The Environment: OECD Report (Hansard, 12 March 1991)

Viscount Astor
My Lords, the Government warmly welcome the publication of this, the third report on The State of the Environment. It is a major report in assessing the progress of environmental policies in OECD countries over the past two decades and the problems to be addressed in the 1990s. The Government fully endorse the conclusions of the report, notably that the pace of progress to improve the environment needs to be speeded up, that better integration between economic and environmental policies is required and that work on improving environmental information needs to be accelerated.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, I thank the noble Viscount for that Answer, but may I probe one or two of the issues raised in the report? Is he aware, for example, that the population of the OECD countries amounts to only 16 per cent. of the world's population but that their inhabitants own 78 per cent. of the motor vehicles and use 50 per cent. of the world's energy. What is the policy of the Government on conserving energy and reducing its use, particularly in view of the plans for greatly increasing the number of motor vehicles in the country over the next 25 years?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, we are carrying out many actions in this country to cut down energy use and make it more efficient. We fully endorse the OECD proposals to develop national resource accounts and to begin to develop satellite accounts with a system of national accounts to reflect environmental conditions and trends. On motor vehicles, various actions have been taken such as lower tax to encourage the use of unleaded petrol which accounts for nearly 40 per cent. of petrol sales.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, since the report attaches much importance to the availability of environmental information and to performance monitoring, can the Minister explain how the United Kingdom collects this information and where it is published? If we are to achieve sustainable development, will it not be necessary for us to have good, reliable information which is readily available to anyone who needs it? Will it be readily available?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, the noble Baroness is absolutely right. We must have the information. 70 Following the recommendation in the Government's White Paper on the subject, work has begun on a statistical report on the environment which will bring together available statistics in a coherent and comprehensive form. This publication will provide a benchmark against which progress can be measured. It is scheduled for publication in the second half of 1992. Wide ranging consultations are taking place on the available statistics to be included.

§ Lord Geddes
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that Sub-Committee B of the EC Committee, under the leadership of the noble Lord, Lord Ezra, which deals with energy and transport, has just begun a review of exactly the subject raised by the noble Lord, Lord Hatch; namely, energy and the environment.

Viscount Astor
My Lords, I was not aware of that. I am grateful to the noble Lord.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, perhaps I may ask the noble Lord another question raised by the report. What is Her Majesty's Government's attitude towards the proposal made by Brice Lalonde, the French Minister for the environment, that companies should be required to provide an ecological audit and balance sheet in the same way as they provide an estimate of labour and capital?

Viscount Astor
My Lords, that proposal was put to the OECD; it was not an OECD proposal. We feel that it is more important at the moment to establish national criteria and European criteria. The Government have warmly welcomed the establishment of a European environmental agency, a new EC body to collect environmental information. Achieving data comparability on a scientific basis will be the prime aim when the body becomes operational.