§ 15. Gregory BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what improvements she plans to make to the forestry infrastructure to allow greater amounts of wood residue to reach power generators. [133798]
§ Mr. MorleyDefra, in association with the Devolved Administrations and the Forestry Commission, is setting up a £3.5 million UK-wide Bio-energy Infrastructure Scheme. This scheme will help develop the supply chain required to harvest, store, process and supply biomass, such as energy crops and forestry woodfuel, to energy end-users. The European Commission's approval of the Scheme is currently being sought. Subject to this, we hope to launch the Scheme in early 2004.