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28 Nov 2005 : Column 111W—continued
Tidal Power
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the development of tidal lagoon facilities in United Kingdom waters to generate electricity. [30764]
Malcolm Wicks:
Tidal lagoons, as with other forms of large-scale barrage, are technically feasible and are applications of available and well understood technologies. The technology has a potential to contribute to the UK's renewable energy targets and is eligible for support through the renewables obligation. The environmental impacts and economies of any proposed scheme would need to be assessed by the developers and planning authorities on a case-by-case basis.
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UK Trade and Investment
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has commissioned further research by Ernst and Young following their preliminary findings on the expenses of employees in UK Trade and Investment. [28662]
Ian Pearson: The Department has not commissioned further research by Ernst and Young.
UK-US Trade
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average tariff levied on (a) agricultural and (b) non-agricultural products (i)from the UK to the US and (ii) from the US to the UK was in 2004–05. [30498]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 21 November 2005]: Tariffs for the UK are those set at the European Union level. The latest data available is reported as follows—2004 for the United States and 2005 for the EU. These are average applied tariffs, obtained from the World Trade Organisation Statistical database.
Wave Energy
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 305W, on wave energy, whether he plans to support the Ocean Wave Master via the Marine Renewables Development Fund. [31201]
Malcolm Wicks: In January 2005 the Department published proposals for the allocation of the £50 million 'Marine Renewables Deployment Fund' that will support the continued development of the marine renewables sector.
At the core of those proposals was a £42 million Wave and Tidal Stream Energy Demonstration Scheme for which the eligibility criteria are available on the DTI website. The demonstration scheme is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2006 and to receive applications on set dates throughout the year. It will be for device developers to demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria for the demonstration scheme. As the allocation of funding is on a competitive process it is not possible at this stage to allocate funds to individual proposals.
The balance of Marine Renewables Deployment Fund will support underpinning research into the impacts of the demonstration projects (up to £2 million) and infrastructure projects (up to £6 million).
Wind Farms
Mr. David Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received objections
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from National Air Traffic Services to the proposed development of the Gwynt Y Mor offshore wind farm in North Wales. [29272]
Malcolm Wicks: No application for consent has been received in respect of the proposed Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm and, there is, therefore, no formal objection process in place. However, I am aware that National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has considered the potential impact of the project as part of its initial review of all round 2 offshore wind farm projects.
NATS will be consulted on any consent application that is received by the Department and will be able to prepare their formal response in the light of the information contained in the environmental statement which will be submitted by the developer in support of its application.
WTO Negotiations
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Tradeand Industry what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the EU's most recent offer in the World Trade Organisation trade negotiations on (a) applied EU non-agricultural tariffs and (b) services trade liberalisation. [29490]
Ian Pearson: The EU's second offer sought agreement on a simple Swiss tariff formula for industrial goods. This is a non-linear, harmonising formula that is effective at reducing high tariffs and peaks and narrowing tariff escalations. Such a formula would lead to a substantial improvement in real market access through cuts in the applied duties of developed and more competitive developing countries, on the understanding that developing countries should do less. The UK is working hard within the EU to ensure no new obligations are imposed on LDCs and that any NAMA agreement for developing countries respects the principle of less than full reciprocity and maximises Special and Differential Treatment. We recognise the importance for developing countries of maintaining flexibility.
The EU proposal on services aims to substantially improve market access, and recognises a distinction between developed and developing countries in setting targets and the need for balance in the negotiations. The UK's established preference is for a settlement that avoids all new mandatory requirements on developing countries to liberalise services, and we will continue to work towards this goal. We are particularly determined to ensure the maintenance of flexibilities to reflect the individual circumstances of developing countries and preserve members' ability to respond to targets based on their own national policy objectives.
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will press for trade justice rather than free trade at the meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Hong Kong in December. [29523]
Ian Pearson:
In his open letter of 2 November to the Trade Justice Movement, the Secretary of State emphasised our commitment to securing the best possible deal for developing countries at Hong Kong.
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For ease of reference I set out the full text of his letter here:
This has been a big year for international development. In June, Gordon Brown's deal with world finance ministers cancelled large chunks of the debt that has crippled the poorest countries and held back their development. In July, at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, the Prime Minister secured an agreement that pledged $50 billion extra in aid.
The third crucial area with which to tackle world poverty is fairer trade. The World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong in December offer an opportunity for the world community toaddress the imbalances in the world trading system and to deliver an outcome that will enable developing countries to trade their way out of poverty.
Trade offers huge potential for developing countries. Inequities in the world trading system disadvantage poor countries. Boosting Africa's share of world trade by just 1 per cent. could deliver seven times as much income as the whole continent currently gets in aid. So increasing the opportunity to trade is vital. But there are risks in trade liberalisation for developing countries—dislocation, job losses and income volatility—if it is done too quickly and not as part of a broader development strategy. So we oppose forced liberalisation.
Today, as thousands of campaigners are lobbying Parliament to make poverty history by delivering trade justice, I want to record Government's support for your objective of no forced liberalisation. We want to ensure better access to Western markets, as well as removing the hidden barriers to trade faced by developing countries and other inequalities that remain in the world trading system.
The Trade Justice Movement is asking the UK government to use its influence within the EU to deliver on four key concerns:
Stop pushing poor countries to open their economies through world trade talks. We agree. The UK believes that developing countries should not be forced to open up their markets either through trade negotiations or aid conditionality.
Respect poor countries' right to decide on trade policies to help end poverty and protect their environment. We agree. It is for developing countries to make their own decisions on the timing, pace, sequencing and product coverage of any market opening in line with their own national development plans and poverty reduction strategies.
Allow developing countries to shape trade policies that protect vulnerable farm sectors and promote national industries. We agree. A pro-development agreement at Hong Kong should include meaningful provision for special and differential treatment, including special products, that enables developing countries to promote food security, rural development and the protection of livelihoods.
Allow countries to choose the best policies for poor people and the environment in services such as water, health and education. We agree. We strongly support the current voluntary arrangement for trade in services precisely because it allows liberalisation of services to take place in a way that supports national development plans. In the run up to Hong Kong, we are pushing other developed countries to ensure that the Hong Kong deal gives developing countries the flexibility that they need to plan and sequence trade reform in line with their national development plans. It may not be possible to deliver all that we would like to see, but we are committed to use our influence to secure the best possible deal for developing countries.
It will be challenging to build the consensus around a package at Hong Kong that truly delivers on the promises of the Doha Development Agenda, but, as the Prime Minister has said, we will not let this opportunity pass without a monumental struggle.
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