Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations from hon. Members of the European Parliament or the devolved administrations his Department has received about objections by his Department to wind farm planning applications. [86634]
§ Dr. MoonieOur records show that, in the last 12 months, the Ministry of Defence has received twenty letters from Members of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly and none from hon. Members of the European Parliament.
Mr. Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with(a) the British Wind Energy Association and (b) British business about radar interference and wind farms. [86635]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Ministry of Defence are members of a Steering Group on Wind Energy chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry. The other members of the Group are the Civil Aviation Authority and the British Wind Energy Association and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Group discusses the issues relating to aviation safety that wind turbines can present and has produced an Interim Guidelines document "Wind Energy and Aviation Interests55 to assist all those involved in the wind energy industry.
The MOD devotes significant resources to the consideration of wind farm proposals prior to formal planning. Between July 1996 and November 2002, ourexperts considered some 1,900 proposals from developers for wind farms across the United Kingdom and consequently have had many meetings with Wind Energy developers about concerns regarding specific proposals including radar interference.
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Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further action he is taking to identify possible(a) onshore and (b) offshore wind farm sites about which his Department would have concerns to do with interference with radar. [86636]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Ministry of Defence is working towards a number of improvements in the way it processes proposals. We aim to increase engagement with the wind industry, for example, where minor adjustments to the siting of turbines may result in an objection being withdrawn. We will also provide more central guidance to those reviewing applications and publicise a help line for the industry. MOD is ready to engage with Regional Chambers as the latter move towards considering optimum sites for the siting of wind farms in the longer term when drawing up their regional energy strategies.
MOD has also reviewed recently the scope for giving developers a clearer picture of the specific areas of the country where onshore windfarm proposals may cause problems. There remains an unavoidable requirement to examine all applications in some detail before decisions can be made on any likely detriment to defence interests.
Mr. Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what budget his Department has for conducting research into the impact wind farms have in terms of radar interference. [86637]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Ministry of Defence are members of a Steering Group on Wind Energy chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry. The Steering Group discussions led the DTI to commission research by QinetiQ into the effect of wind turbines on radar and MOD are giving assistance whenever required. The department has no specific budget for conducting research into the impact wind farms have on radar.
Mr. Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with other NATO countries about the impact wind farms have in terms of interference with radar. [86638]
§ Dr. MoonieNo formal discussions dedicated to wind farms have taken place with other NATO countries.