§ Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Mortimer Report on Biodiesel will be published; and what contribution her Department made in influencing the content of the report. [83915]
§ Mr. MeacherThe report from Sheffield Hallam University was commissioned by the Department to provide an independent, comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the comparative energy, environmental and socio-economic costs and benefits of biodiesel production in the UK. The terms of reference for the study were agreed with the Government-Industry Forum on the Non-Food Uses of Crops and with industry. A draft of the report was published for consultation in June this year and, in finalising the report, the authors have looked carefully at the points made and have taken account of new evidence put forward. We expect the report to be peer reviewed in December and published in January 2003. The Department has had no influence over the content of the report. For bioenergy, this Department plans and manages independent research through its Science Directorate to inform the development of policy. All research reports are published and clarity of presentation is the only factor considered.