Environmental Statistics (Hansard, 20 February 1996)

§ Mr. Gummer

My Department publishes a wide range of environmental statistics every year, primarily in the annual "Digest of Environmental Statistics", the next edition of which is to be published in May. This is to be supplemented in 1996 by a new booklet giving key facts in graphical and tabular form, which we hope will be particularly useful for those wanting a pocket-sized summary and for schools. Key information from the digest is also to be made available through the Internet for the first time later this year.

A more limited set of statistical information was given in the "Sustainable Development Strategy", published in 1994. It is planned that this will be updated in 1997, five years on from the earth summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. In the meantime, the Government continue to publish annual White Papers reporting progress with the strategy. The next is due in March this year.

A new report, presenting a preliminary set of "Indicators of Sustainable Development for the United Kingdom" will also be published in March. This follows a commitment given in the "Sustainable Development Strategy" to publish a set of indicators within two years. The United Kingdom will, we believe, be one of the first countries in the world to publish such indicators. The 68W indicators will be the subject of consultation and development, and will be updated on a regular basis, probably every two years.

The new Environment Agency is to publish early in April 1996 a summary of the state of the environment in England and Wales. This will be made available through the Internet.

In addition to the more technical "Digest of Environmental Statistics", my Department also published, in 1992, the first edition of a compendium statistical report "The UK Environment", aimed at schools and colleges. This was successful and we had planned to update it in 1997. However, in view of the wide range of statistical publications planned in the next few years which I have described, I have decided that it would be better to devote our resources to producing a special edition of "UK Environment" in 1999 to mark the beginning of the new millennium. My Department will discuss with the environment agencies what contribution they might make to the preparation of this report.