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25 Feb 2005 : Column 883W—continued

Nuclear Industry Safety

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has had from (a) the Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee and (b) the Health and Safety Advisory Committee in relation to safety in the dismantling of nuclear power stations. [217763]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 24 February 2005]: The Chair of the Health and Safety Commission wrote to me on 18 November 2004 raising some concerns about the pace of competition for nuclear site management for which the NDA will be responsible from 1 April. I have responded to that letter and a copy of the correspondence has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to publish the latest annual nuclear material unaccounted for data for United Kingdom civil nuclear installations; what discussions (a) her Department, (b) BNFL and (c) the UK Atomic Energy Authority has had with (i) the Euratom Safeguards Directorate and (ii) the International Atomic Energy Agency on the verification of the data; and if she will make a statement. [217606]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, British Nuclear Fuels plc and Urenco (Capenhurst) Ltd. published nuclear material unaccounted for data for 2003–04 on 17 February
 
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2005. Prior to publication, the industry wrote to the European Commission's Safeguards Directorate and the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure that the figures to be published were reconciled with safeguards reports made under Commission Regulation 3227/76. This correspondence was conducted through the Safeguards Office in my Department. BNFL and the Safeguards Office are currently in discussion with the European Commission to resolve measurement issues that have been identified in certain aspects of nuclear material accountancy at Sellafield.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will ask the European Commission to publish the letters on Euratom safeguards inspections at Sellafield, to which she referred in her answer of 19 April 2004, Official Report, column 73. [217604]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: No but the European Commission provides annual reports on its Euratom safeguards activities, the most recent of which (COM(2004) 861) was published by the Commission on 13 January 2005 and covered safeguards activities during calendar year 2003.

Offshore Wind Programme

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the value of offshore capital funding following the SR04 spending review. [217512]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: To date a total of £117 million in capital grants has been committed to round 1 offshore wind farms. A further £50 million has been allocated to support wave and tidal demonstration projects.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many rounds of funding will be available as part of the Government's offshore wind programme. [217513]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: To date there have been three rounds of capital grant funding made available for offshore wind.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used to determine capital grant funding for the offshore wind programme. [217514]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The criteria for determining eligibility for the last round of capital grants for offshore wind projects can be found at www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewables/support/guidance_notes.pdf.

Renewables

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what account was taken of the recent Renewables Innovation Review in planned expenditure on renewables up to 2010; and if she will make a statement. [217509]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Renewables Innovation Review was one of the major pieces of work used by the Government to shape their expenditure plans for renewable energy over the period 2005–08. In total the Government have allocated over £500 million to emerging renewables and low carbon technologies over the period 2002–08 in the form of R&D and spending for capital grants.
 
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Research and Development (Expenditure)

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expenditure her Department and its agencies have made on research and development with overseas government laboratories or research establishments, including collaborative government funded laboratories and research establishments in each financial year since 2001–02. [201361]


 
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Ms Hewitt: The Department funds research and development with overseas government laboratories and research establishments through the UK Research Councils. A breakdown of significant international subscriptions and funding for overseas research centres by the Research Councils for each financial year since 2001–02 is given in the following table.
Breakdown of international subscriptions by the Research Councils (£ million)

Research CouncilOrganisation/Activity2001–022002–032003–04
EPSRCInstitut Laue-Langevin (ILL)7.58.7
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)5.05.5
European Science Foundation0.10.20.2
Total12.614.40.2
CCLRCInstitut Laue-Langevin (ILL)10.8
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)6.1
Total0.00.016.9
MRCEuropean Molecular Biology Conference1.31.10.3
European Molecular Biology Laboratory4.35.75.9
International Agency for Research on Cancer0.90.80.6
Human Frontier Science Programme0.50.81.0
Gambia and Uganda centres12.813.514.2
Total19.821.922.0
NERCOcean Drilling Programme (ODP)2.02.01.0
Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP)0.7
European Space Agency46.3
European Science Foundation0.10.2
New Initiatives0.5
Total2.02.248.6
PPARCEuropean Space Agency28.734.546.9
Anglo-Australian Telescope1.31.31.5
European Incoherent Scatter Facility (EISCAT)0.50.5~0.6
European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN)69.468,973.1
European Southern Observatory (ESO)10.715.0
European Science Foundation0.10.10.1
Total100.0116.0137.2
Total134.5154.6208.1




Note:
From 2003–04 responsibility for both ILL and ESRF have transferred to CCLRC from EPSRC




Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expenditure her Department and its agencies has made on research and development by private sector companies in each financial year since 2001–02. [201362]

Ms Hewitt: The Department supports research and development by private sector companies through a number of funding streams including the industrial exploitation of science, support for competitiveness and renewable energy. Total funding for financial years 2001–02 and 2002–03 are given in the table. Final figures for the financial year 2003–04 are not yet available.
£ million
2001–02382.5
2002–03451.3

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expenditure has been made by her Department and its agencies on research and development relating to the UK university departments and research centres in each financial year since 2001–02. [201363]

Ms Hewitt: The Department through the seven research councils funds research and development in UK university departments and in research council centres and institutes. Total funding in each financial year since 2001–02 was as follows.
£ million

UK university departmentsResearch council institutes
2001–02774500
2002–03813545
2003–04799522

These figures do not include funding of £675 million from the science budget between 2001–02 and 2003–04 to support both science research infrastructure and knowledge transfer from universities and research council institutes.


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