HC Deb 06 January 2004 vol 416 cc226-7W
Dr. Kumar

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the carbon reduction targets outlined in the Energy White Paper, what Government support is being given to research and development into(a) low carbon technologies and (b) lightweight vehicle design initiatives; and how much of that Government support has gone to companies conducting such research in (i) Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East and (ii) the north east.[144770]

Mr. Timms

Pursuant to the carbon reduction targets in the Energy White Paper, the Government is supporting research into low carbon and carbon-free energy generation through my Department's Renewable Energy Programme and through the Research Councils. There are no projects currently being supported under the Renewable Energy Programme in the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland East, area. There are, however 14 projects and I recently completed project that are receiving or have received funding in the north east region as a whole. This amounts to total funding of over £6.5 million and has been provided for projects including Solar PV Field Trials and the Stingray Tidal Stream Energy Device.

A New and Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC) has been set up by One North East in Blyth, Northumberland, to promote renewable energy in the north east. This is one of five centres of excellence designed to encourage the development of new technologies originating from the region's research base.

The Government are also pursuing its carbon reduction targets through research into energy efficiency, and has accepted the recommendation of the Chief Scientific Adviser in his Energy Research Report that this should be a priority area for investment. An inter-departmental group, on which the Energy Saving Trust and the Carbon Trust are represented, is coordinating work in this field.

In 2002, the Carbon Trust established the Low Carbon Innovation Programme to accelerate the development of new and emerging low carbon and energy efficient technologies in the UK, by investing in research, demonstration and development projects and leveraging in further funding.

As stated in the Government's Powering Future Vehicles Strategy, the Government supports research and development for the encouragement of low carbon vehicles through a number of initiatives including the New Vehicle Technology Fund (NVTF) and Foresight Vehicle programmes. At present, of the 20 projects that are being supported through NVTF, none is based in the north east, although the programme is open to all regions.

The Foresight Vehicle LINK programme supports technology transfer through collaborative R&D, aiming to raise the innovation performance of the automotive industry in the UK. The programme includes a wide portfolio of projects, valued in excess of £100 million. We do not keep separate records for each thematic group under the programme, but included in this funding is light-weighting and engine control which help reduce CO2 emissions and alternative propulsion systems. DTI has committed £12.4 million to this programme.