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Pharmacies

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive Department for Health on the report from the Office of Fair Trading on the regulation of pharmacies. [103237]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 17 March 2003]: There have been a number of discussions between this Department and the Scottish Executive Department for Health and Community Care, at Ministerial and official level.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with representatives of the pharmacy profession in Scotland on the Office of Fair Trading report on the regulation of pharmacies. [103285]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 17 March 2003]: Representations have been made to the Department of Health and Community Care at the Scottish Executive. This Department has been made aware of the content of those representations and officials have attended meetings in Scotland to hear the concerns of the profession directly.

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to consult the Scottish Executive on the implications of the OFT report on pharmacists. [103178]

Miss Melanie Johnson: This Department is working co-operatively with health departments in all the devolved Administrations in considering the OFT report on Pharmacy entry controls.

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Public Sector Documents

Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the impact on United Kingdom GDP of implementation of the Draft Directive on the re-use and commercial exploitation of public sector documents. [101087]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 10 March 2003]: It is too early to say with any certainty what impact the implementation of the Directive will be within the UK, and no estimate has been made, but the proposal, as amended within the Council Working Group and due to be considered at the 27 March Telecoms Council, is broadly consistent with the policy adopted within the UK in 2000. That policy, the result of the Cross-cutting Review of the Knowledge Economy, has meant that most central Government information is now licensed for re-use on a marginal cost basis, which in practical terms generally means free of charge. The UK reserved the right of Trading Funds, such as Ordnance Survey and the Met Office, to charge for their documents in a way that would allow them to obtain a reasonable return on investment, and that latitude is reflected in the Directive.

If the text is adopted, any effect on GDP would be from the easier re-use of European documents. This would depend on the extent to which UK companies and others took advantage of it. A provisional estimate carried out by Pira International for the European Commission in 2000 suggested that the annual economic benefit for the European Union as a whole would be between 28 billion Euro and 134 billion Euro.

Security (Nuclear Power Stations)

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a further statement on the incursion by protesters into the Sizewell B nuclear plant on 13 January in respect of allegations that a serious breach of security occurred. [103025]

Mr. Wilson: I have nothing to add to the Statement I made on 28 February 2003, Official Report, columns 56–57WS, and to the Statement made by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business on 14 January 2003, Official Report, columns 547–50.

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what research she has undertaken to ascertain the effects of a worst case scenario terrorist attack on Sizewell A and B Power stations; [102846]

(2) what assessment she has made of recent research into (a) the number of fatalities and (b) the other consequences that could arise as a result of terrorist attack on a nuclear power station. [102845]

Mr. Wilson: The Government have undertaken an assessment of potential terrorist acts against all civil nuclear power stations. The results are not published on the grounds that the information would be of value to potential terrorists.

There are well tried and tested contingency plans for dealing with the aftermath of an accident, terrorist attack or other incident affecting a nuclear power station. These have been developed over many years and

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practised regularly in a rolling programme of local site-based exercises involving the site operators and the relevant local and national agencies. The lessons of these exercises are taken forward both locally, and nationally through the DTI-chaired Nuclear Emergency Planning Liaison Group.

Tidal Energy

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received about the development of tidal energy lagoons off (a) the Welsh coast and (b) elsewhere in the UK. [103318]

Mr. Wilson: My Department has received a number of representations from one organisation regarding a tidal lagoon project in the UK.

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimate she has made of the cost of power from (a) waves, (b) tidal stream, (c) tidal barrage and (d) tidal lagoons. [103446]

Mr. Wilson: A number of claims have been made about the cost of power from these technologies but as they have not yet been demonstrated as proven and reliable methods of electricity generation such estimates are speculative.

The exceptions to this are tidal barrage on which much work has been done in the past, particularly in respect of the Severn Barrage and tidal stream. A recent review of the Severn Scheme showed previous conclusions that such projects are uneconomic compared with other forms of electricity generation were unchanged.

In 2001 a study* which re-examined the commercial prospects for tidal stream power did make some cost estimates based on a single device concept. The likely cost of energy from this device were estimated in the range 4–6 p/kWh. However these are very tentative since the concept has yet to be demonstrated.

* The Commercial Prospects for Tidal Stream Power DTI/Pub URN 0I/1011

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the feasibility of offshore tidal power generation. [103316]

Mr. Wilson: In 2001 a study was commissioned which re-examined the commercial prospects for tidal stream power*. The UK is at the forefront of development of technologies which harness this potential although this form of generation has yet to be shown to be commercial.

* The Commercial Prospects for Tidal Stream Power DTI/Pub URN 01/1011

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the potential of tidal energy lagoons to provide renewable energy in the UK. [103317]

Mr. Wilson: Tidal lagoons as with other forms of large scale barrage have potential to contribute to the UK's renewable energy targets. However, these schemes have a very substantial impact on the environment and in the case of lagoons their economics have yet to be demonstrated.

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Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the role that non-barrage tidal power electricity generation could play in achieving renewable energy targets. [103529]

Mr. Wilson: The recent Energy White Paper acknowledged the potential contribution that tidal power technologies could make to achieving the Government's longer term renewable energy goals. In 2001 a study was commissioned which re-examined the commercial prospects for tidal stream power*.

* The Commercial Prospects for Tidal Stream Power DTI/Pub URN 01/1011

Veterans' Day

Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will institute an annual holiday early in November, to be called Veterans' Day, in honour of those who have given their life in defence of the country. [103192]

Alan Johnson: The Government have no plans at present to increase the number of bank holidays.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cyprus

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he plans to have with member states of the European Union on the role the Union will play in future negotiations regarding Cyprus. [102375]

Mr. MacShane: Regrettably, it has not proven possible to secure a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus in time for a reunited island to sign the Treaty of Accession with the European Union on 16 April. As decided by the Copenhagen European Council, Cyprus will accede with the acquis suspended in the north of the island. The Commission will, in consultation with the government of Cyprus, consider ways of promoting economic development of the northern part of Cyprus and bringing it closer to the Union. The UK and the EU remain committed to efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement within the framework of the UN Secretary-General's proposals of 26 February. However, as Mr. Annan made clear in his concluding statement in The Hague, an opportunity like the one so recently missed is unlikely to recur for some time.

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