginning of the 10 year plan period. [98978]

Mr. Jamieson: 50 per cent. is a target. The SRA's Strategic Plan gives a snapshot of potential growth. 25–35 per cent. is a current forecast. It is liable to change.

Thames Gateway

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional allocations for transport infrastructure he has made to support the increase in the numbers of homes and new communities planned for the Thames Gateway London area, as set out in the Deputy Prime Minister's Sustainable Communities Plan. [98621]

Mr. Jamieson: Substantial improvements in transport in the Thames Gateway have already taken place, and significant additional resources are already committed or planned for further improvements.

We are now considering how far and to what timescale we should seek to develop the Thames Gateway further, including the funding implications of the infrastructure required and how those who benefit from new development might contribute to the cost of this infrastructure. We will set out in due course the level of development the Government would like to see in the Gateway and is prepared to support.

WALES

Annual Report

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much producing his Department's latest Annual Report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge. [90893]

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Peter Hain: The cost of producing the Department's latest Annual Report was £20,200; the number of copies printed is a matter for the Stationery Office; most copies which were sold are believed to have been bought at a discount by libraries and similar institutions with subscriptions for Command Papers; copies of the report have been provided to hon. and right hon. Members representing Welsh constituencies and some hon. and right. hon. Members with particular Welsh interests, some other Government Departments, the Welsh Assembly and internally within my Department; fewer than 100.

Departmental Consultations

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list consultations his Department has conducted since it was established; and when each consultation (a) opened and (b) closed. [97429]

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 26 September 2002, Official Report, column 209W.

Since that date consultations have taken place on:

the Department's draft Welsh Language scheme, opening on 19 August 2002 and closing on 11 October 2002


ombudsmen's services in Wales, opening on 4 December 2002 and closing on 7 February 2003

E-mail Addresses

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales by what e-mail address members of the public may contact (a) him and (b) each of the Ministers in his Department; and for each e-mail address if he will state (i) the date it became active and (ii) the number of e-mails received in each month since activation. [97446]

Peter Hain: Both I and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State may be contacted at [e-mail]

This address has been active since 1 November 2000. Statistics for the amount of mail received are not routinely kept. However in January 2003 it received 131 e-mails.

Gwydyr House

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when and by whom Gwydyr House headquarters were valued for the purposes of the National Asset Register; what his latest valuation of this property is; and if he will make a statement. [91700]

Peter Hain: Gwydyr House was valued on 31 March 2000 by GVA Grimley, Chartered Surveyors; £1.7 million.

Heritage Assets

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what sales of heritage assets and antique assets have been made by his Department since May 1997; if he will list other assets; and if he will estimate the total sales proceeds. [92411]

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Peter Hain: No such sales have taken place since my Department was created in July 1999. As a non-executive Department, the Wales Office assets are restricted to its headquarters accommodation (a listed building) and furniture and other office equipment.

IT Contracts

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list IT contracts in his Department and its predecessors above £50 million in each of the last 10 years; what the inception date for each system was; when it became fully functional; when it became fully debugged; and what the cost of over-runs has been. [98998]

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave my right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 17 July 2001, Official Report, column 125W.

The total cost will now be £64.4 million, reflecting the growth in the number of users over the life of the system.

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