§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Elmet (Mr. Burgon), 16 July 1999,Official Report, column 341, if he will list the Departments which did not send a Minister to the Green Ministers' meeting of 6 July, indicating the reasons given for non-attendance; and if he will make a statement. [94294]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Departments represented by Ministers were: Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions; Law Officers Departments; Department of Trade and Industry; Home Office; Ministry of Defence; Department of Culture, Media and Sport; the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; and the Northern Ireland Office. Those represented by officials 523W were: the Chancellor's Departments; Cabinet Office; Department for Education and Employment; Department for Health; and Department of Social Security. The Departments not represented were: Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Lord Chancellor's Department; and the Department for International Development.
Several Ministers were absent from the meeting because they were attending a ministerial awayday organised by the Cabinet Office on behalf of the Prime Minister.
The first annual report of the Green Ministers Committee has been published since the meeting. This sets out in some detail the achievements and future plans of the Committee.