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Electricity Generation (Biomass)

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets have been set for electricity generation from biomass; and if she will assess the impact of such targets on industries dependent on the supply of wood residue. [127204]

Mr. Timms: The 10 per cent. target for electricity generation from renewables, as set in the Renewables Obligation, will be met by the total generation from all eligible renewable energy sources. The obligation does not specify targets for individual technologies as the obligation is a market-led mechanism with the selection and uptake of the technologies to be used to meet the 10 per cent. target a matter for industry, within the framework set by the obligation.

Offshore Wind Power

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Ministry of Defence over the projected expansion of offshore wind power; and what assessments have been made of the potential interference with its radar system. [128127]

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Mr. Timms: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Defence wrote to me recently to reaffirm the MOD's full commitment achievement for our target that 10 per cent. of the UK's electricity supplies are to be generated from renewable resources.

At official level officials in my Department maintain an on-going dialogue with their MOD counterparts on renewable energy issues including offshore wind power. The MOD attends the Wind Energy and Aviation Interests Working Group which is chaired by the Department and which provides a forum where a range of issues can be addressed.

Companies who intend to submit bids in response to the Crown Estate's July 2003 invitation to tender for offshore wind farm site options have been advised to consult the MOD and the Civil Aviation Authority who will advise whether they would object to development in any particular location on grounds on potential radar interference or for other reasons. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Defence has reassured me that where MOD objects to a development his Department will do whatever is practicable to negotiate with the developer to reach a mutually acceptable agreement that would result in objection being withdrawn.

More generally, the Wind Energy and Aviation Interests Working Group has commissioned research into the effects of rotating turbine blades on radar. Work is progressing on a computer model that will describe the effects of particular wind farms on individual radar systems. A second study is investigating measures to mitigate the potential effects on radar of wind turbines.

Wood Panel Industry

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will undertake further consultation with the wood panel industry on the effects of the renewable obligation subsidy on the supply of wood residues. [127173]

Mr. Timms: I will be meeting with a number of MPs and representatives of the Wood Panel Industries Federation on 21 October 2003 to discuss this issue.

On 29 August I launched a statutory consultation paper on the Technical Review of the Renewables Obligation. This consultation outlines a number of changes we propose to make with effect from April 2004 and seeks the views of all statutory consultees and others. One of the key proposals is a set of modifications to the rules on the co-firing of biomass with fossil fuels with a view to enhancing the prospects for the development of a market in energy crops.

My officials continue to facilitate work between representatives of the UK wood industry and co-firing power stations to explore the opportunities offered by co-firing under the Obligation for UK forestry, and, in particular, the potential for using by-products from existing wood industries. It is hoped that this initiative, if successful, will have the dual benefit of reducing imports and making more biomass available to a larger market in the UK, thereby helping to stabilise prices. We understand from the forestry industry that it can meet demand from power generators from existing surplus forestry material. My officials are obtaining

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further information on the availability of forestry material used by power generators and wood panel manufacturers.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Affordable Housing

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase the amount of affordable homes in rural areas; and if she will make a statement. [128338]

Alun Michael: The Rural White Paper published in November 2000 set out plans for delivering more affordable housing in rural settlements. Funding for the Housing Corporation doubled between 2000 and 2003 to benefit both rural and urban areas, and the Government doubled the target for the programme for small rural settlements (below 3,000 people) from 800 to 1,600 homes a year. The 2003 Sustainable Communities Plan White Paper has further increased this target to a total of 3,500 homes over 2 years (2004–05 to 2005–06).

The Housing Corporation has approved a total of 3,923 homes in small rural settlements (of 3,000 people or fewer) over the years 2000–01 to 2002–03, exceeding their target in each of the years. A further 7,082 homes were approved through other funding sources, Approved Development Programme and local authority funding, in rural settlements of all sizes including market towns.

Through the Countryside Agency and the Housing Corporation we are funding Rural Housing Enablers jointly with local partners, to work with rural communities, housing associations, local authorities and landowners to help increase the supply of affordable housing in rural settlements. Currently there are 37 enablers in post and we aim to have 47 by 2004–05 to give full national coverage.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Housing and Planning announced on 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 53WS, the Government are consulting on an update of the existing guidance on planning for affordable housing. The update will be supported by practice advice. The update addresses a number of matters including the provision of affordable housing in rural areas. The proposed changes give greater flexibility to local authorities to seek affordable housing on smaller sites where this is justified. It is also envisaged that in rural areas affordable housing provision may be supported by allocating sites solely for affordable housing, on land within or adjoining existing villages, which would not otherwise be released for housing and where this would contribute to the attainment of mixed communities.

The new Regional Housing Boards, introduced by the Communities Plan (2003), are now taking responsibility for the preparation of Regional Housing Strategies. They have been charged to rural proof their strategies with the assistance of the Countryside Agency. The strategies will then provide the basis for our decisions on strategic housing investment priorities in the regions.

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Broadband

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her department is taking to improve broadband technology in rural areas. [128337]

Alun Michael: Defra Ministers and officials are working closely with colleagues at the DTI on the promotion of broadband access in rural areas which we both regard as crucial to the future of the rural economy. Defra officials work closely with the DTI policy team, and cooperation has been strengthened by the inclusion of a Defra official in the recently formed Rural Broadband Team in DTI. The team will focus on the problems and issues of broadband for rural areas including supporting local campaign groups.

The Government are making £1 billion available over 2003–06 to provide for public sector broadband connectivity. The DTI Broadband Aggregation project will aggregate the public sector demand for this purpose. Defra Ministers and officials are closely involved to ensure that this investment will help extend broadband availability into rural areas for the benefit of rural businesses and communities. Defra will continue to work closely with DTI on rural broadband issues.

GM Crops

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government will allow immediate commercial growing of those GM crops currently being assessed under the farm scale trials programme if the crops are found to be associated with environmental benefits and without any determinable drawbacks. [128697]

Mr. Morley: None of the crops being assessed in the farm scale evaluations yet have all the required authorisations to permit commercial growing in the UK.

To be authorised for commercial cultivation in the European Union (EU), a GM crop would need to be granted a consent on safety grounds under Part C of EU Directive 2001/18. Decisions under this Directive are taken collectively by the European Commission and EU member states on a case-by-case basis. No GM crop would be granted a Part C consent unless it passed a detailed assessment indicating that it posed no unacceptable risk to human health or the environment, and complied with the other requirements of the Directive. To date, only one of the four crops in the farm scale evaluations, a herbicide tolerant GM maize, has a Part C consent.

The UK will ensure that the results of the farm scale evaluations are taken into account in collective EU decisions on whether or not to grant Part C consent to each of the crops that do not yet have such authorisation—sugar beet, fodder beet and oil seed rape. In the case of the GM maize that already has a Part C consent, the results will inform us on whether the assessment underpinning that consent remains valid.

GM crops are also subject to other EU legislation. Before any new variety of a crop, including GM varieties, can be grown commercially in the UK, that variety must be entered on either the UK national seed

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list or the European common catalogue of seeds. To date, none of the GM crops in the farm scale evaluations has such listing.

In addition, if a crop was intended for use with a certain weed killer—as is the case with all four crops in the farm scale evaluations—it would need a consent under EU pesticides legislation before it could be used in conjunction with that weed killer. To date, none of the four crops concerned have such consent.

Furthermore, if a GM crop was intended for food use, it must also have a consent under EC novel foods legislation.

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