§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information he has on the percentage of the energy research budget in each of the OECD countries that is devoted to the development and application of renewable energy techniques.
§ Mr. WakehamNo figures are available for private sector expenditure on renewable energy in OECD countries. Statistics on Government expenditure on energy R and D are collected for member countries by the International Energy Agency. The percentages requested for such countries, given in the 1988 lEA review, are as follows:
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Percentage of Energy R and D Budget (which in some cases includes expenditure on Nuclear R and D) committed to Renewable Energy Research and Development (1988) Country Percentage Austria 16.63 Belgium 4.09 Canada 4.23 Germany 17.61 Greece 61.46 Italy 6.51 Japan 5.95 Netherlands 13.39 Norway 6.95 Portugal 26.07 Spain 33.71 Sweden 21.06 Switzerland 14.19 United Kingdom 5.40 United States 6.08 The United Kingdom percentage is rising and, in 1989, was about 6.5 per cent. Care must be exercised in using such international statistics since countries differ in their definitions. The figures are also influenced by the extent to which countries have nuclear programmes which, of their nature, involve large expenditure.