§ Mr. RostTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what support for research and development on wave power is currently under way; and if he has any further proposals under consideration.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerA major element of the Department of Energy's present programme of research and development into small scale wave energy is the development of the shoreline rock gully device invented by Queen's university, Belfast. Over the last two years the Department has funded research and the construction of762W an experimental prototype on the island of Islay, off the west coast of Scotland. Early test results of the power performance of the device have been encouraging and the next phase of the project will now proceed, subject to contract, on the basis of the data acquired so far.