Environmental Education (Hansard, 30 June 1994)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Arran)
My Lords, the two publications: The UK Strategy on-Sustainable Development and Biodiversity: The UK Action Plan both recognise the importance of environmental education, which is one of the issues being examined by the Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group and the Scottish Advisory Group on Sustainable Development.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, I thank the Minister for his Answer. Will he accept that I welcome the positive statements made in both those documents? However, 860 can he explain to me how the teaching of environmental education is to achieve sufficient emphasis, since it is a cross-curricular theme and, as such, requires a great deal of effort on the part of those who wish to teach it to pull together the various strands? Will the Government issue guidelines to make sure that the proper emphasis is given?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I can tell the noble Baroness that following the Dealing Review, of which she is probably aware, the consultation questionnaire on the revised national curriculum asked for opinions on the issuing of guidance in order to supplement the statutory content of the revised national curriculum. Indeed, the noble Baroness may wish to take advantage of that to make her views known to the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority as the consultation process does not end until the end of July.

§ Lord Monkswell
My Lords, can the Minister tell us what sums of money are being made available by the Government to enable environmental education in teacher training colleges to be ensured, and what sums of money are being made available by the Government to local education authorities to enable in-service teacher training to go ahead on this subject?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I can certainly tell the noble Lord that the Council for Environmental Education has been funded to the extent of some £400,000 over the past three years. I would have thought that that was proof in itself of how seriously we take education on the environment.

§ Baroness Hilton of Eggardon
My Lords, the European Commission has set aside 1 million ecus for teacher training in environmental education. The closing date for applications under that fund is today. Can the Minister tell us how many applications have been made for funding under that particular European fund?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I cannot give the noble Baroness that information at this time. The closing date is today; I do not think that she would expect me to give that answer without prior notice.

§ Lord Elis-Thomas
My Lords, will the noble Earl discuss with his colleagues in the Welsh Office the issue of environmental education in Wales to ensure that both the voluntary bodies and the curriculum council are spending the required sums on the development of environmental education and the concept of sustainable development within the Welsh context?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, not only in the Welsh context, but in the Scottish context and the English context as well; environmental education is very important throughout the whole of the United Kingdom. The Government believe very firmly in it and are doing their best to promote it.

Viscount Addison
My Lords, the Prime Minister launched the United Kingdom strategy for sustainable 861 development as a cross-government initiative. Will my noble friend the Minister say what positive steps have been taken to ensure co-operation among departments?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I draw my noble friend's attention to two particular aspects. First, the Government's Panel on Sustainable Development, which is chaired by Sir Crispin Tickell, is a panel of individuals with wide knowledge and practical experience which will give the Government very authoritative and independent advice on strategic issues. Secondly, there is the Round Table on Sustainable Development. Here, the proposed round table will bring together representatives of business, local government, industry and other sectors to discuss major issues of sustainable development with Ministers.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, is the Minister aware that we debated this matter on 2nd March when we had our debate on sustainable development and that at the time the noble Lord, Lord Bridges, emphasised the importance of education, as I did in my wind-up speech? Will the noble Earl tell us precisely how the Department for Education plans to take this forward, as it is the lead department in this matter?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, the Department for Education is the formal department in this matter. We believe that environmental education is best dealt with and best promoted through individual subjects such as geography, science and technology. As the noble Lord will know well, environmental education is a compulsory element of the geography curriculum.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, the Minister mentioned two advisory bodies which will help the Government in reaching their targets. I believe that there are two or three others in the offing. Can he say which of those bodies, if any, has the task of focusing on environmental education as such and offering advice as such?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, both those bodies will look at the possibility of discussing and observing carefully environmental education. As the noble Baroness pointed out, there are several other initiatives. One is called Going for Green; another is the Green Brigade, which is an excellent initiative to get young people interested in environmental issues.

§ The Earl of Onslow
My Lords, how does my noble friend define "environmental education"?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I would say to my noble friend that, very simply, it is the Government's duty and responsibility to promote the education of everybody in this country in the importance of the conservation of nature and on biodiversity and sustainable development from the cradle to the grave in order to protect this planet and all that we love upon it.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, following on the noble Earl's question, can the Minister say what he means—I believe I heard him correctly—when he says that there are government bodies looking at the possibility of discussing initiatives?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I made clear to the noble Lord (perhaps he does not think that I did make it clear) that we consider—and I do not think that he particularly agrees with this, because I suspect he may want the subject to be part of the national curriculum —that it is best promoted on a sectoral basis.