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22 May 2006 : Column 1451W—continued
Decommissionimg
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of decommissioning (a) nuclear, (b) oil, (c) gas, (d) coal and (e) renewables generating installations and platforms in each of the past 30 years; and what projections have been made for the next 10 years. [68027]
Malcolm Wicks: Decommissioning costs are a commercial matter for the companies concerned. However, figures do exist for the following:
British Nuclear Fuels' annual report and accounts state that decommissioning expenditure charged against provisions since financial year 1993-94 was as follows:
| Decommissioning expenditure (£ million) | |
Prior to this date no decommissioning expenditure charged against provisions was disclosed in BNFL's annual report and accounts.
Between 1994-95 and 2000-01 the cost of decommissioning UKAEA's nuclear power plants amounted to £119.3 million.
Over the period 2006-07 to 2015-16 inclusive, total decommissioning costs of Generating Magnox Stations are:
| Generating Magnox station | Decommissioning costs (£ million) |
Oil and Gas Installations (including pipelines and wells)
The DTI-UKOOA Activity Survey conducted in autumn 2005 indicates gross (pre-tax) annual spend on decommissioning costs related to offshore oil andgas production activities as follows. All figures are in constant 2005 prices.
| Gross pre-tax annual spend (£ billion) | |
The actual extent of decommissioning costs and the timing of decommissioning of individual fields is inherently uncertain and these figures can at best be only broadly indicative.
For offshore renewables I understand that no decommissioning of major, commercial-scale installations is expected in the next 10 years, so costs would be limited to any decommissioning of small-scale demonstration devices that takes place.
For onshore wind farms, we do include for decommissioning in our consents. This currently works out at between £3,500 and £5,000 per turbine depending on the status of the land.
Energy Security of Supply
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the reasons were for the delays in the publication of the sixth report of the Energy Security of Supply Working Group; and if he will make a statement. [69881]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 11 May 2006]: The sixth report of the Joint Energy Security of Supply (JESS) working group was published on 16 May. Much of the information has been compiled using data already in the public domain. This includes National Grid's Ten Year Statement on gas published in December 2005 and Seven Year Statement on electricity which was updated in October 2005, information published on the Department's website, and company announcements about planned new infrastructure projects. There have also been several opportunities to update Parliament on the security of energy supply since last year's Secretary of State's report on security of gas and electricity supply. The latest JESS report pulls all this information together.
EU/ASEAN/NAFTA Trade
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the level of inter-member trade within the (a) EU, (b) Association of South East Asian Nations and (c) North American Free Trade Agreement. [69936]
Mr. McCartney: The information is as follows.
(a) Intra EU25 trade in goods in 2004 was $2,502.7 billion USD. For comparison, in 1999 intra EU25 trade was $1,600.9 billion USD (Source: Eurostat External Trade).
(b) Intra ASEAN trade in goods in 2004 was $123.7 billion USD. In 1999 it was $74.4 billion USD (Source: Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Please note these figures refer to the ASEAN 10 which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
(c) Intra NAFTA trade in goods in 2004 was $739.2 billion USD. In 1999 it was $579.9 billion USD.
Fuel Prices
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average price of a gallon of heating fuel was in each country in the UK in March 2006. [71321]
Malcolm Wicks: The calculated March 2006 heating oil prices are:
| Country | £/gallon |
Gas Pipeline
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of gas transported through the proposed LNG gas pipeline from Felindr to Tirley will be used in Wales. [66890]
Malcolm Wicks: This is a commercial matter for the companies concerned.
International Arms Trade Treaty
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what involvement he has had in the Government strategy to make progress on the international arms trade treaty. [71497]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 4 May 2006, Official Report, column 1747W.
Miners' Compensation
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) vibration white finger and
(b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims he expects to be settled in (i) 2006 and (ii) each of the following three years. [69782]
Malcolm Wicks: The number of claims we expect to settle in each year from 2006 onward is as follows:
| Vibration white finger | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | |
| (1 )All VWF claims are expected to have been settled before the end of 2008. |
This is our projection based on current plans which may be subject to change.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the (a) legal and (b) other costs incurred since 1999 in defending claims for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for surface workers. [69798]
Malcolm Wicks: The Department estimates that approximately £160,000 has been spent on legal costs and £150,000 on other costs in relation to claims for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and surface workers.
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many solicitors’ firms have been investigated by his Department in connection with fees charged to ex-miners under the compensation scheme in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006. [70886]
Malcolm Wicks: Investigations into the professional conduct of solicitors is a matter for the Law Society. The Department did contact all solicitors involved in the schemes in 2003 to encourage them to refund any fees taken from claimants’ compensation payments and many have done so. The Law Society also wrote earlier this year urging solicitors who have not already done so to return to all clients any additional charges made in these cases, and is also investigating some solicitors involved in the schemes.
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what average award has been paid in Islwyn under the Government’s compensation scheme for (a) coal mining-related respiratory disease and (b) vibration white finger. [70887]
Malcolm Wicks: The average compensation figure paid in Islwyn for respiratory disease is £7,134 and for vibration white finger is £8,961.
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with Capita about the way they handle witness statements supporting vibration white finger Group 3 claims. [70888]
Malcolm Wicks: Witness statements are an important and essential part of the verification of Group 3 claims, which Capita consider before making a decision on liability. Capita will seek to arrange a telephone interview with the witness as a means of
clarification or to discuss any apparent inconsistencies in the statements made by the claimant and his witness. These interviews are recorded for quality monitoring purposes and claimants’ solicitors receive a copy of the interview if so requested. DTI Officials continue to review progress with Capita to ensure they are carried out professionally.
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects alterations to the Dust Calculation Model allowing the full accession of UK Coal plc to the Claims Handling Agreement in respect of coal health compensation to be completed; and if he will make a statement. [71476]
Malcolm Wicks: The DTI and UK Coal have reached agreement on how the Dust Calculation Model should be implemented with regard to claims which have shared liability and offers which will discharge British Coal's liability are due to commence fromearly July.
Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) vibration white finger claims have been submitted from Tamworth constituency, broken down by district electoral ward. [71226]
Malcolm Wicks: Although I cannot provide statistics by electoral ward, I have broken down the claims submitted from Tamworth constituents by postcode (1). The figures are as follows:
| Postcode | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | Vibration White Finger |
| (1 )The postcodes listed include areas beyond the Tamworth constituency boundary. |
The figures for Tamworth constituency are 1,700 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims and 437 vibration white finger claims submitted.
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