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25 Feb 2005 : Column 880W—continued
Hydrogen Fuel
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the (a) environmental and (b) financial effects of the use of hydrogen fuel for (i) transport and (ii) other users. [218059]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In 2004, the Department for Trade and Industry commissioned E4tech and others to undertake a study of how the UK might develop a strategic framework for hydrogen energy activities in the UK. The study considers the costs and environmental benefits of a number of possible hydrogen energy chains, and concludes that by 2030 six hydrogen energy transport chains could provide cost-competitive CO 2 reductions and greater energy security. Further details of the work are available via the DTl's website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/hydrogen_framework_full.pdf. The Government will be considering the study's recommendations carefully, and will publish these, together with a considered response, shortly.
The financial and environmental impacts of the use of hydrogen as a road transport fuel were also addressed in a report published by the Government in July 2004. This report, which is available at www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/futuretransport.shtml, considered issues such as how much hydrogen might be needed to fuel all UK road transport by 2050, and what the impacts of this might be on the UK's wider energy and other policies.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial support (a) has been and (b) will be made available to support the development of hydrogen fuel cell technologies in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [218060]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: In the last five years the Government provided funding averaging £1.5 million a year for research, development and demonstration projects into hydrogen fuel cell technology, as well as over £450,000 for a trial of three hydrogen-powered buses in London. The Government have also recently announced up to £7.5 million of funding for a low carbon and fuel cell technologies centre of excellence, which will open in Loughborough later this year.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to publish the report produced by E4tech for her Department on hydrogen fuel technologies. [218061]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: In 2004, the Department for Trade and Industry commissioned E4tech and others to undertake a study of how the UK might develop a strategic framework for hydrogen energy activities in the UK. The study considers the costs and environmental benefits of a number of possible hydrogen energy chains, and concludes that by 2030 six hydrogen energy transport chains could provide cost-competitive CO 2 reductions and greater energy security. Further details of the work are available via the DTI's website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/hydrogen_framework_full.pdf. The Government will be considering the study's recommendations carefully, and will publish these, together with a considered response, shortly.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the economic value of hydrogen fuel technologies to (a) Scotland and (b) the UK in (i) five, (ii) 10 and (iii) 20 years' time. [218062]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The study by E4tech, Element Energy and Eoin Lees Energy 1 looks at the 2030 timeframe, but mainly from an energy policy perspective. It concludes that by 2030; six hydrogen energy chains could provide cost-competitive CO 2 reductions and enhanced energy security. The Renewables Innovation Review 2 concluded that fuel cells could provide significant economic benefits for the UK by 2020, estimated at annual revenues of £1.8 billion per annum as a share of a global market of £50 billion per annum. The report does not provide a separate breakdown for Scotland.
2 http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewables/policy/renewables_ innovation_review.shtml
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the PURE hydrogen fuel cell project in Unst; and if she will make a statement. [218058]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I am aware of the PURE hydrogen fuel cell project in Unst, although my Department has not made any formal assessment of the project.
As I said in the adjournment debate on 20 December 2005, Official Report, columns 2043–46, I would be interested in visiting the Shetland Isles to see the developments taking place at a suitable time.
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Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the (a) environmental impact and (b) financial cost of small scale hydrogen fuel cell projects where the hydrogen fuel is created from (i) mains electricity, (ii) wind turbines and (iii) solar power. [218050]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The study by E4tech, Element Energy and Eoin Lees Energy 1 reports the modelling of the cost and CO 2 performance of a number of hydrogen energy chains, using a range of data sources which closely match the Markal model used to underpin the Energy White Paper. The study suggests that by 2030 six hydrogen energy transport chains could provide cost competitive CO 2 reductions and enhanced up-stream energy security. The use of hydrogen for stationary power generation and heat did not in general meet these criteria, but hydrogen could be useful in situations where there are substantial renewable energy sources but the export of electricity is constrained (e.g. the Western Isles).
Internet (Premium Rate Services)
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many incidences of consumers unwittingly using premium rate services when accessing the internet have been recorded in the past 12 months, and how many resulted in (a) prosecution and (b) compensation. [217526]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: About 80,000 complaints have been recorded by the Premium Rate Regulator the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) in the last 12 months. ICSTIS has no powers to prosecute, but can order redress to be paid to those consumers who claim it, and in these cases redress is paid by the offending service provider. However ICSTIS holds no records of the number of successful claims.
Langage Power Station
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the licence granted for a power station at Langage, Plymouth, is conditional upon the developer establishing an energy park adjacent thereto. [218056]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The power station consent is not dependent on the establishment of an energy park. The energy park is the subject of a separate agreement between South Hams district council and the developer which is legally binding on the current owner or any future buyer.
Legal Expenditure
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the expenditure by her Department on legal fees was in each year since 1997. [213214]
Ms Hewitt:
My Department spent just under £5 million in 2003–04 procuring legal advice on commercial matters from private sector firms. The vast majority of these costs relate to the restructuring of
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British Energy and British Nuclear Fuel Limited and £1.5 million was recovered by the Department. It has not been possible to provide comparable figures prior to this without disproportionate cost, due to a fundamental change in the Department's accounting systems in 2003. However, the legal costs for BE and BNFL have been falling since 2003–04 and will eventually cease (probably by 2006–07).
Mobile Phones (Health Implications)
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what progress she has made in implementing the recommendations of the National Radiological Protection Board report, mobile phones and health 2004; and if she will make a statement; [217694]
(2) what steps she has taken (a) to clarify and (b) to make more information available about legal responsibilities and regulations in relation to the installation of microcells and picocells as recommended by the National Radiological Protection Board report, mobile phones and health 2004; [217695]
(3) how she intends to help minimise exposure to radio waves of the potentially vulnerable sub-groups identified in the National Radiological Protection Board report, mobile phones and health 2004. [217698]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government welcomed the timely review undertaken by the National Radiological Protection Board which was published on 11 January 2005. The report made many recommendations about mobile phones and health. We are studying the recommendations and will make a response once we have considered them fully.
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