To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the Government plans to take to support scientific projects which seek to curb climate change, with particular reference to projects (a) in their infancy and (b) which are finding difficulties in securing capital funding. (229846)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and its predecessors have a long established record of supporting UK science to understand current and future climate change and its impacts. Currently DECC is directly responsible for about £31 million of climate change research annually, including supporting the world-leading research at the Met Office Hadley Centre (MOHC) to the tune of about £15 million each year, through their Integrated Climate Programme (ICP). The ICP is also jointly funded by the Ministry of Defence.

A primary output of the MOHC research and modelling is to provide advice with regard to future climate change and the risks of climate change. It provides evidence to DECC which is used to develop policy on curbing climate change.

DECC is working with DEFRA, other Government Departments and research councils to frame and implement new work, aimed at more fully integrating robust natural science research with that needed to deliver evidence to enable societies to adapt better to unavoidable climate change.

The challenge of moving towards a lower carbon economy requires us to develop a portfolio of low carbon energy technologies such as carbon abatement technologies, hydrogen and fuel cells, nuclear power and renewables. Public sector funding bodies all recognise low carbon energy technologies as a priority and are working closely to ensure that funding is co-ordinated—and that funding effectively supports the portfolio of technologies that will deliver CO₂ reductions.

Capital grant and other funding for low carbon and renewable energy technologies is provided under the Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF). Under the UK element of the ETF, DECC supports the demonstration and pre-commercial deployment of innovative low carbon and energy efficiency demonstration technologies, and aims to accelerate their commercialisation in the UK. The scheme aims to address market failures at the demonstration and pre-commercial deployment stage, where developers of new and innovative energy technologies can have difficulty in securing capital funding. The fund operates by means of technology-specific schemes, with projects selected on a competitive basis.

Over the next three years, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) funded Research Councils will be investing over £300 million in energy research and over £360 million in research that will address living with environmental change.

The Natural Environment Research Council currently spends £66 million per annum that is directly attributable to fundamental aspects of climate change.