§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who in his Department has been appointed to oversee and develop green issues; how many civil servants have been allocated new or additional responsibilities to deal with the management and development of green issues; and what additional allocation of resources has been made to support programmes related to green issues in his Department.
§ Mr. HeseltineI have overall responsibility for all environmental matters within my Department. Two divisions have been specifically established to develop environmental issues following the publication of the Environment White Paper, "This Common Inheritance" in September 1990—environmental protection central division and environmental protection and industry division. These have 27 staff. The Department's existing environmental protection group, directorate of rural affairs and heritage division have a combined complement of 740.5 including a significant strengthening in the complement of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution to meet the needs of the new system of integrated pollution control. Environmental issues also form a growing part of the work of all parts of the Department.
My hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment and Countryside announced last November my Department's 585W plans to spend an extra £130 million in 1991–92 to protect and improve the environment. Included in this sum is an extra £13.7 million for environmental research, £23 million for the National Rivers Authority and £27 million to help local authorities improve waste disposal and recycling facilities. The extra spending also implements a number of White Paper commitments, including the creation of a new fund for repairs to cathedrals and the environmental grant fund for voluntary groups.