§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Industry what considerations were examined prior to setting the minimum cost of £25,000 for the grant scheme to encourage conversion to and replacement of the coal-fired boilers from the oil-fired installations; and how many small firms are estimated to be excluded from the grant scheme as a result of this minimum cost figure of £25,000.
§ Mr. MacGregorA number of considerations were examined in setting up the minimum threshold for applications under the coal-fired boiler scheme. These included the report of the NEDC energy task force, which drew attention to the advantage of coal for bulk industrial use, the threshold set for the earlier energy conservation scheme, the need to ensure that taxpayers' money is used to ensure the most cost-effective amount of substitution of coal for oil, arid the need to keep the administration and staff levels required to the minimum.
It is not possible to estimate the number of small firms which may be excluded by this threshold from applying under the scheme. Many small firms have no requirement for industrial boilers on their premises.