§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the departments which, at the meeting of Green Ministers on 18 November, were represented by officials. [62415]
§ Mr. MeacherThe following departments were represented by officials:
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- Department of Social Security
- Department of Trade and Industry
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- HM Treasury.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the meeting of Green Ministers on 18 November considered methods of(a) decreasing car journeys by Ministers and (b) making the cars made available to Ministers less polluting. [62416]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Green Ministers' meeting on 18 November discussed progress on delivering green transport plans across Government. These plans will comprise measures to encourage staff to choose alternatives to single-occupancy car use, including public transport, cycling, walking and car-sharing, to reduce the environmental impact of travel and to reduce the need to travel. Where feasible, Ministers use public transport or walk. However, security issues and issues of practicality can mean that cars are often essential.
But the Government Car Service is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its fleet, and has begun to convert its vehicles to use Liquid Petroleum Gas, a significantly cleaner fuel than conventional fuels, with the aim of converting its entire fleet within the next five years. It also has a programme monitoring fuel consumption and providing driver training with a published target for improving the average fuel efficiency across its fleet by at least half a mile per gallon every year.