HL Deb 24 July 2002 vol 638 c95WA
Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will publish its Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. [HL5549]

Lord Whitty

We are pleased to announce that, from today, the first three parts of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate are publicly available on the Government's Sustainable Development website. Copies of the website on floppy disk have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Part A of the framework sets out the overarching commitments to which all departments have signed up, and outlines the means by which progress towards these targets will be monitored and reported. It also sets a new target for environmental management systems to be rolled out across the estate. Parts B and C contain specific targets and guidance in the areas of travel and water consumption.

It is planned that the remaining parts of the framework—covering waste, energy, procurement, estates management, biodiversity, and social impacts—will be rolled out over the coming year.

The online publication of the framework is designed to facilitate the provision of the most up-to-date guidance and examples of best practice in relation to targets to all those involved in management of the government estate.