§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Treasury will require Departments to include environmental appraisals in their submissions to the Treasury on the spending review. [125977]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe guidance issued to Departments for the conduct of the Spending Review makes clear that evaluation of policy options should be carried out in accordance with the Treasury document "Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government" (revised 1997) and by DETR's publication "Policy Appraisal and the Environment: Policy Guidance" (1998). Both of these stress the importance of environmental costs and benefits being considered in appraisals, even when these cannot be easily quantified.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training has been undertaken to assist staff of Government Departments to assess the implications of spending reviews for the Government's sustainable development objectives. [125978]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithIt is a matter for individual Departments to ensure the relevant staff are adequately trained in policy appraisal. Within the Treasury, economic appraisal is included in microeconomics training for staff. The Spending Review guidance issued to Departments included references to sources of guidance on policy appraisal. It also reminded Departments that advice on sustainable development, or sources of expertise on environmental considerations can be obtained from DETR's Sustainable Development Unit.
In addition, the First Annual Report of the Green Ministers Committee included a commitment that all Departments would put in place strategies to raise awareness on sustainable development and general environmental issues.