Oral Answers to Questions

Ian Swales Excerpts

Thursday 6th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Meg Munn) has provided an object lesson to new Members in how to shoehorn one’s own question into someone else’s, and we are greatly obliged to her.

[Ian Swales (Redcar) (LD)]

17. What recent assessment he has made of the future of the UK bioethanol industry.

[The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable)]

The Government’s bioenergy strategy makes it clear that sustainable first-generation biofuels such as bioethanol are cost-effective in reducing carbon emissions and are an important source of renewable energy. We have sent a clear signal to the industry that there is a market for biofuels in the UK by setting it a target of creating 10% of road transport fuel from renewable energy by 2020.

[Ian Swales]

I thank the Secretary of State for the work that he has done to help with the restarting of the Ensus plant in my constituency, which supports 2,000 jobs. Will he continue to work with his colleagues in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Transport and the Treasury to ensure that conditions remain right for that exciting, sustainable growth business?

[Vince Cable]

I would like to reciprocate by congratulating my hon. Friend on the work that he has done on campaigning for the Ensus plant, which was mothballed but has now been reopened, creating substantial employment. I believe that a significant number of other bioethanol plants are also in gestation, encouraged by the clarity of policy. One key element was the success that we had in persuading the European Union on the subject of unfair competition from overseas. That loophole has now been closed and there is a good business environment.