§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress was made during the United Kingdom's presidency of the European Community in implementing the fourth European Community action plan for the Environment as it relates to the conservation of tropical rain forests.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydUnder our presidency we achieved, with EC backing, the inclusion of follow-up to the UNCED forest principles in the remit of the UN Sustainable Development Commission, and the development of a consensus amongst tropical timber consuming countries that the sustainable production of timber should be the central objective of a renegotiated international tropical timber agreement. The Community and individual member states, including the United Kingdom, made progress towards the identification of incentives for the sustainable management of forests. The Community and many member states continued to undertake substantial programmes of development assistance in tropical forestry.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to support the development of a code of conduct to regulate the activities of European national companies operating in tropical rain forest regions.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI have no such plans. Regulation of the activities of companies operating in the rain forests is the responsibility of the rainforest countries themselves. We are ready to consider requests from developing countries for help in the management of their forests including the development and strengthening of effective regulatory arrangements and institutions.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will publish the 587W results of monitoring carried out in relation to the joint Commonwealth Development Corporation and Kolombangara Forest Products Ltd. project, pursuant to plans elaborated in the 1989–1993 environmental working plan;
(2) pursuant to his answer of 3 December 1992, Official Report, column 310, if the Commonwealth Development Corporation has carried out an environmental impact assessment in relation to its involvement with the Liberty Club Ltd. tourist hotel development in Grenada.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydAs indicated in my earlier answer, decisions on individual investments are the responsibility of the Commonwealth Development Corporation Board. Consideration of the environmental aspects of proposed investments is an integral part of the corporation's project appraisal and approval procedures. The assessment and monitoring procedures for specific projects and the results of these are a matter for the corporation. I have asked the chairman to write the hon. Member and will arrange for copies of his letter to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to review the current level of tariffs on imports of tropical timber goods into the European Community in order to encourage trade in sustainably produced and value-added products.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe have no plans to review these tariffs. Negotiation of such tariffs is the responsibility of the European Commission which is currently engaged in tariff negotiations as part of the Uruguay round on GATT.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 4 December 1992,Official Report, column 428, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the ODA-supported assessment of the implementation to date of the international tropical timber agreement.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe continuously review and assess the ITTO's performance. No report has been produced.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the Government's total contribution to the special account of the International Tropical Timber Organisation since 1987.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydSince 1987 we have committed US dollars 1,961,986 to projects financed through the International Tropical Timber Organisation's special account.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response ODA officials have made to a letter from Friends of the Earth, dated 20 November 1992, requesting detailed information on British support for the tropical forestry action plan.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydODA officials will reply to Friends of the Earth as soon as they have compiled the details requested. I will send the hon. Member a copy of their letter. A summary is contained in my reply to the hon. Member of 7 December 1992 at column494.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what plans he has to588W discuss the conservation of tropical rain forests with Ministers from other European Community member states;
(2) what plans he has to discuss the conservation of tropical rain forests with ministers from other European Community member states.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI have no immediate plans to do so. Tropical forestry issues are discussed regularly within the European Community at official level.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 3 December, to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith),Official Report, column 310, what was the most recent FAO assessment of the rate of tropical forest loss before the one made in 1990.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe previous assessment in 1980 estimated the rate of tropical forest loss to be 12 million hectares annually.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to discuss with his European Community counterparts the renegotiation of the international tropical timber agreement.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydNo Ministerial meetings are planned. Overseas Development Administration officials have frequent discussions with their European Community colleagues on the renegotiation of the international tropical timber agreement.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to establish a programme for the planting of trees in tropical countries to offset emissions of carbon dioxide.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydOur support to forestry programmes in developing countries through the aid programme is designed to encourage sustainable forestry and forest conservation and includes reafforestation activities. One of the advantages of successful implementation of these policies is to the global climate through carbon sequestration.