§ Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in the implementation of "Agenda 21" and the biodiversity and climate changes conventions at local and national levels.
§ Mr. MacleanWe are committed to ratifying the climate change convention by the end of this year and to establishing the basis for ratification of the convention on biological diversity in the same timescale.
An extensive consultation exercise is currently taking place on the United Kingdom's national programme for limiting emissions of carbon dioxide. Two thirds of the 464W programme is already in place. The complete programme will be incorporated in the national plan under the climate change convention to be published by the end of the year. Wide consultation across all sectors is also under way on our national action plan on biodiversity which will be published later this year. This will bring together the Government's policies and programmes for wildlife and will cover the conservation and sustainable use of our natural heritage.
We intend to present a report on the United Kingdom's national sustainability strategy to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, the main institutional mechanism for following up Agenda 21, before the end of 1993. We are conducting a national debate so that everyone with a concern for the environment has the opportunity to express views on how we can balance the need for economic development with protection of the environment. The local authority associations with our support are developing a "Local Agenda 21" initiative for local government. We are also hosting "Partnerships for Change '93", an international NGO conference to be held in Manchester in September. This will enable all parts of the international NGO community to exchange experience on the implementation of Agenda 21.