§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what role her Department has played in ensuring that private finance initiative projects create the minimum of environmental damage; [173113]
(2) what assessment her Department has made of (a) the (i) sustainability and (ii) environmental impacts of private finance initiative (PFI) projects and (b) the effectiveness of the PFI process in delivering environmentally sustainable projects; [173114]
(3) what role her Department (a) has and (b) plans to take to make the private finance initiative process more accountable and transparent in terms of environmental sustainability; [173115]
(4) what action her Department has taken to ensure other Government Departments deliver sustainability within private finance initiative projects. [173116]
§ Mr. MorleyIn line with the Government's overarching commitment, Departments need to consider all aspects of sustainable development when entering into new PFI/PPP contracts. By taking a long term view, PFI/PPPs require an assessment of whole life costs and can promote a more efficient use of resources.
In July 2002, the Department together with ODPM, OGC and DfT jointly issued a guidance note, Green Public Private Partnerships, on how to include environmental considerations within PFI and PPP projects. This added to guidance on PFI projects issued by the Treasury and supports commitments being developed under the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.
The biodiversity and energy sections of the Framework, published in August 2003 and February 2004 respectively, commit all Government Departments to include clauses relating to sustainable development issues in relevant contracts, including PPPs and PF1s. It is anticipated that future sections of the framework on waste, estates management and construction, and procurement will include similar provisions. The Framework will be reviewed in 2004–05 and further 1496W consideration will be given to how best Departments can take account of sustainable development in future PPPs/PF1s contracts. The Department's officials are working closely with officials from OGC in order to ensure that the Framework is fully coordinated with OGC's Achieving Excellence construction procurement guidance, in particular with Achieving Excellence Guide 11: Sustainability, which is currently under development.
Furthermore, from 1 April 2004 Departments must now explicitly identify any significant environmental and social costs and benefits, as well as economic costs and benefits when carrying out a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA). This will cover RIAs carried out on new PFI/PPP projects.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the contracts awarded to W.S. Atkins by(a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies since June 2001, broken down by (i) value of the contract and (ii) nature of the work. [173117]
§ Alun MichaelOver the three financial years 2001/02; 2002/03 and 2003/04 core-Defra spent £6,679,742 with W.S. Atkins on facilities management, technical and professional services. Information on the nature of individual contracts cannot be provided as it is not held centrally. The Department is in the process of compiling a central list for the future but this will take some time to complete.
Information on the value and nature of individual contracts awarded to W.S. Atkins by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.