§ Mr. HoramTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the activities of the Green Minister in the Department in financial year 2003–04. [185112]
§ Mr. MorleyMy noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, is Defra's Green Minister and in this role is a Member of the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. I chair the Sub-Committee. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees.
Sustainable development is the overarching aim of Defra. Therefore, the work of all Defra's ministers, including the Green Minister, contributes to this aim. Consequently, it is not possible to separate the role of the Green Minister from Lord Whitty's other work in the financial year 2003–04.
Important pieces of work that Lord Whitty has been involved with over the last year include publication of a UK Framework for Sustainable Consumption and Production in conjunction with the DTI, the Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy, the UK initiative on developing a global Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership and agreement on several chapters of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. Lord Whitty also represented Defra on the Ministerial Group for Implementation of the Energy White Paper and covers energy efficiency and fuel poverty.