§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) on what basis(a) air pollution from industry, (b) cleaning up polluted land, (c) oil spills, (d) waste treatment and (e) recycling are excluded from the Green Technology Challenge funding; [29702]
(2) for what reasons the decision was taken to limit the Green Technology Challenge to (a) clean fuels, (b) clean vehicle reduction in water use, (c) the improvement of water quality and (d) energy efficient technologies. [29701]
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§ Mr. BoatengThe Government provide support for environmental objectives through a wide range of policies. Proposals put forward in response to the consultation on setting up a Green Technology Challenge were assessed against the following criteria
the extent to which there is a market failure or a specific environmental problem that needs to be addressed through Government policy;the extent to which this problem is best dealt with through a fiscal instrument such as capital allowances and the objective cannot be better achieved through other Government policies;the effectiveness of offering enhanced capital allowances for investment in technologies in the environmental area in question.The Government's initial view is that other proposals put forward in response to the consultation do not meet the above criteria as well as the objectives announced. However, the Government will consider extending the scope of the scheme over time.