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17 Jul 2003 : Column 509W—continued
Regulatory Impact Assessments
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the regulatory impact assessments her Department has carried out on measures to protect the environment since January 2002; and which of these have included an assessment of the economic benefits to environmental industries of the markets created by environmental protection measures. [125534]
Ms Hewitt:
Seven such regulatory impact assessments have been carried out by the Department since January 2002. These related to the negotiation and implementation of the End of Life Vehicles Directive,
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the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, and the Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. Each took account of the economic and environmental costs and benefits to all relevant sectors, including the environmental industries.
Global Poverty
Mr. Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action is planned to help deliver the Doha Development Agenda and reduce global poverty at the forthcoming WTO meeting in Cancun, Mexico. [126104]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is important that the WTO Ministerial in Cancun makes progress on a range of issues across the Doha Development Agenda including—of most interest to developing countries—on agriculture; on an agreement on TRIPS and Public Health; and on a package of measures of Special and Differential Treatment.
Trade has an important role to play in reducing poverty. As an example, studies have shown that halving protection in agriculture, industrial goods and services around the world could boost developing country incomes by around $150 billion a year—around three times the level of current aid payments. Substantial trade liberalisation could reduce the number of people living in poverty by over 300 million by 2015—a significant contribution to reaching the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
International Atomic Energy Agency
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place a copy of the UK's presentation to the IAEA Board of Governors meeting for June in the Library; and if she will ensure that it is posted on the departmental website. [124741]
Nigel Griffiths: I am placing in the Libraries of the House a copy of the statement made by the UK Governor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the IAEA Board of Governors' meeting, on 18 June 2003 in response to the IAEA Director General's report to the Board on the implementation of the NPT safeguards agreement in Iran. A copy of this statement is also available at http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/IAEA.pdf.
Mobile Phones
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to require mobile telephone companies to cease the practice whereby individuals are permitted access to their services anonymously. [126895]
Mr. Timms: There are no plans to require mobile phone companies to change the arrangements they make with customers wishing to take out a pre-pay service.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many UK mobile users are registered with their networks with verifiable personal details. [126896]
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Mr. Timms: This information is not available to the Department. It is a matter for the mobile phone companies.
Mine Shafts
David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress made by the working group set up in her Department on mine shafts; and when the working group is expected to finalise its conclusions. [126379]
Mr. Timms: The Working Group has initiated and guided a range of measures aimed at ameliorating the impact of historic mineshafts, for example, work to establish the viability of non-invasive techniques for locating shafts in built environments and steps to encourage the reporting and treatment of shafts encountered in the course of building development. Other initiatives which will allow house owners and purchasers to take a more informed view on the significance of mineshafts will be launched later in the year. The Department will, in due course, consider when it would be sensible to wind the Group up and whether, at that time, to prepare a final report on its work.
New Electricity Trading Arrangements
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she has taken to help intermittent suppliers adversely affected by New Electricity Trading Arrangements. [126720]
Mr. Timms: There have been a number of refinements to NETA since its implementation in March 2001 that should have helped intermittent generators. These include:
Shorter gate closure, implemented in July 2002, has made it easier for all participants to manage their risks, particularly intermittent generators who should be better able to predict their output better one hour ahead of real time.
Recent changes to the Balancing and Settlement Code and National Grid's charging methodology were implemented to help smaller generators (many of which are intermittent) by unbundling so-called embedded benefits further. Embedded benefits are those benefits which accrue through not having to use the high voltage electricity transmission grid. These changes allow smaller generators to be paid these benefits directly from National Grid, rather than have to negotiate with electricity suppliers during contract rounds, which enables smaller generators to receive more of the embedded benefits that they create.
The Government have always been clear that they support Consolidation and changes which make it easier for larger suppliers to market power on behalf of smaller generators. This gives smaller generators an outlet for their supply, and larger generators have a wider portfolio of power.
The way in which energy imbalance prices in the Balancing mechanism are calculated was changed in March 2003 to make them more cost-reflective. This revised the definitions of the System Buy Price and the System Sell Price and has changed the way that National Grid calculates them. Early indications are that it has significantly reduced the spread of imbalance prices, which should be of particular benefit to intermittent generators. The spread of imbalance prices, which was
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around 20/MWh at the time of the introduction of NETA, was reduced to 0.6/MWh during the week commencing 7 July 2003.
Outside of NETA, there have also been further changes that have helped smaller generators. Last November the DTI and Ofgem launched a webportal, on the main Ofgem website, which contains comprehensive guidance for smaller generators to help them understand the market. The recent Energy White Paper further committed to making the administration procedures for the Balancing and Settlement Code more accessible to smaller generators to help them participate more effectively in the market.
In the Budget 2002 the Chancellor also announced the completion of the exemption of Good Quality CHP from the climate change levy, thus ensuring that Good Quality CHP used on site, sold direct and sold indirect will be exempt from the levy. The decision recognises the environmental benefits of all Good Quality CHP and has given the CHP sector, which has been hard hit recently by falling electricity prices and rising gas prices, a much needed boost. Finally, the Renewables Obligation was introduced in April 2002, which requires licensed suppliers to buy a specified proportion of their electricity from accredited renewables sources every year. Intermittent generators typically fall into this category and many of them have benefited considerably.
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the changes were in the export price of renewable energy generators (a) since the implementation of New Electricity Trading Arrangements and (b) in each year since 1997. [126721]
Mr. Timms: The export price of renewable electricity is subject to contract between generators and their customers. As such the export price is a matter of commercial confidence and the DTI does not have information on this.
Ofgem's report "The Review of the First Year of NETA", published in July 2002 contains some information on the export price of electricity, including a section on smaller generators and a survey of export prices for renewable energy in the first year of NETA (2001–02). This report can be found at: http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/temp/ofgem/cache/cmsattach/1984 48neta year review.pdf
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