§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the ways in which his Department has demonstrated the ability to improve efficiency and competitiveness through an environmental audit of(a) energy use and (b) waste management within those buildings his Department occupies; and if he will make a statement. [16421]
§ Mr. BoswellEnvironmental assessments are carried out for all new buildings and major refurbishment of existing buildings under the Building Research Establishment's environmental assessment method—BREEAM. These include energy use and waste management.
As a result of energy surveys and auditing through a computerised database, a programme of energy efficient schemes has been initiated.
Under our action plan for green housekeeping, there is a requirement on all our sites to minimise the generation of waste and implement recycling schemes. A series of formal audits of laboratories is planned for 1997–98.