§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to act on the analysis in the Sustainable Development Commission Review of last summer's racial unrest in respect of the importance of environmental justice. [29409]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 22 January 2002]: The Sustainable Development Commission Review helpfully draws attention to the links between social deprivation and environmental inequality, and it highlights the significant impact this has on ethic minority communities.
My speech on Environmental Equity given to the Environmental Law Foundation on 21 November 2001 demonstrates how seriously I view these issues, and the work I am doing to generate debate and find answers.
The issues raised are cross-cutting, from regeneration to justice. They involve many Government Departments and agencies. Examples of our work so far include the Action Plan published last November for addressing the housing needs of black and ethnic minority people. This has 70 specific commitments about such things as, for example, allocations policy. The Neighbourhood Renewal Unit has developed Community Support Teams. Each has a pool of people with special skills who can he deployed flexibly and directly. They will be able to support and develop local political leadership to supplement the local authorities and Local Strategic Partnerships. The reports published in December 2001 about last summer's disturbances in Bradford, Oldham and Burnley stressed the need to make community cohesion a central policy objective of all that we do. This must include environmental policy.