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16 Nov 2005 : Column 1363W—continued
Solar Photovoltaics Programme
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department has taken to implement the Government's White Paper commitments to a 2002 to 2012 UK solar photovoltaics programme. [28669]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has supported photovoltaics since 2002 through the 31 million Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme. We plan to continue its support for photovoltaics and other building scale renewables through a low carbon buildings programme, which is currently under development. The new programme will have a budget of £30 million over three years. It will start in April 2006 subject to EU State Aids clearance.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department has taken to implement the (a) 2001 Opportunities for All and (b) 2003 Energy White Paper commitments to a 10 year solar photovoltaics programme. [28833]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department has supported Photovoltaics since 2002 through the £31 million Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme. We plan to continue its support for Photovoltaics and other building scale renewables through a low carbon buildings programme, which is currently under development. The new programme will have a budget of £30 million over three years. It will start in April 2006 subject to EU State Aids clearance.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the take-up to date has been by (a) home-owners and (b) community groups of the funding for photovoltaics under the Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme. [28966]
Malcolm Wicks: Under the Major Photovoltaics Demonstration Programme the number of projects offered grants under each stream are as follows:
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a similar system to the German feed-in tariff for solar photovoltaics in the UK. [27404]
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Malcolm Wicks: We believe for the UK that it would not be right to set a price for exported electricity. To do so would risk distorting the electricity supply market and would be incompatible with the liberalised arrangements for the UK electricity market and the market for renewable electricity provided by the Renewables Obligation. The framework underpinning our competitive energy markets was established to provide market-based solutions to our energy needs. Intervention by the Government to the extent of setting a price for exported electricity would be an unwarranted intervention that could have adverse effects on the confidence and certainty our liberal framework provides for investors.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on private sector investment in the UK solar photovoltaics industry of his Department's decision to develop a technology-blind low carbon buildings programme. [27405]
Malcolm Wicks: The Renewable Innovation Review, February 2004, recommended a more holistic approach to energy use in buildings incorporating both energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. It recommended taking this forward through a technology blind, capital grant based, low carbon buildings programme and this is what we intend to do. A budget of £30 million over three years for the programme was announced on 2 November. It will be launched in April 2006 subject to EU state aids clearance.
The new programme and the wider micro generation strategy currently under development will aim to introduce further measures to help develop a sustainable market for solar PV as well as all the buildings renewable technologies.
Sunday Trading
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the recently commissioned review of extension of Sunday trading; and if he will make a statement. [28685]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department is in the process of commissioning research into the liberalisation of Sunday Trading. We expect the work to be completed in March, when we will publish the results.
Telephone Preference Service
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions enforcement action has been taken against companies for acting in breach of telephone preference service rules in each of the last five years. [20955]
Alun Michael:
The Information Commissioner, who has responsibility for the enforcement of the Telephone Preference Service scheme, initially warns companies informally that it will initiate formal action unless they cease to make calls to numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service. The Commissioner tells me that this approach has been effective to date without the need for formal action, but that he will have no
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hesitation in using the powers of this office if there is any evidence of a failure to comply with a warning.
Trade Missions (India)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many trade missions to India involving businessmen have been sponsored by his Department in each of the last five years. [25730]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 7 November 2005]: UK Trade and Investment's Support for Seminars and Exhibitions Abroad Scheme (SESA) supported 27 companies on sectoral missions to India in 2004–05. UKTI Forecast that 76 companies will go on SESA supported sectoral missions to India in 2005–06.
The outward Mission Scheme, which ceased on 31 March, supported 52 companies on horizontal missions to India in 2004–05. Horizontal missions are now organised and run independently by the regions. Data for the years prior to, and post 2004–05 is held in a variety of locations and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Tyres
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tyres were (a) purchased, (b) reused and (c) disposed of to (i) landfill, (ii) incineration, (iii) illegal fly-tipping and (iv) other means in each year since 2001. [27795]
Malcolm Wicks: Statistics on replacement tyre sales are provided by the British Rubber Manufacturers' Association and the Imported Tyre Manufacturers' Association. These sources represent the majority of activity in this sector, but there are other routes to market and the figures should therefore be viewed as indicative. A similar caution applies to the information relating to used tyre disposal and recovery, which DTI compiles on behalf of the used tyre working group.
| Units | Tonnes | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 24,870,298 | 234,250 |
| 2002 | 25,485,101 | 240,000 |
| 2003 | 26,570,720 | 248,250 |
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A figure for total used tyre arisings also needs to take account of various reuse tyres, not included in the previous figures, including retreads and part-worns, tyres on end of life vehicles and imports of used tyres.
Information covering 2004 and the first six months of 2005 is expected to be available in early December. Figures already received covering 2004 show that the overall used tyre recovery performance has continued to improve.
Tyres disposed of to landfill arise from two principal channels, retail outlets and end of life vehicles (ELVs). In the former case, figures show a sharp drop from over 87,000 tonnes in 2001 to under 30,000 tonnes in 2003. In the latter ELV a figure of 57,000 tonnes has remained constant for a number of years on the basis that all ELV tyres not reused as part-worns or retreads are disposed to landfill. DTI, together with the Environment Agency, has commissioned a survey of landfill operators to cover 2004 and the first six months of 2005 to establish more accurately the volume of tyres disposed to landfill.
Tyre fly-tipping takes a number of forms, including those dealt with by landowners and local authorities, and those tyres dumped on the forecourts of tyre retail premises. No national data were collected before Defra and the Environment Agency set up the flycapture database in April 2004. English Waste Collection Authorities reported 23,046 incidents of fly-tipped tyres between April 2004 and March 2005. From April 2005 to September 2005 11,440 incidents were reported. The Environment Agency dealt with 280 incidents in 2004–05 and 77 so far in this financial year.
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