HC Deb 18 November 1992 vol 214 cc212-3W
Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who in his Department 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 his Department.

Mr. Goodlad

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State oversees FCO involvement in developing international environmental policies and instigating policies for energy saving on the FCO estates. The FCO does not have major spending programmes, but some £160,000 has been allocated to 26 environmental projects throughout the world in financial year 1992–93. Within the FCO, green issues are primarily the responsibility of the Environment, science and energy department, where 10 officials work on these issues—one DS Grade 4, one DS5s, one DS5, one DS6, two DS7s, two DS9s, and two DS 10s.

During the run up to the Earth summit in Rio in June, 5 additional staff were attached to the Department. At overseas posts, staff resources from economic and science sections are deployed on green issues, responding flexibly to changing needs, so it is not possible to identify the precise resource cost.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State gave him on 11 November, at column 213, relating to the similar question he asked about the Overseas Development Administration.

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