asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much government funding is being allocated to the development of second-generation biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol, biobutanol and synthetic fuels from biomass; and

Which biofuel research projects are receiving government funding.

The Government are providing £5 million to the Carbon Trust, as part of the Environmental Transformation Fund, for research projects on advanced biofuels. The Technology Strategy Board has announced a £10 million competition for collaborative research on low carbon energy technologies including transport biofuels. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has provided around £0.3 million funding to the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NFCC) for a series of projects assessing the feasibility of second generation biofuel production in the UK (available via the NNFCC's website at www.nnfcc.com). The Energy Technologies Institute, funded by government and industry with a potential budget of £1 billion over 10 years, is considering options for incorporating advanced biofuel research into its programme.

The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation will help to create the right market conditions for the best biofuels to flourish and it should encourage the development of more advanced biofuels in the future.