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Departmental Policies (Pendle)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what policies (a) initiated and (b) managed by her Department since 2001 have had an impact on Pendle; and if she will make a statement. [124098]

Jacqui Smith: North West Development Agency's Pendle Economic Regeneration Programme is providing £6.4 million over four years from 2002 to promote the economic infrastructure and boost business competitiveness in the area. This is in addition to ongoing policy initiatives that were in place before 2001, including Business Link East Lancashire, which

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provides support to new and developing businesses in the area, and the Enterprise Grant Scheme (EGS) and SMART awards. Since January 2001, there have been 17 EGS and two SMART awards in the Pendle area, providing a total of £636,500 of investment support to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Electricity Generation

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the (a) cost and (b) level of provision of electricity generated by (i) coal-fired power stations and (ii) environmentally friendly sources. [123363]

Mr. Timms: Electricity generation from coal in the United Kingdom in 2002 amounted to 124.4 TWh, equivalent to 32 per cent. of total UK generation. Electricity generation from renewables and wastes amounted to 11.4 TWh, equivalent to 3 per cent. of total UK generation. Most recent estimates of generation costs from different types of plant are contained in a report, "Long-Term Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the UK" by an Inter-departmental Analysts Group (IAG) which was published in February 2002. A copy of the IAG report is in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what efforts are being made to encourage the use of electricity generated by environmentally friendly plants. [123364]

Mr. Timms: The Government have put in place a range of measures to promote and encourage the use of energy from environmentally friendly plants using renewable forms of energy.

Chapter four of the Energy White Paper "Our energy future—creating a low carbon economy" sets out the Government's policy on the increasing role renewable technologies will play in our overall energy policy, and highlights many of the successes that have already been achieved.

We have put in place a framework of measures to encourage the renewables generation and supply industry: our target is that 10 per cent. of the UK's electricity sales should be from renewable-sourced electricity by 2010. To help achieve the necessary growth to reach that target, we have introduced a range of important measures:

The Renewables Obligation (and associated Renewables Obligation Scotland). Introduced in April 2001, these require all licensed electricity suppliers in Great Britain to supply a specified and growing proportion of their sales from renewable sources.


The Obligation is underpinned by a package of funding worth nearly £350 million, which will support our ongoing New and Renewable R and D programme, and extensive programmes of capital grants for new and emerging technologies such as energy crops and other forms of bio-energy, offshore wind, solar photovoltaics, wave and tidal power.

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In order to develop our offshore wind potential, last year we published a consultation entitled "Future Offshore", which sets out a strategic framework to support the development of that industry. That document proposed that future development should take place in three strategically significant areas—namely the north-west (including Liverpool Bay), the Greater Wash and the Thames Estuary.


The Renewables UK unit was set up last year with the specific aim of maximizing the benefits of renewables to UK industry, and to help that industry develop.


Industrial users of renewable sourced electricity also benefit from exemption from Climate Change Levy payments. A proportion of the proceeds from the Climate Change Levy contributes to the New 2 Renewable R and D programme.

LG Electronics Group

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has had from the British embassy in Seoul regarding due diligence procedures in the decision to give public aid to LG electronics group; and if she will make a statement. [121906]

Jacqui Smith: I am not accountable for events under the previous Administration.

Performance Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the performance targets that (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies are required to meet; and if she will specify for each target (i) who sets it and (ii) who monitors achievement against it. [120885]

Ms Hewitt: Key performance targets for the Department of Trade and Industry are agreed as part of the Spending Review. The latest set were published in "Spending Review 2002: Public Service Agreements 2003–06" (Cm 5571). Progress towards these targets is monitored by the Department together with HM Treasury and the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit and is reported on regularly in DTI's annual Departmental Report (Cm 5916) and Autumn Performance Report (Cm 5731).

The Departmental Report also sets out and reports on the key targets for DTI's seven Executive Agencies (Companies House, Patent Office, Insolvency Service, Employment Tribunal Service, National Weight and Measures Laboratory, Radiocommunications Agency and Small Business Service). These are agreed and set by the responsible Ministers each year in the context of discussion and agreement to the agency's corporate plan. Performance against the agencies' targets is monitored by their steering boards, which include independent members and Departmental representatives, and reported annually to Ministers.

Information on the targets for DTI's Executive non-departmental public bodies is set out as follows for each body.

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Body	Available information
British Hallmarking Council	Hallmarking Act 1973
Coal Authority	Corporate Plan available on website (www.coal.gov.uk)
Competition Commission	Indicators and targets to be developed to reflect new functions introduced by the Enterprise Act
Consumer Council for Postal Services (Postwatch)	Annual Report and Forward Work Programme available on website (www.postwatch.co.uk)
Design Council	Four targets in unpublished corporate plan:
	To demonstrate through innovative, practical projects the value of effective design
	To provide world-leading knowledge on effective design
	To communicate the value of effective design to decision makers within business and the public sector
	To pursue excellence in our people, processes and premises
Equal Opportunities Commission	Corporate Plan available on website (www.eoc.org.uk)
Gas and Electricity Consumer Council (Energywatch)	Forward Work Programme available on website (www.energywatch.org.uk)
Hearing Aid Council	Reclassified as an executive NDPB on 1 April 2003. Targets are under discussion and will be published on HAC's website (www.thehearingaidcouncil.org.uk) once agreed
National Consumer Council	Targets published in annual report
Regional Development Agencies	Targets published on website (www.dti.gov.uk/rda/info)
Research Councils	Targets contained in Councils' Operating Plans, which will be placed on their websites once finalised in late summer
Simpler Trade Procedures Board (SITPRO)	Performance targets not set
UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)	Corporate Plan available on website (www.ukaea.org.uk)

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) is statutorily independent. Its targets, which are not set by Ministers, are available on www.acas.org.uk.

Power Stations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many, and what percentage of, power stations are fitted with flue gas desulphurisation equipment. [123813]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 4 July 2003]: DUKES 2003 (to be published on 31 July 2003) lists 14 coal fired power stations with a total capacity of 23,214 MW; this excludes capacity which is mothballed or in receivership. In addition there exists dual fired plant (coal/gas or coal/oil) with a combined capacity 5,405 MW. The total UK coal fired plant including such dual fired installations hence comprises a total capacity of 28,619 MW; (28.6 GW).

Three stations are currently fitted with flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) equipment: Drax, and Ratcliffe (combined total 5,870 MW) and West Burton. West Burton is not yet fully operational but this is anticipated by early 2004 producing then a total FGD capacity of 7,802 MW; (7.8 GW).

Based on the full inclusion of West Burton, the percentage of UK coal fired plant capacity fitted with FGD is approximately 27 per cent. However the Environment Agency has also received applications for the installation of FGD at Cottam (2 GW), Eggborough (1 GW) and Rugeley (1 GW). Some additional

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installation activity is either under way or planned at these sites. Further stations are examining the feasibility of fitting FGD equipment.

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