§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by the Going for Green initiative. [36079]
§ Mr. GummerThe Going for Green national committee has taken responsibility for managing the eco-schools project and I am pleased to announce that 155 schools have already joined, with 500 more expected to do so by the end of the year. The committee has also recommended the development of a green code for the general public to follow and a number of demonstration projects will be established to test its practicability.
Negotiations on detailed proposals are taking place with Lancashire county council, Sedgefield district council and 1416W the London borough of Merton, while discussions are at an earlier stage with three other communities, including one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. In the light of these developments, the committee has proposed that it should examine the feasibility of establishing a company limited by guarantee to take forward the campaign and to attract private sector sponsorship to supplement and partner the public sector support we are able to give I welcome this proposal by the committee. I hope that it will be in a position to decide in the autumn whether to proceed with this option.