HC Deb 28 January 1997 vol 289 cc134-5W
Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how his Department has used the UK indicators for sustainable development in(a) the production of the Department's annual report, (b) monitoring progress towards meeting the objectives set out in the UK sustainable development strategy and (c) assessing the environmental implications of policy options; and what plans he has to extend their use in future within the Department. [12268]

Mr. Clappison

The UK indicators of sustainable development published last March are primarily intended to stimulate discussion about how we measure whether our development is sustainable. The indicators were developed to address and monitor the key sustainable development issues highlighted in the UK sustainable development strategy published in 1994. As such, they have been used to inform decisions about the priorities for action and work programmes in the year ahead, which will be reported in the annual White Paper on sustainable development and the Department's annual report, both of which are to be published shortly. The indicators are also used as appropriate to inform consideration of the environmental implications of policy options.

We have been consulting widely on the preliminary indicator package and we hosted a one-day seminar in November last year, inviting views from a wide range of interested parties—local authorities, the business community, non-governmental organisations, research institutes and academics, as well as international indicator experts. A report on the seminar's findings is to be published shortly. A copy will be placed in the House Library.

A programme of work is in hand to review and improve the preliminary indicator set with a view to publishing a revised set in 1998. Expert groups will be set up, comprising people from within and outside Whitehall, to consider priority areas for improving the indicators package.

Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the Commission response of 4 December 1996 to the European Parliament's proposed amendments to the "Commission Proposals to the Council" (COM(95)647 final) on the review of the European Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and development, titled "Towards Sustainability" (COM(96)648 final). [12640]

Mr. Gummer

The Government see no particular difficulty with the proposed amendments. However, these have not been subjected to detailed discussion by the Council.

Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what initiatives his Department has(a) financially sponsored and (b) encouraged local authorities to take in the implementation of Agenda 21; and what resources his Department has committed in each year since 1992 to support Agenda 21. [12371]

Mr. Gummer

The Government are committed to sustainable development, and the principles of Agenda 21 are intrinsic in much of the spending and policies of my Department, most notably in areas of waste management and energy efficiency. Money available through the single regeneration budget and supplementary credit approval has often been used by local authorities to undertake initiatives in line with Agenda 21. The Government have consistently encouraged initiatives taken by local authorities to implement local Agenda 21. My Department's national level commitments to Agenda 21 can be found in the 1996 Environment White Paper, "This Common Inheritance UK Annual Report". Spending in particular areas is listed in my Department's annual report 1996. Copies of both of these are in the House Library.