§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what deadlines he has set for completion of the national review of capacity and capacity-building requirements, needed for the United Kingdom national sustainable development strategy;
(2) what discussions he has had with relevant interest groups to establish national capacity and capacity-building requirements for national sustainable development strategies in accordance with the Government's commitments under chapter 37 of Agenda 21.
§ Mr. AtkinsChapter 37 of Agenda 21 is about capacity building in developing countries. Its recommendations are therefore not directly relevant in the domestic policies of a developed country like the United Kingdom. Pages 34 to 36 of our 1994 "Report to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development" give a summary account of the work we are doing to support capacity building in developing countries.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the consideration of ecological sustainability of economic activity at the meeting of the Group of Seven Finance Ministers in Washington on 24 April.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe Government have made it clear in "Sustainable Development, the UK Strategy," published in January, that they intend to take account of sustainable development in the formulation of their policies.