To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the comparative strengths of different subsectors of the UK's environmental industries. (256466)

This Department published on 23 June 2008 a study commissioned from Ernst and Young on 'Comparative Advantage and Green Business'.

The main conclusions were that a green economy will be one in which lower carbon and resource efficiency will permeate all products and services throughout the entire economy, and that more focus should be given to the sectors where the UK currently has comparative advantage.

Ernst and Young identified the following specific key sub-sectors where the UK currently exhibits comparative advantage and could develop green business opportunities: software, electronic equipment, business services, financial services and machinery equipment.

The full report can be accessed at

http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46793.pdf.