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17 Jul 2003 : Column 516W—continued
Solar Energy
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications of a shortage of silicon for the solar cells industry; and if, pursuant to the letter of 30 May from the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North (Mr. Wilson), she will make a statement. [126267]
Mr. Timms: No assessment has been undertaken by the UK of the implications of a shortage of silicon for the solar cells industry, as the UK currently has no major silicon cell manufacturers. As my predecessor's letter of 30 May stated, multi-national cell manufacturers are monitoring the situation, and may build dedicated silicon production plants or diversify into non-silicon cell technologies if a prolonged shortage does arise.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance the Government has given to (a) households and (b) business in the installation of solar energy devices; and how many (i) households and (ii) businesses have installed solar energy devices in each year since 1997. [126658]
Mr. Timms:
Government assistance for the installation of solar photovoltaic systems has been provided since 2000 through the Domestic (DFT) and Large-Scale Field Trials (LSFT), totalling £10 million. The DFT is supporting the installation of PV roofs on 30 projects throughout the UK, comprising some 500
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homes in the social and private housing sectors. The LSFT is supporting 15 projects in public sector buildings, including universities, council offices and visitor centres. Since April 2002 grants have been provided through the £20 million first phase of the Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme (MDP). Under the MDP, grants totalling £10 million have so far been allocated to 300 individual householders and to 66 medium and large-scale projects with housing groups and on non-residential buildings, only a few of which are businesses.
For solar water heating systems grants have been available since March 2003 under my Department's £10 million Clear Skies Programme and the £3.7 million Scottish Community Renewables Initiative. So far, grants have been awarded to 230 individual households and to 14 of the 22 successful community schemes in the first call for proposals, giving a total of around £300,000 in grants for solar water heating systems. The Clear Skies programme is not open to businesses.
It is difficult to assemble accurate figures for the number of solar devices installed on an annual basis since 1997. However, an indication of the growth of the solar PV market in the UK shows the following trend:
Figures are for cumulative capacity in Megawatts:
For solar water heating it is estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 domestic systems are installed each year. Current cumulative figures for the UK are estimated to be around 50,000 homes.
Trade Justice Movement
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response she will make to the representations from the Trade Justice Movement on trade with poorer countries; and what plans she has to raise these issues at the next meeting of the World Trade Organisation. [125680]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 14 July 2003]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry wrote to all members of the House, on 16 June, in response to the Trade Justice Movement campaign setting out the Government's support for trade to be free and fair and, in particular, the need for the WTO to address the concerns of developing countries.
My ministerial colleagues and I will continue to argue for an international trading system which benefits the world's poorest nations with WTO members from both developed and developing countries. It is vital that we make progress on implementing the Doha Development Agenda before, during and after the mid-Round Ministerial Conference in Cancun this September.
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Wind Farms
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the development of wind power facilities in the United Kingdom. [126730]
Mr. Timms: I am encouraged by the number of new wind farm developments coming forward in the UK.
There is no requirement on developers to inform the Department of when a project will commence construction or when the completion date for construction will be. The Department therefore has no details of how many wind farms are under construction or when they will be completed. The DTI only collects data for wind farm applications above 50 MW (1 MW for offshore applications). Proposals for wind farms in England and Wales with a capacity of 50 MW or below fall to be determined by the local planning authority under the normal planning regime. The Government have made a commitment in the Energy White Paper to improve our statistics gathering for all planning applications regarding renewable energy, and we are presently working on this.
There is currently 995 MW of generation capacity in the application process and an additional 671 MW capacity has been given planning consent for wind farms in England and Wales, under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.
Powers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, as they apply to Scotland, have been devolved to the Scottish Executive. In Scotland there is currently 1,060 MW in the planning process and an additional 292 MW has received consent.
In Northern Ireland wind farms with a capacity of 10 MW or above fall to be determined by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for Northern Ireland under Article 39 of the Northern Ireland Electricity Order 1992. There is currently 115 MW in the application process and 62 MW have received consent and are commissioned.
The DTI announced on 14 July 2003 that it had asked the Crown Estate to invite applications for sites for offshore wind farm developments in three strategic areas around the coast—the Thames Estuary, the Greater Wash and the north-west (which covers the area of the Irish Sea from the north Wales coast to the Solway Firth). This invitation to developers is likely to lead to a significant increase in the number and capacity of offshore wind farms.
World Trade Organisation
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received regarding accession by China to the World Trade Organisation; and if she will make a statement. [126576]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The People's Republic of China joined the World Trade Organisation on 11 December 2001.
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to take steps in the next round of WTO negotiations to improve access to patented drugs in the developing countries. [126375]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government consider it important to find a solution to the outstanding issue from Doha on TRIPS and public health at or before the forthcoming WTO Ministerial in Cancun in September. The issue centres on how countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector can make effective use of the compulsory licensing provisions of the WTO TRIPS Agreement. We are therefore working with partners to secure a solution which will be acceptable to all participants.
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to take steps in the next round of WTO negotiations to prevent subsidised EU products being dumped on developing countries. [126371]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: All WTO members are committed to negotiations aimed at reducing, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies and significantly reducing trade-distorting domestic support. I will be pushing for agreement on how to implement this and all other elements of the Doha mandate on agriculture at the next WTO Ministerial this September. As part of the WTO agriculture negotiations, the EU has already offered to reduce its trade distorting domestic support by 55 per cent. and export subsidies by 45 per cent. In addition it is pressing for proper controls on the use of food aid and export credits to prevent these being used as a form of export subsidy.
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to take steps in the next round of WTO negotiations to protect sugar producers in developing countries from competition from subsidised sugar production in the EU. [126370]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: All WTO members are committed to negotiations aimed at reducing, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies. I will be pushing for agreement on how to implement this and all other elements of the Doha mandate on agriculture at the next WTO Ministerial this September. As part of the WTO agriculture negotiations, the EU has already offered to reduce its export subsidies by 45 per cent. In addition it is pressing for proper controls on the use of food aid and export credits to prevent these being used as a form of export subsidy.
The UK will also continue to press for early and radical reform of the EU sugar regime in line with other recent CAP reforms.
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