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Energy Costs

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the effects of energy costs on competitiveness in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [29755]

Malcolm Wicks: The Government take the recent increases in energy prices very seriously, and particularly their impact on the competitiveness of UK industry. In January this year the Department set up the Gas Prices Working Group with the Energy Intensive Users Group and Ofgem, with the remit of examining the workings of the gas market and developing ideas for improving its operation. The group has now agreed a list of action points for the short to medium term, such as maximising gas supplies, encouraging demand side response and pursuing energy market liberalisation in the EU.

The impact on UK businesses of increases in gas and electricity prices will depend on a variety of factors, including how much gas or electricity a particular company uses, the degree of their exposure to spot and forward prices and the duration of high prices. It will also be affected by the energy prices paid by their competitors. A further sector-specific issue is whether they are in a competitive market where international trade sets the price or in a sector where prices are determined more locally and rising energy costs could be passed on.

In making decisions about phase 2 of the EU emissions trading scheme the Government are determined to minimise the impact on the UK's international competitiveness. The evidence to date suggests that the impact of the scheme on electricity prices in the UK is around the average for the EU as a whole.

Despite recent rises, UK gas and electricity prices for industrial users at July 2005 were at or below the EU median. However, individual companies will have agreed commercially confidential contract terms and prices which might differ from these averages. There is anecdotal evidence that, for very large users of gas, gas prices in the UK are above those on the continent, as they buy gas at wholesale prices. On 16h May DTI held a seminar with major users to discuss forward gas prices. We and Energywatch are planning a further seminar with smaller users on 30 November 2005 to discuss energy purchasing strategies.

Energy Imports

Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list contracts in place for the import of live energy into the UK. [30899]

 
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Malcolm Wicks: This is a commercially confidential matter. Historical information about actual energy imports can be found in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics, which is available at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/dukes/dukes2005/index.shtml and also in the Libraries of the House and from TSO.

Energy Supply

Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken to promote the generation of energy closer to the point of consumption. [24211]

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have taken a number of measures to support the development of small and micro generation technologies connected to the distribution networks close to the point of demand. Not least of these was the creation of the industry-wide Distributed Generation Coordinating Group (DGCG) which operated over a three-year period to November 2004 and which initiated a range of projects designed to address barriers to the integration of distributed generation. Building on the valuable work of the DGCG, the DTI together with Ofgem established in January 2005 the Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG), which looks more widely at issues relating to the electricity networks while maintaining a focus on the development of distributed generation.

In addition, to the above activities, the Department provides financial support to industry-led projects aimed at increasing the deployment of distributed generation via its technology programme.

EU Anti-dumping Measures

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Department for International Development on the effects of EU anti-dumping measures on developing countries. [30499]

Ian Pearson [holding answer 21 November 2005]: Officials in the Department and the Department for International Development discuss the impact which anti-dumping measures may have on developing countries.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the Export Credits Guarantee Department's (ECGD) negotiating position at the OECD Working Group on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees' negotiations for revisions to the Action Statement on Bribery and Officially Supported Export Credits; and what new measures the ECGD believes should be included in this Action Statement. [28568]

Ian Pearson: ECGD's historic commitment to securing agreement to enhanced standards in the OECD Action Statement on Bribery and Officially Supported Export Credits is well-known. The deadline for comments on ECGD's interim response to its anti-bribery and corruption consultation was 18 November. ECGD is considering the representations it has received to assist it in formulating a final response. Once ECGD's final response is published, the UK will be able to take
 
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a position at the OECD Working Group on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees' negotiations for revisions to the action statement.

First-class Mail

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of first class mail has been delivered the next day in each of the Northern Ireland Royal Mail area offices in Northern Ireland in 2005. [32525]

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail and the Chief Executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Flexible Working

Mr. McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many respondents to the February 2005 consultation document Work and Families: Choice and Flexibility" gave a response to question 22; and what proportion of those responses were supportive of the case for extending the right to request flexible working to parents of older children; [32718]

(2) how many respondents to the February 2005 consultation document Work and Families: Choice and Flexibility" gave a response to question 20; and what proportion of those responses were supportive of the case for extending the right to request flexible working to carers of adults. [32719]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government received 79 responses to question 20 of the Work and Families consultation, which asked what the case is for extending the right to request flexible working to carers of adults. Of these responses just over 90 per cent. were supportive of extending the law to carers of adults.

The Government received 67 responses to question 22 of the Work and Families consultation, which asked what the case is for extending the right to request flexible working to parents of older children. Of these responses 80 per cent. were supportive of extending the law to parents of older children.

Gas Production/Supplies

Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the levels of (a) North sea and (b) Irish sea gas production were in each of the past five years. [30898]

Malcolm Wicks: Annual gross gas production figures over the past five years are shown in the following table.
Million cubic metres

	North sea	Irish sea	Total
2000	99,970	15,151	115,121
2001	96,271	14,765	111,036
2002	94,913	13,906	108,819
2003	94,199	14,069	108,268
2004	87,865	13,170	101,035

Source:
These data are derived from the same source as table F2 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2005.




 
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John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the merits of stipulating a requirement for gas wholesalers to contract for a minimum supply percentage from outside the UK's own resources to guarantee supply levels through interconnectors and liquid natural gas shipments. [31497]

Malcolm Wicks: The regulatory/commercial framework for the gas supply industry, overseen by Ofgem, gives strong financial incentives for companies to have sufficient gas supplies, on a day-by-day basis, to meet their contractual commitments. It is in companies' interests to source gas supplies from a diverse range of sources and supply routes.

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the total imported gas capacity in millions of cubic metres which will be available per average day in each quarter from Q1 2006 to Q4 2008. [31498]

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is available within my right hon. Friend's First Report to Parliament on Security of Gas and Electricity Supply in Great Britain" (July 2005). This can be found on the DTI's energy website: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy and in the Libraries of the House.

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the likely (a) average price and (b) total gas consumption within the UK for each quarter from Q1 2006 to Q4 2008. [31499]

Malcolm Wicks: Wholesale gas prices will vary on a daily basis, determined by market conditions. The Department has not made forecasts of quarterly gas prices.

The Department's scenarios for future gas consumption were reported to Parliament in my right hon. Friend's First Report to Parliament on Security of Gas and Electricity Supply in Great Britain" (July 2005). This can be found on the DTIs website:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy

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