§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the implications for the United Kingdom environment policy of ISO 14001 published in September; and if he will make a statement. [40653]
§ Mr. ClappisonThe White Paper on sustainable development—Cmnd. 2426—set out the Government's belief that voluntary initiatives by business have a vital role to play. The Government therefore welcome the new international standard for environmental management systems, ISO 14001, as it provides a management tool which will enable businesses voluntarily to improve their environmental performance. I was delighted earlier this week to address the British Standards Institution's conference to launch ISO 14001 in this country, an event which aptly reflected the pioneering work previously done by the institution to establish the world's first specification for environmental management systems, BS 7750. Businesses now have a framework for a voluntary and proactive approach to the management of their environmental impacts which is backed up by a regime of independent certification and is recognised worldwide. Companies making use of the standard will also be well on the way to achieving registration of their sites under the eco-management and audit scheme, which was launched last year across the European Union and is keenly supported by the Government. These initiatives, with their industry-wide recognition, should together form a powerful incentive for progressive business organisations to improve their competitiveness and at the846W same time raise the level of their environmental performance well above the minimum demanded by regulation.