§ 22. Mr. John H. Osbornasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will update the information about grants and loans received by the United Kingdom energy industries from European Community sources, given in his reply to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam on 8 June 1981, Official Report, column 48.
§ Mr. MellorThe Department of Energy and the energy industries received no loans in 1981 from the European Investment Bank and the New Community Instrument.
The following monies were received from the ECSC in support of the coal industry in 1981:
£m* Research and development grants to NCB from ECSC 3.6 Loans to NCB from ECSC nil Readaptation grants (on basis of timing of distribution) (i) to Department of Energy 3.0 (ii) to NCB 1.6 * Outturn prices. The European social fund (ESF) has made no further grants to United Kingdom energy industries beyond those set out in the answer given on 8 June 1981 by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Energy in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Osborn)—[8 June 1981, c. 47–50.]
In 1981–82 the European regional development fund (ERDF) made available £2,735,000 to BGC and £4,057,000 to the electricity supply industry. These are provisional figures.
Financial assistance is also provided from the European Communities Budget direct to United Kingdom companies and other bodies for energy projects, but figures for the total sums received are not available.
The following amounts were accounted for on the Department of Energy's vote in 1981–82:
£000s at outturn prices (i) From the ECSC Towards supplementary payment to redundant mineworkers (RMPS) 3,450 Towards pit closures 1,274 For special steel projects for office installations — (ii) From the European Community for nuclear research and development 9,100 The above amounts from the ECSC to the Department of Energy's vote correspond to the readaptation grants for the NCB and the Department of Energy set out above but 238W are expressed in terms of the financial year. (ECSC money to the Department in respect of the redundant mineworkers payments scheme (RMPS) covers the Department for payments already made to the NCB; ECSC money towards pit closures is subsequently passed to the NCB.)
Approximately £127 million has been received so far by the Department of Energy under the EC supplementary measures scheme in respect of investment projects undertaken by the electricity supply industry in England and Wales in 1981–82. This represents approximately 90 per cent. of the amounts due in relation to these investment programmes, and further sums will be payable when final accounts for the year are available.
Questions covering loans and grants to the Scottish electricity boards and the Northern Ireland electricity service are matters for the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.