HC Deb 28 April 2004 vol 420 cc1142-3W
Mr. Edward Davey

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what steps he is taking to deliver sustainable development within Government; [165652]

(2) what progress has been made on his Department's Sustainable Development Strategy. [165653]

Keith Hill

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with Defra, other Government departments and the Devolved Administrations to deliver sustainable development. The UK Government and Devolved Administrations are currently consulting on creating a new UK strategic framework for sustainable development.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 's central aim is to create sustainable communities—places where people want to live—by promoting economic growth, social progress and environmental protection.

The Sustainable Communities Plan, "Sustainable Communities; Building for the Future", sets out a programme of action for delivering sustainable communities in all our towns, cities and rural areas. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has recently published "Making it Happen: The Northern Way", which provided an update on the delivery of the Sustainable Communities Plan, with a particular emphasis on the North and the Midlands.

In line with all government departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is actively working to manage the sustainable development impacts of the operation of its estates and to deliver the targets outlined in the "Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate".

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill, currently before the House, sets out contributing to the achievement of sustainable development as an objective for regional spatial strategies and local development documents. We have backed this up with new guidance on sustainable development and planning in Planning Policy Statement 1—Creating Sustainable Communities—which was issued for consultation on 24 February.

In addition, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister actively promotes sustainable development and action to tackle climate change internationally.