§ Judy MallaberTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what issues will be on the agenda of the next meeting of the Green Ministers Committee. [103069]
§ Mr. MeacherThree meetings of the Committee have been arranged for 2000, but the first is not until 16 March. The agenda has therefore not yet been agreed, but I am sure that, among other things, we will want to consider progress against the work programme set out in our530W annual report "Greening Government—First Annual Report of the Green Ministers Committee 1998–99", published in July 1999.
§ Judy MallaberTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Green Ministers Committee will discuss the progress of the New Deal Environment Task Force. [103068]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Committee has a programme of three meetings in 2000, but the first of these is not until 16 March. We do not therefore yet have agendas set for the meetings, although there are some issues, such as progress against our work programme, that I am sure we will want to discuss. The Committee takes one general cross-cutting theme at each of its meetings and has in the past considered issues such as biodiversity and green taxes. It is possible that the New Deal Environment Task Force might feature on a future agenda. The Government have taken steps to evaluate the impact of the Task Force, but the analysis is not yet available.