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18 Jun 2003 : Column 331W—continued
Renewable Energy Policy
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what types of wood and other biomass material are classified as renewable for the purposes of the renewable obligation certificates available for industry; and whether this includes (a) material grown specifically for a renewable energy programme and (b) wood which is produced for other purposes. [119183]
Mr. Timms: All types of wood and other biodegradable material are renewable as the term is used in the Utilities Act and the Renewables Obligation Order (RO).
Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) may be issued only for the biodegradable fraction of the fuel supply, and only where the conditions of the Renewable Obligation Order concerning the fuel supply and technology used are met. Where the feedstock is at least 98 per cent. biodegradable, there is eligibility for ROCs regardless of the energy conversion technology used.
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Where the feedstock is mixed waste, there is eligibility only in the case of advanced energy conversion technologies.
In the case of stations fired by both a fossil-derived fuel and biomass (known as co-firing), waste which is purely biomass is eligible under the Renewables Obligation until 31 March 2011, but from 1 April 2006, at least 75 per cent. of the biomass must be from energy crops as defined in the Renewables Obligation Order, that is "a plant crop planted after 1 January 1990 primarily for the purpose of being used as a fuel".
A technical review of the Renewables Obligation, including the co-firing provisions, is under way. This will be followed by a Statutory Consultation, beginning later in the summer.
Royal Mail
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will next meet the Chairman of Royal Mail. [120071]
Mr. Timms: As shareholder of Royal Mail Holdings plc, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry meets the Chairman several times a year. Their next meeting has not yet been scheduled.
Small and Medium Businesses
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list sector specific guidance produced by her Department for small and medium sized enterprises since February 2002; and if she will make a statement. [119448]
Nigel Griffiths [holding answer 16 June 2003]: The Small Business Service (SBS) provides guidance and advice to all SMEs via the national network of Business Link Operators and the Business Link Website. Current sector specific guidance on the Website includes aerospace, agriculture, rural retail, biotechnology, the automotive industry and the building sector. The Business Link Website—www.businesslink.org—provides fuller information.
Terrorism
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to ensure that first tier authorities share their plans with parish councils for dealing with terrorist incidents at nuclear power stations. [119101]
Mr. Timms: First tier local authorities are required under the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR), to prepare and exercise the emergency plans which would be activated in the event of an emergency with off-site consequences at a civil nuclear site. This would include an emergency which might result from a terrorist incident. In the preparation of these plans, first tier local authorities are required to consult interested parties or agencies, which could include elected councillors at county, borough and parish level. They are also required to consult on any proposed changes or reviews, and we would expect them to continue to share their plans
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with interested parties after publication. REPPIR is monitored and enforced by the Health and Safety Executive.
University Challenge Fund
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the objectives are of the University Challenge Fund; what progress has been made towards achieving those objectives; and if she will make a statement. [119639]
Ms Hewitt: The objective of University Challenge is to deliver commercial opportunities by enabling universities to access seed funding to assist the commercialisation of their research. In their first three years of operation, the 15 Seed Funds established in 1999 have assisted the creation of 159 spin outs companies, the development of 81 patents and 11 licences.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the financial benefits to the UK economy from the University Challenge Fund have been found by her Department to exceed the money spent on it. [119640]
Ms Hewitt: It is too early to assess the ultimate economic impact of the University Challenge Fund. However, by its third year of operation, initial investment of £30 million by the University Challenge Funds had attracted an additional £40 million from private sector sources. An evaluation of the University Challenge scheme will be carried out in due course.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent on the University Challenge Fund each year since it was started; what the projected level of expenditure is over the next five years; and whether these figures are different from projected expenditure levels when the fund was created. [119641]
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Ms Hewitt: The Government awarded £25 million towards the first round of University Challenge in 1998–99, and a further £15 million for a second round in 2001. Future funding for University Challenge activity will be provided as part of the Higher Education Innovation Fund for which a total of £171 million was allocated in Spending Review 2002. The grant drawn down by the University Challenge Funds each year is published in the DTI Consolidated Resource Accounts.
Unsolicited E-mails
Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the threat to the integrity of the internet posed by the incidence of spam e-mails; and what measures she proposes to combat spamming. [119421]
Mr. Timms: Bulk untargeted e-mails can cause serious offence and nuisance to the recipients and cause problems for internet service providers whose networks can be blocked or slowed down. The Government will be introducing stricter rules on unsolicited commercial e-mail under the Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications and draft Regulations are available for consultation until 19 June. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the DTI website at: www.dti.gov.uk/industries/econommunications/directive on privacy electronic communications 200258ec
Wind Farms
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with Force 9 regarding a wind farm in the Golden Valley in Herefordshire; and if she will make a statement. [119802]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 17 June 2003]: The Department has had no discussions with Force 9 regarding a possible application under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to build a wind farm in the Golden Valley.