§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the progress of Agenda 21 in Wales. [19669]
§ Mr. Win GriffithsAt the UN "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 an Agenda for the 21st Century setting out how countries can work towards sustainable development was adopted by over 150 nations, including the UK.
This Government have already shown that they are fully committed to this principle. We have established a new Cabinet Committee on the Environment which will help us to deal with sustainable development issues in a co-ordinated way and which will aim to set clear goals for sustainable development. A new House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has been established. We will soon publish a consultation paper on proposals for a revised UK sustainable development strategy and the Welsh Office plans to host a national sustainable development conference to explore in a Welsh context the issues raised in the consultation paper.
Two thirds of the actions in Agenda 21 require the active involvement of local authorities. At the UN Special Session in June my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said that he wanted all local authorities in the UK to adopt Local Agenda 21 strategies by the year 2000. The Welsh Office is involved in various initiatives to encourage local authorities in Wales to make progress on this front. A guidance document for local authorities will be launched early next year. The Welsh Office is one of a number of organisations arranging a Local Agenda 21 seminar for Chief Executives and Leaders of local authorities and other key bodies in Wales.
The Government are committed to ensuring that the Welsh Assembly promotes sustainable development. On 8 December my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State confirmed on Second Reading of the Government of Wales Bill our intention to place a duty on the Assembly to have regard to the principle of sustainability.