§ 28. Mr. MadelTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received since 1 October concerning the future development of clean coal technology; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarMy Department has received a number of letters supporting the development of clean coal technologies since 1 October. The Government recognise the importance of developing clean coal technologies and my Department is supporting a wide range of clean coal projects in partnership with the British Coal Corporation, UK industry, the European Commission and the International Energy Agency. At present, around 30 projects are under way, with a contract value of over £100 million. A number of further projects are at the planning stage.
The development of clean coal technologies are of worldwide interest and my Department has taken the lead in establishing a number of international agreements covering information exchange and collaborative R and D under the auspicies of the International Energy Agency, European Commission R and D programmes and with the United States Department of Energy.