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21 Oct 2004 : Column 875W—continued
Transport and Works Act
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend the Transport and Works Act 1992. [192237]
Mr. Jamieson: We are changing some of the secondary legislation made under the Act, in order to streamline and modernise the system for obtaining Orders authorising guided transport systems. New inquiries procedure rules took effect in August, and we are currently preparing new procedure rules for making applications and objections.
Travel Statistics
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how far the average person living in an English (a) urban and (b) rural area travelled each year in (i) 1979, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2003. [193101]
Charlotte Atkins: The National Travel Survey provides the data requested, shown in the following table.
| England | 1978–79 | 1996–98 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance per person per year: | |||
| Urban | 4,653 | 6,393 | 6,564 |
| Rural | 6,411 | 9,430 | 9,628 |
| All areas | 4,899 | 6,716 | 6,844 |
Urban areas are those with settlements of 3,000 or more people. Rural areas are the remainder.
Two-way Radios
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of road traffic accidents involving a driver using a hand-held two-way radio that have occurred in each of the last three years. [192765]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the use of two-way radios is not included in the legislation banning the use of hand-held mobile phones whilst driving. [192768]
21 Oct 2004 : Column 876W
Mr. Jamieson: The Department reported in June 2003 on the public consultation on mobile phones and driving. Responses to the consultation pointed out that the use of such radios over many years had not resulted in road safety concerns. We accepted that the use of a 'press-to-talk' two-way radio was likely to have a lower risk than a hand-held mobile phone because it permits a one-way conversation only while a button is pressed, keeping messages short.
The consultation document and decision letter are available on-line at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft control/documents/contentservertemplate/dft index.hcst?n=10199&1=2
Vehicle Excise Duty
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many vehicles in York reduced vehicle excise duty is paid because they have smaller engines; and how many are exempt from VED because they are old vehicles. [192419]
Mr. Jamieson: The information requested is as follows:
| Full rate VED | Reduced rate VED | VED age exempt | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars | 32,877 | 20,719 | — |
| Motorcycles and motor tricycles | 1,696 | 3,417 | — |
| Total | 34,573 | 24,136 | 842 |
Weapons Grade Plutonium (Transportation)
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what his policy is on the transportation of weapons grade plutonium by (a) road, (b) rail, (c) air, (d) inland waterway and (e) sea; and if he will make a statement; [190622]
(2) if he will make it his policy to ban the seaborne transportation of weapons grade plutonium from United Kingdom waters; [190623]
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(3) if he will make it his policy to seek international agreement to ban the transportation of weapons grade plutonium in international waters for commercial purposes; [190624]
(4) what risk assessment is undertaken by his Department for the transportation of weapons grade plutonium in United Kingdom registered cargo vessels. [190625]
Mr. Jamieson: Transport by all modes of all radioactive material for civil use, including plutonium, is permitted subject, inter alia, to national and international regulation based upon the International Atomic Energy Agency's publication "Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (TS-R-1)" which is intended to establish standards of safety which provide an acceptable level of control of the radiation, criticality and thermal hazards to persons, property and the environment that are associated with the transport of radioactive material.
The transport of radioactive material in UK registered ships is subject to the safety requirements of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (the "EMDG Code") of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and, where applicable, the IMO's International Code for the Safe Carriage of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear Fuel, Plutonium and High-Level Radioactive Wastes on Board Ships (the "INF Code").
Security, as distinct from safety, in the transport of nuclear material is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who is advised by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security, which is responsible for the assessment of the potential threats posed to any shipment of nuclear material on any UK registered vessel and must be satisfied that adequate precautions are taken to prevent theft or sabotage.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Coal-related Respiratory Diseases
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average administrative transaction cost incurred by the Government is for settling each case relating to compensation for coal-related respiratory diseases. [190666]
Nigel Griffiths: The average Unit costs per claim for Iron Mountain (£39), ATOS Origin COPD (£758), ATOS Origin Spirometry (£85) and Business Healthcare (£5), and adding to solicitors fees for COPD per offer made (£1,427) and IRISC costs apportioned by number of staff dedicated to working on COPD and then calculated over offers made (£393).
Fuel Generation (Research and Development)
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on research and development in (a) nuclear energy and (b) wave power in each year since 1974; and what the subsidy provided to (i) operational nuclear power plants and (ii) wave energy power generators was in each year. [189342]
21 Oct 2004 : Column 878W
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Between 1976 to 1983 around £17 million was spent on wave energy research and development under the UK Department of Energy's Wave Energy Programme.
Since 1999 the UK has supported research into wave energy under the DTI's Technology Programme. The table gives levels of expenditure on wave energy research and development since 1999:
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 91 |
| 1999–2000 | 11 |
| 2000–01 | 331 |
| 2001–02 | 662 |
| 2002–03 | 748 |
| 2003–04 | 3104 |
| Total | 4,947 |
The main form of support for all renewable technologies is the Renewables Obligation (RO), which provides a stable and long term market for renewable electricity. Electricity generation from wave technologies is eligible for the RO.
On 2 August the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced a new £50 million Marine Renewables Deployment Fund. The new funding will be primarily focused on supporting marine renewables developers through the pre-commercial demonstration phase.
Expenditure by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) on wave and tidal technology research is given in the table:
| Financial Year | £000 |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 184,599 |
| 2001–02 | 490,693 |
| 2002–03 | 471,694 |
| 2003–04 | 806,226 |
Expenditure by the EPSRC on nuclear research is given in the table:
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 81,000 |
| 1999–2000 | 62,000 |
| 2000–01 | 127,562 |
| 2001–02 | 324,879 |
| 2002–03 | 307,195 |
| 2003–04 | 212,239 |
Note:
Figures from EPSRC dating back to 1974 could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
Figures for direct Government expenditure (but not including spending by the Research Councils) on nuclear fission are given in the table.
21 Oct 2004 : Column 879W
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1991–92 | 73.5 |
| 1992–93 | 69.2 |
| 1993–94 | 60.9 |
| 1994–95 | 12.5 |
| 1995–96 | 6 |
| 1996–97 | 9.3 |
| 1997–98 | 1 |
| 1998–99 | 1.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 2.5 |
| 2000–01 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | 2 |
| 2002–03 | 2.1 |
Notes:
1. Expenditure in support of Meteorological Office emergency response arrangements currently accounts for approximately £2.1 million. Figures dating back to 1974 could not be supplied without disproportionate cost.
2. The Government concluded in 1992 that the continued funding of R and D for the UK's fast breeder reactor programme would not be a priority beyond 1993. This decision is reflected in the reducing R and D figures.
Figures for nuclear fusion R&D dating back to 1974 are given in the table:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1974–75 | 4.3 |
| 1975–76 | 5.7 |
| 1976–77 | 6.6 |
| 1977–78 | 7.3 |
| 1978–79 | 8.3 |
| 1979–80 | 10.5 |
| 1980–81 | 11.4 |
| 1981–82 | 17.3 |
| 1982–83 | 12.5 |
| 1983–84 | 14.1 |
| 1984–85 | 18.9 |
| 1985–86 | 21.1 |
| 1986–87 | 23.1 |
| 1987–88 | 22 |
| 1988–89 | 24.1 |
| 1989–90 | 24.1 |
| 1990–91 | 21.9 |
| 1991–92 | 20.1 |
| 1992–93 | 16.3 |
| 1993–94 | 16.0 |
| 1994–95 | 15.9 |
| 1995–96 | 15.7 |
| 1996–97 | 12.1 |
| 1997–98 | 16.6 |
| 1998–99 | 12.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 14.3 |
| 2000–01 | 17.0 |
| 2001–02 | 14.4 |
| 2002–03 | 14.6 |
| 2003–04 | 15.6 |
(14) Figures up to 1985–86 are from UKAEA's annual report and may not necessarily be the same as UK Government expenditure on fusion—for example, the rise in 1981–82 is due at least in part to fusion's share of the writing off of capital assets across UKAEA.
Notes:
1. Figures from 1996–97 to 2001–02 are from the Fusion Programme Letter funded by DTI and for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are the allocations from OST and EPSRC.
2. The dip and peak in 1996–97 and 2000–01 were due to changes in invoicing arrangements. The peak and dip in 1997–98 and 1998–99 were due to expenditure being brought forward across the end of the Financial Year at DTI's request.
3. UK Government funding for Fusion provides (a) the UK contribution to the UK's domestic fusion programme (in addition Euratom fund the programme at typically 25 per cent. of the gross cost, though the rate has changed over the years) and (b) the UK's financial contribution to JET. The JET project formally started in 1978 (though there had been a European design team at Culham before this).
4. The UK's indirect contribution to the European fusion programme, via central European Union funding for the Euratom Framework Programme, is excluded.
21 Oct 2004 : Column 880W
There is funding for nuclear related research through the EC. The UK proportion of the moneys contributed from the EC budget to nuclear research could not be separated. EC funding in nuclear research is detailed in the table:
| Million euros | JRC | Euratom |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 261 | — |
| 1992 | 257 | — |
| 1993 | 257 | — |
| 1994 | 269 | — |
| 1995 | 240 | 156 |
| 1996 | 234 | 235 |
| 1997 | 232 | 261 |
| 1998 | 236 | 176 |
| 1999 | 243 | 426 |
| 2000 | 259 | 173 |
| 2001 | 249 | 187 |
| 2002 | 250 | 200 |
| 2003 | 266 | 219 |
| 2004 | 337 | 172 |
Notes:
1. EC budget payments to Euratom began in 1995.
2. Euratom figures are payment appropriations taken from EC budget documentation and cover spending on the specific programme (Euratom) for research and training in the field of nuclear energy under policy area 8 (research) of the budget. 2004 figure is the budgeted amount. Figures for previous years are outturns.
3. JRC figures are payment appropriations taken from EC budget documentation and cover spending on the specific programme (Euratom) for research and training in the field of nuclear energy under policy area 10 (direct research) of the budget. 2004 figure is the budgeted amount. Figures for previous years are outturns. Currently nuclear expenditure accounts for approximately 28 of the JRC's budget.
4. RC figures dating back to 1974 could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
Available figures for nuclear subsidies are given in the table. Figures are based on the premium received by Nuclear Electric plc over and above the market price for electricity in the period 1990–96. Figures dating back to 1974 could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
No Government investment or subsidy has been paid in years since 1997 toward the production of nuclear power or to the development, planning or construction of nuclear power stations.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1990–91 | 1,265 |
| 1991–92 | 798 |
| 1992–93 | 864 |
| 1993–94 | 895 |
| 1994–95 | 892 |
| 1995–96 | 699 |
| 1996–97 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | 0 |
| 1999–00 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | 0 |
21 Oct 2004 : Column 881W
The Government are supporting the restructuring of British Energy on the terms set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's announcement of 28 November 2002, although no further drawings can be made on the Government's loan facility to British Energy following the European Commission's decision on 22 September 2004 to approve the restructuring aid to British Energy.
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