HC Deb 16 February 1988 vol 127 cc523-4W
Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the achievements sponsored by Her Majesty's Government to date, in support of the European Year of the Environment; and if he will make a statement on the major initiatives known to his Department achieved by other European countries participant in the European Environment Year.

Mrs. Roe

My Department has provided over £750,000 of support to the United Kingdom Committee for the European Year of the Environment (EYE). This includes a grant scheme of £300,000 under which the Department has supported over 150 practical environmental projects on the recommendation of the committee. It also includes the running costs of a full-time team which has put together the United Kingdom EYE programme and publicity campaign on behalf of the committee.

In addition, my Department has been associated with a number of major events and projects in the EYE programme including the second International ministerial conference on the protection of the North sea hosted by the Government in London in November 1987; support for the production of the second edition of "EEC Environmental Policy and Britain" by Nigel Haigh; and the international pollution abatement fair in Birmingham in April 1987. As a further contribution the Department is preparing a general guide to the Government's environmental protection policies which it hopes to publish shortly.

The Property Services Agency has contributed a large number of events, including open days, a travelling landscape exhibition, tree and shrub planting and conservation projects.

Ministers from my Department and other Departments have also attended a number of speaking engagements and other events associated with EYE.

The regional campaigns for EYE have received additional support from the territorial Departments. The Scottish Office has contributed £30,000 to support the work of the Scottish EYE panel and a range of projects in Scotland. The Welsh Office has contributed £10,000 as well as administrative support to the work of the Welsh EYE panel, and projects including a bilingual information leaflet and an environmental exhibition. The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has provided some £20,000 covering administrative support to the Northern Ireland EYE panel and grants to projects. It has also sponsored a range of events including conferences and guided walks and open days in country parks and nature reserves.

Other Government Departments have also contributed events and projects to the EYE programme and have encouraged many of the bodies which they sponsor to participate. The following are examples of the activities they have sponsored: Publication of a booklet on "Defence and the Environment"; Army training areas clean-up week — a series of anti-litter, anti-pollution, landscaping, tree-planting and works projects involving the armed forces and local conservation groups such as Salisbury Plain conservation day, May 1987—Ministry of Defence Conference on "The Global Environment After Chernobyl" (April 1987) — Foreign and Commonwealth Office Financial support of £60,000 for the International Institute for Environment and Development/World Bank conference on sustainable development (April 1987); publication of booklet "The Environment and the British Aid Programme"—Overseas Development Agency Schools pack "Watching Waste" for EYE recycling week (October 1987); joint DTI/CBI conference on recycling (February 1988); series of articles in British Business on environmentally friendly projects and processes — Department of Trade and Industry Publication of booklet on "Transport and the Environment of Transport National and local publicity events drawing attention to community programme environmental improvement projects; secondment of member of staff to United Kingdom EYE team—Department of Employment/Manpower Services Commission. Series of open days held as part of a programme of farming and countryside events launched in May 1987; conservation event held in collaboration with the Royal Agricultural Society of England at the national agricultural centre (October 1987)—Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food. Projects to preserve ancient woodlands, reclaim land and improve bird habitats; major project in Sherwood forest to create a traditional oak wood for conservation and recreation purposes—Forestry Commission.

These activities add up to a strong contribution by Government to the United Kingdom EYE campaign and are clear evidence of their support for the aims of the year.

The Department does not have full information about EYE initiatives in other European countries. The various national committees have put together wide-ranging and varied compaigns reflecting the circumstances and priorities of their respective countries. All EC member states including the United Kingdom have also played their part in the series of projects and events co-ordinated by the European Commission at Community level. This includes awards schemes; competitions; twinning and exchange scheme; and "weeks" focusing on clean beaches, water, recycling and tree planting.