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19 Jan 2006 : Column 1509W—continued
Energy Imports
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the UK's energy requirements for 2004–05 came from (a) Germany and (b) Poland; and what the cost of energy imported from each country was. [40747]
Malcolm Wicks:
Imports of energy products from Germany and Poland during the calendar year 2004 are shown in the following table. It is possible that some of the energy products were produced outside Germany and Poland, with German or Polish companies acting as intermediaries.
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Overall, energy imports from Germany and Poland each accounted for less than one per cent. of UK primary energy demand.
EU Budget
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of the recent EU budget settlement for the period 2007 to 2013 for future EU funding in Durham and Tees Valley. [43092]
Alun Michael: I set out the impact of the EU budget settlement for the UK's future Structural Funds allocations in my written statement to Parliament on 20 December 2005. Durham and Tees Valley will be eligible to receive funding under the competitiveness objective during the 2007 to 2013 financial perspective. However, the methodology for allocating competitiveness funding to individual regions has still to be decided. This will form part of the consultation on the UK's National Strategic Reference Framework for future Structural Funds spending, which the Government plan to take forward over the coming months.
EU Emissions Trading Scheme
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of the implementation of the UK National Allocation Plan for Phase 1 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the profitability of the UK power generation sector. [43516]
Malcolm Wicks:
The Department commissioned independent research to assess the potential impact of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the UK power generation sector: 'Implications of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for the UK Power Generation Sector' in July 2005. A report by IPA Energy Consulting was published in January 2005 on the DTI website. This follows an earlier report commissioned from Ilex Consulting to assess the potential impact of the scheme, 'Implications of the EU ETS for the UK Power Sector', published in September 2003. Both reports have considered different scenarios for the operation of the scheme and the potential impact on profitability among other issues. Phase I started in January 2005 running to December 2007 and it is therefore too early to assess the actual impact of the phase on the generation sector. Copies of the reports are available on the DTI website—http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/ipa_euets_report.pdf (IPA) and http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/ilex_report.pdf(Ilex)
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EU Toys Directive
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he made of the EU Directive on the safety of toys; and if he will include consideration of hybrid products that increase the risk of children choking in the assessment. [43858]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Toys Directive, implemented in the UK in the Toys (Safety) Regulations 1995, has been very effective in ensuring that toys sold in the UK comply with essential safety requirements.
The Toys Directive is currently being revised and DTI officials are actively involved in the discussions with European colleagues. The issue of safety of toys in food is a live issue in these discussions.
Felindre-Tirley Gas Pipeline
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which alternative routes were explored before the 1km corridor for the liquid gas pipeline proposed by the National Grid from Felindre to Tirley was chosen; on what basis these alternative routes were not chosen; what consultation there has been between National Grid, Carmarthen county council and the general public on the pipeline; and whether a compulsory purchase order will be granted for the land owned by those who refuse to accept the terms offered by the National Grid. [43171]
Malcolm Wicks: National Grid have not applied for consent to lay a pipeline from Filindre to Tirley. If and when they do then an explanation of the alternative routes considered, the reasons for the preferred route and justification for the discounting of others will have to be given. Any such application will be advertised and an opportunity given for representations to be made to the Secretary of State.
In view of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's quasi-judicial responsibilities for confirming compulsory purchase orders, I cannot give an indication as to whether or not such an order would be confirmed.
Fuel Poverty
Mr. Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in (a) Dewsbury constituency and (b) the Yorkshire and Humber region were in fuel poverty in each of the last 10 years. [43179]
Malcolm Wicks: Figures for the number of households in fuel poverty in England are produced from analysis of the English House Condition Survey. The most recent data on the level of fuel poverty in England corresponds to 2003 and was published in July 2005 in the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy Third Annual Progress Report. This showed that the number of fuel poor households in England in 2003 was around 1.2 million.
Prior to 2003, however, this survey was conducted on a five-yearly basis. Therefore, the number of households in fuel poverty in England is not available for all of the last 10 years. Regional figures for England are available from the English House Condition Survey for 1996, 2001 and 2003, when the respective figures for England were 5.1 million, 1.7 million and 1.2 million.
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| Yorkshire and the Humber | Number of households in fuel poverty |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 678,000 |
| 2001 | 238,000 |
| 2003 | 180,000 |
It is not possible to break down figures to constituency level.
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in (a) Tamworth constituency and (b) Staffordshire were in fuel poverty in each of the last 10 years. [43466]
Malcolm Wicks: Figures for the number of households in fuel poverty in England are produced from analysis of the English House Condition Survey. The most recent data on the level of fuel poverty in England corresponds to 2003 and was published in July 2005 in the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy Third Annual Progress report. This showed that the number of fuel poor households in England in 2003 was around 1.2 million.
Prior to 2003, however, this survey was conducted on a five-yearly basis. Therefore, the number of households in fuel poverty in England is not available for all of the last 10 years. Regional figures for England are available from the English House Condition Survey for 1996, 2001 and 2003, when the respective figures for England were 5.1 million, 1.7 million and 1.2 million.
| Government office region—West Midlands | |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 660,000 |
| 2001 | 228,000 |
| 2003 | 146,000 |
It is not possible to break down figures to constituency or county level.
Gas Prices
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the economic impact of the level of gas prices in the UK since November 2005. [42676]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government takes the recent increases in gas prices very seriously, and particularly their impact on the competitiveness of UK industry. We understand that this creates tough trading conditions, especially for energy intensive users, and we are aware of a few companies having reduced production in response to the very high prices since November. This will, of course, have a negative impact on UK industrial output, but in terms of overall GDP this will be relatively minor.
I have visited a number of major industrial gas users and am continuing to meet with companies, business representatives and gas suppliers to discuss gas prices and security of supply. Energywatch and DTI held a seminar with smaller gas users and the public sector on 30 November 2005 to discuss energy purchasing strategies. We are also undertaking some research into the capability of UK industry to reduce their gas demand.
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The impact on UK businesses of increases in gas prices will depend on a variety of factors, including how much gas 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
Provisional data for October 2005 shows that UK retail gas prices for small, medium and large industrial users were below the EU15 median. However, individual companies will have agreed commercially confidential contract terms and prices that might differ from these averages. I am also aware, from my industry visits and meetings, that, there is some evidence that gas prices in the UK for some of our very large industrial users is above those on the continent, and I recognise the risk that this presents to UK competitiveness. Officials are working closely with industry and OFGEM, with a view to help, wherever possible, to mitigate the situation and reduce these impacts.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of energy companies choosing to use their coal fired power stations rather than their gas fired power stations because of high gas prices. [42677]
Malcolm Wicks: Any increase in overall annual CO 2 emissions from coal fired power stations running at a higher rate than usual will need to be covered by allowances under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. There is a fixed number of allowances which are allocated directly to installations, such as power stations. If an installation wants to increase emissions above its allowance, it will need to buy extra allowances from other holders of allowances who are able to abate emissions and therefore have allowances to sell. Allowances can also be bought through Kyoto protocol mechanisms whereby credits can be bought for emissions reductions in mainly developing countries. The Emissions Trading Scheme therefore works to ensure that those responsible for increased CO 2 emissions on an annual basis have to pay for offsetting reductions in emissions elsewhere.
Other environmental impacts from coal fired electricity generation are subject to controls which are monitored and enforced by the Environment Agency. These controls are designed to offer sufficient flexibility to respond to changing commercial circumstances without compromising overall environmental objectives.
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