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16 Sept 2003 : Column 644W—continued
Consumer Credit
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if she will take steps to simplify the formula for calculating APRs on credit cards once the industry adopts an honesty box or summary table of its fees and charges on promotional material; [129871]
- (2) what assessment she has made of the benefits of reforming APRs on credit cards so that additional charges are not included in the APR formula. [129872]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I intend to publish a White Paper in the autumn, which will set out the Government's intentions for the reform of the consumer credit regime.
This will be followed by a detailed consultation on a unified method for calculating APRs on credit cards and the information that industry will have to include in promotional material and credit agreements.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has had with the European Union on section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. [129881]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department is working hard in the negotiations, within the European Union, on a revised Consumer Credit Directive to ensure that we maintain the joint and several liability protections that currently govern credit card use in the UK. I am not prepared to see this important and valuable piece of consumer protection removed.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 17 July, Official Report, column 507W, on the Consumer Credit Act, when she expects to publish the results of the consultations. [128751]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government will publish a white paper on consumer credit during the autumn. This will include our proposals on the reform of the licensing regime. Shortly after the publication of the white paper we will also publish a summary of the responses to the recent consultation.
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Electricity Generation
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much electricity in the UK has been generated through (a) coal, (b) gas, (c) nuclear power, (d) renewable and (e) other sources in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [129942]
Mr. Timms: The available data are shown in the following table.
| Coal | Gas | Nuclear power | Renewable(2) | Other sources(3) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 123.0 | 117.8 | 99.5 | 9.2 | 13.2 | 362.7 |
| 1999 | 106.2 | 142.9 | 95.1 | 10.2 | 13.8 | 368.2 |
| 2000 | 120.0 | 148.1 | 85.1 | 10.4 | 13.6 | 377.1 |
| 2001 | 131.5 | 142.0 | 89.9 | 10.1 | 11.3 | 384.7 |
| 2002 | 124.4 | 152.1 | 88.0 | 11.3 | 11.2 | 387.1 |
(2) Includes electricity generated from biofuels, hydro-natural flow, wind, wave and solar photovoltaics.
(3) Includes oil, coke oven gas, blast furnace gas, waste products from chemical processes and hydro-pumped storage.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) coal and (b) gas has been used for the generation of electricity in the UK in each of the last five years for which figures are available; how much of these totals has been imported; and if she will make a statement. [129943]
Mr. Timms: The available information is shown in the following table:
| Coal(million tonnes) | Gas TWh | Imported coal(4) (million tonnes) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 48.6 | 267.8 | 9.7 |
| 1999 | 41.2 | 315.5 | 8.1 |
| 2000 | 46.2 | 324.6 | 14.1 |
| 2001 | 50.9 | 309.8 | 23.2 |
| 2002 | 47.7 | 326.3 | 19.4 |
(4) These figures show the level of coal imports by electricity generators.
Sources:
Digest of UK Energy Statistics and major power producers.
Although the Department collects information on gas supplied to power stations from dedicated pipelines from indigenous production there is no central record for distinguishing how much of the gas that they take from the National Transmission System has been imported as the origin of gas cannot be distinguished once it has entered the NTS.
Export Credit Guarantees Department
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 25 June 2003, Official Report, column 798W, on the Export Credit Guarantees Department, if she will list, for each country, the amounts (a) which relate to military and defence products, contracts or services and (b) which do not. [125930]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The amounts are detailed by country and split between defence and non-defence in the table, which has been placed in the Library, by reference to ECGD's exposure as at 30 June 2003. Given the way ECGD's records are held it is not possible to
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split claims outstanding for recovery in respect of Account 1 (pre-1992 business) between defence and non-defence nor amounts in respect of moratorium interest accrued on claims paid.
Fossil Fuel Reserves
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the remaining reserves of domestic supplies of (a) gas, (b) oil and (c) coal. [129944]
Mr. Timms: The Department of Trade and Industry publishes annually estimates of oil and gas reserves on the UK Continental Shelf. The latest estimates are that, as at the end of 2002, remaining proven and probable discovered recoverable reserves amounted to 920 million tonnes of oil and 1,000 billion cubic metres of gas. A further 425 million tonnes of oil and 330 billion cubic metres of gas are classified as possible reserves in discovered fields. There are a further 90 to 490 million tonnes of oil and 70 to 265 billion cubic metres of gas in potential additional reserves in smaller undeveloped fields. Furthermore, it is also estimated that additional reserves of between 270 and 1,770 million tonnes of oil and between 235 and 1,390 billion cubic metres of gas could exist in fields that had not been yet discovered.
A study carried out by IMC Group Consulting Ltd. for DTI which was published in December 2002 assessed UK coal reserves in the 15 deep mines operating at that time at around 150 million tonnes, with further known mineral potential of around 260 million tonnes, mainly in 7 mine licence areas. The UK opencast reserve is estimated to be around 230 million tonnes.
International Atomic Energy Agency
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals the United Kingdom is putting to the 47th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, 15–19 September; how the United Kingdom will be represented at the General Conference; and if she will place in the Library copies of documentation presented to the conference that is relevant to the United Kingdom. [130370]
Nigel Griffiths: The UK will, as usual, be represented at the Agency's General Conference by a team of officials from different Government Departments, led by the UK's Governor to the IAEA. Throughout the week the UK will be negotiating and working with other member states on a wide range of issues relevant to the Agency's activities: these include nuclear safety and security, nuclear verification safeguards, promotion of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and technology. Copies of the UK's statement to the Plenary and resolutions which have been agreed at the Conference will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Large Combustion Plants Directive
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the expected impact on the UK coal industry of the Large Combustion Plants Directive. [129945]
Mr. Timms: The Government are currently consulting on options before taking the decision on how to implement the Large Combustion Plants Directive
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for plants first licensed before July 1987. Officials have discussed the potential impact of the alternative implementation routes with representatives of the UK coal industry, who are also expected to respond formally to the consultation paper. Consultation closes on 29 September. The Government will take a decision on the most appropriate implementation approach only after considering all of the responses received by this data.
Mineworkers' Compensation
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on discussions with the surface mineworker claimants solicitors group with regard to the incorporation of surface mineworkers within the framework of the Claims Handling Agreement for respiratory compensation. [129196]
Mr. Timms: I met with members of the co-ordinating group of solicitors at the Coal Health Ministerial Monitoring Group on Wednesday 10 September, I agreed to give them access to British Coal's dust record archives to assist them in identifying specific cases. This exercise will help the parties to determine how best to resolve outstanding cases.
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