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13 Jan 2004 : Column 694W—continued

Departmental Relocation

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff in her Department work in (a) the West Midlands and (b) North Staffordshire. [146905]

Ms Hewitt: Three hundred and eighty nine DTI staff work in the West Midlands and a further 25 in Staffordshire.

ECGD

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which unrecovered claims outstanding with the Export Credits Guarantee Department her Department has established as unrecoverable; who the debtor is in each case; what the amount of outstanding debt is in each case; and what the project type is. [144807]

Mike O'Brien: It would not be possible to provide the majority of this information except at disproportionate cost. Some of the information could not be disclosed in any event, as to do so could prejudice negotiations ECGD is having or will have about recovering debt. Furthermore, it is only possible to say with confidence what is unrecoverable once recovery action is complete.

Economic Partnership Agreements

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list Economic Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. [146636]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The requirement for Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiations is set out in the EU/ACP Cotonou Agreement. No EPA has yet been agreed between the EU and an ACP region. Phase 1 of the negotiations began in September 2002. The EU announced the launch of EPA negotiations with the Western and Central African regions—CEMAC (Central African Economic and Monetary Community) and ECOWAS (Economic Community of Western African States) in October 2003. Launches of negotiations between the EU and other ACP regions are expected to take place later this year. EPAs are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2008.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect of the economic partnership agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries on the economies of the (a) ACP countries and (b) European Union members. [146638]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My officials regularly seek progress updates from EU (European Union) officials on the required Sustainable Impact Assessments on the effect of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states.

13 Jan 2004 : Column 695W

The first phase of this work is currently being finalised by the EU and is expected to be published on the EU's website later this month. My officials will liaise with the EU on issues arising from this assessment work.

Electrical Waste Directive

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the implications of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive for (a) manufacturers and (b) retailers. [146983]

Mr. Timms: The implications of the EU directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) for local authorities, manufacturers, retailers and others are set out in a consultation paper which the Government published on 25 November 2003. This is available at or may be downloaded from the Department's website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/index.htm. Copies are available in the House Library.

This consultation paper invites views on the Government's preferred approach to implementing the directive. It includes proposals for implementation of the directive's provisions on producer responsibility and retailer take-back.

The WEEE directive places no obligations on local authorities. The Government have made clear that there will be no new unfinanced burdens on local authorities as a result of the directive. However, the Government aim to encourage increased separate collection of WEEE in line with the directive's objectives and, in this context, it makes sense to build on existing collection activity at civic amenity sites. The Government wish to encourage local authorities to consider upgrading and/or introducing WEEE collection facilities at their amenity sites. It is proposed that money will be made available, via a fund, into which local authorities may bid to finance improved or greater separate collection of WEEE at their civic amenity sites.

The consultation suggests that this fund would be provided through a retailer take-back compliance scheme. The Government propose that the retailer scheme should provide funding initially of at least £5 million for civic amenity site upgrades in each of the five financial years between 2005–10, with an interim review in 2008, when the directive is expected to be revised. It is expected that most of the early expenditure would relate to capital costs and any initial operating costs.

The Government have included in its consultation package a report by consultants Network Recycling on the scope for upgrading and expanding WEEE collection at civic amenity sites around the UK. In summary, this report indicates that over half of civic amenity sites currently collect some WEEE and that there is significant scope for expanding this on the basis of site space available. It suggests that the baseline costs of such upgrades are in the region of £6–12 million, depending on the approach taken; and that on-going staffing and training costs could be in the region of £4–9 million per annum.

13 Jan 2004 : Column 696W

Energy Consumption

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much energy was consumed per person in (a) the UK and (b) other EU countries in 2001. [147404]

Mr. Timms: Data on EU and worldwide energy consumption are collated annually by the International Energy Agency. The final consumption data for all EU countries relating to 2001, are shown in the table. Final consumption excludes energy used for transformation into other forms of energy.

Country	Final consumption of energy per person, in tonnes of oil equivalent during 2001
Austria	3.17
Belgium	4.19
Denmark	2.83
Finland	4.86
France	2.89
Germany	2.99
Greece	1.83
Ireland	3.05
Italy	2.32
Luxembourg	8.55
Netherlands	3.76
Portugal	1.95
Spain	2.32
Sweden	3.92
UK	2.75
Average for all EU countries	2.82

Energy Efficiency

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by how much energy efficiency has improved in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in each year since 1997. [146124]

Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.

At present, figures are available only for the household sector, and for the UK as a whole. Figures for UK industry will be available in the spring. The household figures are:

Household energy efficiency

	Improvement on previous year (percentage)
1997	2.2
1998	0.5
1999	1.3
2000	2.1
2001	2.5
2002	2.5

The figures for 2002 are provisional.

The figures fluctuate considerably from year to year, but no more than historically, with the average annual improvement over this particular period very similar to that for the whole period from 1990, around 1.7 per cent. pa.

13 Jan 2004 : Column 697W

Energy Research and Development

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on research, demonstration and development, since July 2001, on (a) active solar power, (b) passive solar power, (c) wave power, (d) tidal power, (e) geothermal powers, (f) onshore wind powers, (g) offshore wind powers, (h) biomass energy, (i) hydrogen conversion technologies, (j) fuel cells, (k) nuclear fission, (l) nuclear fusion, (m) clean coal,

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(n) combined heat and power and (o) combined-cycle gas by (i) the Department and (ii) relevant publicly owned utilities in each year since 1991; and what payments have been made to (A) Euratom, (B) the European Commission's joint research centres and (C) the International Atomic Energy Agency in each year since 1991. [146582]

Mr. Timms: Available information is set out in the tables.

£ million

	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
Solar—Active (including PV)	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.9	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.9	1.7	1.7	2.0	5.3
Solar—Passive	2.8	2.6	2.9	2.2	1.6	1.5	1.3	0.5	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
Wave	0.6	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.5	0.9	0.9
Tidal	2.4	2.1	0.7	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	2.4
Geo Themal	2.0	1.5	1.4	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Wind—Onshore	8.1	10.6	9.0	4.0	4.2	2.9	1.6	1.3	1.1	0.9	1.3	0.9
Wind—Offshore	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.4	0.4	0.8
Biomass	1.5	2.4	3.0	3.4	3.2	2.6	1.9	1.8	2.2	1.8	1.8	1.9
Fuel Cells	0.4	0.5	1.1	1.3	1.6	1.2	1.2	1.6	1.6	1.8	1.7	1.4
Nuclear (see Note 2)	93.6	85.5	76.9	28.4	21.7	21.4	17.6	14.2	16.8	16.8	16.4	16.7
Clean Coal	7.4	6.8	12.0	8.0	7.8	6.9	3.1	2.9	2.5	4.3	4.4	4.5
Combined Heat and Power	0.3	9.3	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.7	1.0	1.3	1.9	2.5	2.8	3.0

Notes:

1. Separate research programmes do not yet exist for hydrogen conversion technologies or combined-cycle gas.

2. Of DTI's total spend on nuclear R&D given above, about £15 million annually is on fusion research; there is. also some additional expenditure in support of Meteorological Office emergency response arrangements which currently accounts for approximately £2.1 million. Fusion expenditure for 2003–04 is £15.6 million. The Research Councils expenditure on fission was ca 300k pa in 2001–2 and 2002–3. In addition, £5 million has also been earmarked for fission research but has not yet been awarded.

3. The table sets out identified Government spend and excludes, for example, spending by Research Councils. Spending by relevant publicly owned utilities could not be separated in the manner requested without disproportionate cost.

4. DTI's sustainable energy R&D programme also includes support for activitieswhich are not technology specific, for example, export, commercialisation, marketing and international activities.

5. For combined heat and power, Govewrnment expenditure is through DEFRA.

Payment appropriations from EC Budget to Euratom and to the European Commission's joint research centre 1991–2003Euro million

	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
JRC	261	257	257	269	240	234	232	236	243	259	249	250	n/a
Euratom	-	-	-	-	156	235	261	176	426	173	187	200	86

Notes:

1. EC budget payments to Euratom began in 1995.

2. Euratom spending. Figures are based on payment appropriations in the available EC budget documents for 2001–2003 and reflect spending on the specific programme (Euratom) for research and training in the field of nuclear energy.

3. The main Euratom activities fall under budget titles 6 (Energy and Transport) and 8 (Research), as well as some external actions lines. The figures presented are based on payments made.

4. Nuclear expenditure currently accounts for approximately 28 per cent. of the JRC's budget.

My Department annually pays the UK's assessed contributions to the Regular Budget and to the Technical Co-operation Fund of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These are as follows:

Annual payments to the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1995—2004⁽¹⁸⁾

		£ million
1995	Regular Budget Subscription	8.0
	Technical Co-operation Fund	1.9
1996	Regular Budget Subscription	9.1
	Technical Co-operation Fund	2.2
1997	Regular Budget Subscription	7.7
	Technical Co-operation Fund	2.3
1998	Regular Budget Subscription	6.0
	Technical Co-operation Fund	2.5
1999	Regular Budget Subscription	6.1
	Technical Co-operation Fund	2.3
2000	Regular Budget Subscription	6.3
	Technical Co-operation Fund	2.4
2001	Regular Budget Subscription	6.6
	Technical Co-operation Fund	2.6
2002	Regular Budget Subscription	(19)7.5
	Technical Co-operation Fund	2.5
2003	Regular Budget Subscription	8.0
2004	Regular Budget Subscription	(20)7.6
	Technicial Co-operation Fund	(20)2.3

⁽¹⁸⁾ Comparable figures for years before 1995 are unavailable.

⁽¹⁹⁾ Corrected figure from that stated in Hansard 16 January 2003: column 792W.

⁽²⁰⁾ Provisional

In addition to the regular annual payments, my Department has made additional small voluntary contributions, which are summarised annually as follows.

13 Jan 2004 : Column 699W

Voluntary contributions to the IAFA from 1999—2003⁽²¹⁾

	£ million
1999	0.2
2000	0.1
2001	0.3
2002	0.5
2003	(22)0.8

⁽²¹⁾ Comparable figures for years before 1999 are unavailable.

⁽²²⁾ Provisional

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