§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the annual United Kingdom contribution since 1979 to(a) the International Atomic Energy Agency, (b) the nuclear energy agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and 515W Development, (c) the European Atomic Energy Community and (d) the joint research centres of the European Community's nuclear research programme, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the benefits that have accrued from these respective contributions.
§ Mr. EggarDetails of the United Kingdom's contributions to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the nuclear energy agency of the OECD are published annually in the supply estimates, currently at class V, vote 2, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. For contributions prior to 1987–88 reference should be made to written answer of 16 May 1988 at column300.
The Community budget is published annually in the Official Journal of the European Communities, also held in the Library of the House. The United Kingdom's contributions to the European Atomic Energy Community and to the nuclear programmes of the joint research centres of the European Communities form part of the single United Kingdom contribution to the European community's budget made under article 207 of the treaty of Rome. National contributions to individual programmes are not identified separately.
These contributions have been obligatory since the United Kingdom's accession to the respective organisations. Over the years there have been many benefits from them, not least the worldwide effort in the field of non-proliferation and nuclear safeguards, and work on radiation protection and public health.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the annual United Kingdom contribution to the European fusion nuclear energy research programme since its inception; and what contribution Her Majesty's Government intend to make to future fusion programmes including(a) the Joint European TORUS and (b) the next European TORUS.
§ Mr. Eggar80 per cent. of funding for the joint European TORUS—JET—project is provided by the European Atomic Energy Community Euratom—through the Community budget. Member states contribute to the Community budget as a whole, not individual elements. The United Kingdom's gross contribution before abatement is around 16 per cent. of the total. Information on the Community's annual expenditure on fusion research, including its contribution to JET, is
516W
Year Nuclear Reactor Research Nuclear Waste Research Nuclear Decommissioning Research Radiation Protection Research Clean Coal Burn Research Renewable Energy Research 1979–80 — — — — 1.8 8.2 1980–81 — — — — 2.7 11.3 1981–82 — — — — 4.9 15.3 1982–83 — — — — 3.4 12.7 1983–84 — — — — 3.4 11.9 1984–85 — — — — 0.9 14.9 1985–86 — — — — 0.8 13.6 1986–87 114.6 — — — 1.9 12.5 1987–88 93.1 3.3 — 0.3 1.4 16.1 1988–89 130.5 2.8 — 0.6 0.9 16.3 1989–90 119.3 4.7 — 0.6 1.7 17.9 1990–91 85.0 — 5.8 0.6 11.4 20.8 1991–92 60.3 — 7.2 0.5 4.7 24.6 All figures are in £M in money terms. Nuclear fuel research is not separately identified. Nuclear Waste Management programme is subsumed within decommissioning research after 1990. There was no expenditure on gas gathering and distribution research or on gas fired power plant research during the period. contained in chapter B6–55 of the "General Budget of the European Communities', published in the Official Journal of the European Communities—OJ L 26 of 3–2–92—a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
A further 10 per cent. of the funding is shared out between the members of the JET joint undertaking, including the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, whose share of this component is around 1 per cent. of the total. In addition, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority meets the remaining 10 per cent. of the funding, in recognition of the United Kingdom's status as host nation.
In 1991–92 the United Kingdom's total contribution in respect of these two elements was around £8 million.
The United Kingdom contributes directly to the Euratom fusion programme via the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's "Contract of Association" with Euratom. This amalgamates the fusion R and D programme undertaken at Culham laboratory with the wider programme undertaken by Euratom fusion research laboratories as a whole. The annual cost of this work is also around £8 million.
Decisions on future funding of the Community's fusion programme, and hence on the funding of JET and the next European TORUS, are a matter for the Council of Ministers.
§ Mr. Llewellyn SmithTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table of annual investment made in each year since 1979 by his Department and the Department of Energy in(a) nuclear reactor research, (b) nuclear waste research, (c) nuclear decommissioning research, (d) nuclear fuel research, (e) radiation protection research, (f) gas gathering and distribution research, (g) gas fired power plant research, (h) clean coal burn research, (i) renewable energy research and (j) energy efficiency and conservation research.
§ Mr. EggarThe information requested is given in the table, to the extent that it is readily available within the DTI. Prior to 1986, nuclear programmes were funded by a block grant to the Atomic Energy Authority, which was responsible for their detailed content; a breakdown along the lines requested is thus not available in the Department. Energy efficiency and conservation R and D is now a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.
517W1981–82 to 1988–89 non-nuclear figures are taken from the "Annual Review of Government-funded R & D", and relate essentially to Frascati R 2 D, without including technology transfer and dissemination expenditure.
Figures from 1989–90 to date are final outturn, and do include technology transfer and dissemination expenditure.