Mr. Robert G. HughesTo ask the Prime Minister whether he has any proposals to recognise businesses who improve their environmental performance.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government's environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance", and last year's first anniversary report on it stressed that all parts of society have a role to play in securing environmental improvements. This applies not least to business.
The Government want to create the right conditions to encourage business to improve its environmental performance and to recognise and reward those businesses which rise successfully to the challenge. On my recommendation, Her Majesty the Queen has given her approval in principle to the introduction of a new Queen's award for environmental achievement.
The new award will recognise product and process development which has major benefits for the environment and which is commercially successful. It will form part of the established Queen's awards scheme alongside business awards for export and technology achievement. It is planned that applications will be sought in June and that the first environment awards will be made on the Queen's birthday on 21 April 1993.
The addition of environment achievement to the Queen's awards builds on the pioneering work of the Royal Society of Arts whose better environment awards for industry have led the way and generated invaluable experience in awards for business in the environmental field. The RSA plans to continue activity in this area in a way which will complement the new Queen's award.