§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the last occasion was on which she requested an environmental appraisal before making a policy decision. [29014]
§ Clare ShortAs answers to parliamentary questions 29013 and 29015 make clear, environmental appraisal is built in as part of the normal project or programme management cycle. Therefore environmental issues would routinely have been fully discussed before policy decisions are made.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to appraise the environmental implications of its Spending Review submission to the Treasury. [29016]
§ Clare ShortOur approach to the Spending Review and our Public Service Agreement is driven by our commitment to the millennium development goals. One of these goals is to ensure environmental sustainability. We therefore seek to integrate environmental considerations into all aspects of our policy and expenditure.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials from her Department have attended the environmental appraisal and integration into policy training course run by the Civil Service College. [29017]
§ Clare ShortNo one from the Department for International Development has attended the environmental appraisal and integration into policy training course run by the Civil Service College.
Over the past three years DFID has delivered its own environmental awareness training which has been delivered in both the UK and overseas offices to over 250 staff.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what procedures her Department has to ensure environmental appraisals are undertaken prior to(a) administrative and (b) policy decisions being made. [29015]
§ Clare ShortIt is a mandatory requirement that all policies, programmes and projects are subject to environmental screening at the concept note stage. Screening aims to ensure that environmental issues are taken into consideration at the earliest opportunity and to initiate, where appropriate, more comprehensive environmental appraisal and, if necessary, a full environmental impact assessment.
In 1999, DFID produced an environmental guide. It emphasises that environmental appraisal is concerned just as much with identifying environmental opportunities for improving development outcomes as it is with identifying environmental risks. It also stresses that environmental appraisal is applicable at policy and programme levels as well as at the project level. The guide complements the more detailed 1996 Manual of Environmental Appraisal.
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§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many environmental appraisals have been published by her Department since 1 January 2001; and if she will list the last four. [29013]
§ Clare ShortDFID's regular environmental appraisal procedures are described in response to PQ 2127. It is mandatory within DFID that policies, programmes and projects are subject to environmental screening at the concept stage, with further environmental appraisal to identify risks and opportunities being conducted as required. This work then becomes an integral part of the project documentation, which although not formally published, can be made available to the public on a case by case basis.
In situations where the environmental screening reveals the need for a formal environmental impact assessment (EIA), the assessment will be undertaken by consultants for the national government of the partner country, with funding and, if necessary, additional international technical assistance from DFID. Publication of the EIA is the responsibility of the partner Government, in accordance with their legislation.
Examples of formal EIAs since January 2001 include:
Ngamiland veterinary fences, Government of Botswana, March 2001.Impacts of Tsetse Fly Control in Okavango, May 2001.Strategic Environmental Assessment for the "Rehabilitation of Feeder Roads in 9 Districts", Ghana Department of Feeder Roads, July 2001.Terms of Reference for full EIA of Gerald's Park Airstrip, Government of Montserrat, January 2002.DFID development spending has increasingly focused upon resource transfers to sectoral and general budgets. There has therefore been a corresponding decrease in infrastructure work requiring a formal EIA.
In addition, as part of DFID's commitment to green housekeeping, environmental appraisals were undertaken for the relocation of the DFID London HQ; the consolidation of four DFID offices into one in Delhi, India; and environmental audit was voluntarily undertaken of the DFID Caribbean office; and the DFID Uganda office is to commence an audit in February 2002.