To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration is given to the average length of lorry journey in transporting wood from the processing plant to the international port in assessing the carbon footprint of biomass imports.

The average length of lorry journey in transporting wood from the processing plant to the international port is not collated as part of UK biomass sustainability reporting.

However, the Environment Agency are developing a tool to enable power generators to determine the carbon emissions associated with their use of biomass. This tool will allow users to model Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions according to feedstock type, agriculture practices and transport mode.

The European Commission's recently published report for sustainability criteria for solid biomass includes a recommendation to monitor the origin of feedstocks. DECC will make a statement later this month, setting out what actions the Government can now take to introduce sustainability standards for biomass used for heat and electricity in the UK. We already require sustainability reporting under the Renewables Obligation. This requirement was introduced in April 2009 and the first reporting cycle is due later this year. The sustainability report will include the available data on the type and country of origin of the biomass used for electricity generation.