asked the Secretary of State for Energy how much is being spent in the current financial year on research into solar energy; what are the figures for each of the last five years; and what are the comparable amounts being spent by each of the countries in the EEC, the United States of America and Japan.

Expenditure by my Department on research into solar energy in the current and previous three financial years has been as follows:

Financial Year	Expenditure £000's (including VAT)
1978–79	132
1979–80	1,118
1980–81	789
1981–82	*500
* Forecast.

I regret that the figures for earlier years could only be extracted at disproportionate cost.Figures for each of the countries of the EEC are given in the publication "Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Programmes and Expenditures of the Member States and the European Communities". The most recent volume is the Inventory of 1976–1978 Ref XII/1000/79-EN, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Similarly figures for IEA countries, including the United States of America and Japan, appear in the OECD's annual publication "Energy Research Development and Demonstration in the IEA Countries". The most recent volume is for 1980. This is also available in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what projects his Department is sponsoring into the conversion of sunlight into electricity.

None. My Department's solar energy research programme has concentrated on space and water heating. There is insufficient annual sunshine, and it is too intermittent, for the use of photovoltaic cells to make a useful contribution to electricity generation in the United Kingdom. The Department of Industry, however, is supporting development for use in the space industry and to help export opportunities.