40. Highlights the importance of research, development and innovation for speeding up the transformation to a resource-efficient Europe; notes that greater innovation is particularly needed in environmentally friendly material exploration and extraction, agriculture, chemistry, waste treatment and recycling, water management, reuse potential, and the substitution of environmental impacting material, technologies and design for reducing materials and energy use, renewable energy, and energy efficiency; points out that gra ...[+++]nting tax credits linked to reduced resource use would also benefit innovation, research and development;

40. Highlights the importance of research, development and innovation for speeding up the transformation to a resource-efficient Europe; notes that greater innovation is particularly needed in environmentally friendly material exploration and extraction, agriculture, chemistry, waste treatment and recycling, water management, reuse potential, and the substitution of environmental impacting material, technologies and design for reducing materials and energy use, renewable energy, and energy efficiency; points out that gra ...[+++]nting tax credits linked to reduced resource use would also benefit innovation, research and development;

32. Notes the importance of creating spin-offs as a means to commercialise research results, and, in particular, the importance of providing credit facilities for this purpose;

17. Welcomes the Commission proposal on TEN-T priority projects; notes however that the resources allocated for 30 transport priority projects as well as for the Marco Polo programme constitute a minimum amount which must be regarded as subject to upward revision; underlines the strategic importance of transport networks for final consolidation of the EU single market and for closer EU relations with candidate, pre-candidate and 'ring of friends' countries; notes that the interconnection of transport networks can underpin the devel ...[+++]opment of trade and investment, thereby promoting sustainability and stability as well as social, economic and geographical cohesion; calls for adequate funding for the development of transport interconnections and common infrastructure shared by the countries; insists that this funding should be conditional on guarantees by the Member States of adequate counterpart funding and adequate access to the network for the regions concerned, and is willing to examine innovative financing instruments such as loan guarantees, European concessions, European loans and an interest relief fund, to cover public and private-sector investment only in research, innovation, space and major physical and non-physical networks, or EIB facilities;

Q-197 — Mr. Casson (Lethbridge) — With regard to the announcement on October 8, 2002 of the $246.5 million aid package for the softwood lumber industry: (a) what actual amounts have been given out as of February 28, 2003 and to whom or to what groups; (b) has Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) kept track of how many employees are taking advantage of the enhanced program; (c) how much has it spent on the enhanced program; (d) is HRDC monitoring the success of the enhanced program and if so, by what criteria is success being measured; (e) has Industry Canada given out any money under the Softwood Industry and Community Adjustmen ...[+++]t Fund; (f) has Industry Canada received any suggestions for workable ideas for community development and if so, has it or will it be publishing these plans or ideas; (g) has Natural Resources developed a plan for dealing with the pine beetle-killed wood and for containing or eradicating the beetle; (h) has Natural Resources planned how it will create both a centre of excellence for pulp and paper research and a boreal forest research consortium; (i) will they be stand-alone institutions or be connected with an existing school or other institution; and (j) what will their mandate be and will this information be made public?

I would note to the committee that subsection 5 of the clause reduces the general rate for the SR&ED investment tax credit from 20 to 15 per cent. That is at page 35, subclause 5.