§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what notional additional environmental costs his Department assigns to(a) gas, (b) coal and (c) nuclear generation.
§ Mr. MacleanThe Department does not assign costs in the way that the hon. Gentleman suggests.
A report recently produced by the Economic and Social Research Council-sponsored centre for social and economic research on the global environment for the Department of Trade and Industry on the social costs of 463W fuel cycles has produced some estimates of "externality adders". The numbers produced in this report should be seen as indicative rather than authoritative.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has had from Professor David Pearce on the problems of assigning money values to environmental damage; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanI have sought no specific proposals. Professor Pearce is leading a team of researchers who have been commissioned by my Department to estimate the external, including environmental costs and benefits, of landfilling and of incinerating waste. I have referred to Professor Pearce's report of fuel cycle costs in reply to the previous question.