§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Nottingham. East of 5 June,Official Report, column 665, if he will set out (a) the number of officials from each Government Department in attendance at the Earth 401W summit, (b) the representation from the British diplomatic posts in Brazil and the Forestry Commission respectively, (c) the names of individuals and organisations holding observer status with the United Kingdom delegation and (d) the cost of supporting the United Kingdom delegation to the Rio conference and related events in Brazil.
§ Mr. MacleanThe United Kingdom delegation consisted of the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for the Environment, the Minister for Overseas Development, myself and 24 officials from the Department of the Environment, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Overseas Development Administration and the Department of Trade and Industry. In addition, there were five representatives from our diplomatic posts in Brazil and one official from the Forestry Commission.
Eight junior support staff also attended the conference. The staff involved were needed to service not only the plenary sessions of the conference but the specialised sectoral working groups that were set up and where much of the detailed negotiating was done. Other staff were required to provide office support facilities and to liaise with the local authorities over such matters as transport and security.
The 13 observers attached to the United Kingdom delegation were:
- Ann Clwyd - Opposition overseas aid spokesperson
- Richard Sandbrook - International Institute on Environment and Development
- Barry Coates—World Wide Fund for Nature
- Vicky Johnson—Action Aid
- Patricia Feeney—Oxfam
Joan Davidson—Oxfam / Shared one place.- Sir John Chatfield—Association of County Councils
- John Harman—Association of Metropolitan Authorities
- Rod Aspinwall—Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment
- Peter Bright—International Chamber of Commerce UK
- David Lea—Trade Union Congress
- Clare Ramsaran—United Nations Conference on Environment and Development for Youth
- Professor Iain Thornton—Imperial college
- Julie Hill—Green Alliance
- Graham Wynne—Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds / Shared one place.The estimated cost of the delgation's travel and subsistence, including hotel costs will be about £190,000. Non-governmental organisations were responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses.
The estimated total administrative cost of the conference, including office facilities, transport and communications will be about £500,000.