§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what progress he has made towards establishing reliable estimates of gas leakage from the low-pressure distribution system; whether his Department remains dependent on British Gas for such estimates; and what is the current best estimate for such leakage.
§ Mr. MoynihanI would refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for City of Chester (Mr. Morrison) gave on 23 April 1990, at column96. The Department of the Environment (DoE) has primary responsibility for emissions inventories and currently uses an estimate of 1 per cent. for methane loss in the natural gas distribution system.
Work is being undertaken by DoE, British Gas and others better to characterise all types of methane emission. This will be incorporated in the national estimates of total methane emissions in due course.