§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who, in the Overseas Development Administration, has been appointed to oversee and develop green issues; how many civil servants have been allocated new or additional responsibilities to deal with the management and development of green issues; and what additional allocation of resources has been made to support programmes related to green issues in the Overseas Development Administration.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe ODA has a well-established organisational and policy-making structure to ensure environmental and natural resources issues are taken fully into account in its work. General environmental policy and environmental research is co-ordinated by the natural resources and environment department. All ODA staff involved in the examination of project proposals are required to assess them for environmental impact, using the ODA's own "Manual of Environmental Assessment".
The concept of sustainable development, which was promoted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and set out in "Agenda 21", is central to the ODA's policies. Co-ordinating action on "Agenda 21" is the responsibility of the aid policy department.
We are mobilising the aid programme in further support of the goals of "Agenda 21" and we will contribute 795W our share of the 3 million ecu pledged by the European Community at UNCED. We shall also contribute our share to a replenishment of the global environment facility.