§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the level of investment provided for research into and promotion of clean coal-burning schemes within the United Kingdom; and what proportion of the total energy budget this constitutes.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryBoth British Coal and my Department are supporting a wide range of research and development projects to develop cleaner coal technologies. The development of these technologies is a collaborative exercise and many of the projects also involve United Kingdom industry and overseas organisations such as the European Commission and the International Energy Agency. The value of contracts in the Department's current coal R and D programme are worth over £115 million with Department support of over £21 million. One of the most important of these projects is the development of British Coal's topping cycle technology which is taking place at Grimethorpe and its coal research establishment. Information on total spending by industry in the United Kingdom on energy-related research is not available to my Department.