§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the impact in Northern Ireland of the proposals in the Government's consultation paper, New and Renewable Energy-Prospects for the 21st Century. [80240]
§ Mr. IngramThe Government intend working towards a target of renewable energy providing 10% of UK electricity supplies, cost effectively, as soon as possible; they hope to achieve this by 2010. So the proposals in the consultation paper will stimulate further interest in the potential of renewable technologies in Northern Ireland and complement the current range of initiatives such as the Northern Ireland Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation Orders (NI-NFFOs 1 and 2), the EU supported Energy Demonstration Scheme, the INTERREG programme and Northern Ireland Electricity's Eco Energy (Green Tariff) scheme. Following appraisal of the regional responses to the consultation paper, consideration will be given to the implications for sustained promotion of renewable technologies in Northern Ireland.