§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many published environmental appraisals have been notified to the Sustainable Development Unit since February 2001; and by which Departments. [27536]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 16 January 2002]The Third Annual Report on Greening Government, published in November 2001, included a list of published environmental appraisals up to 31 March 2001. This can be found in Part 1 of the report at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk. We have been notified of the following published environmental appraisals in the period since:
Number Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2 Export Credit Guarantee Department 1 Inland Revenue 1 The table may not, however, give the complete picture of the extent of environmental appraisal undertaken by Departments as it only covers published free-standing environmental appraisals.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she has taken, pursuant to the recommendation of the Environmental Audit Committee to ensure that departmental environmental appraisals assess the impact of competing options. [27543]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 16 January 2002]This recommendation was included in the EAC's assessment of the First Annual Report of the Green Ministers Committee. In our Second Annual Report, all Departments made commitments to: maintain a record of the outcome of each screening they undertake; publish all free-standing environmental appraisals of policies unless there are overriding reasons for not doing so; and to produce their own guidance or training on screening of options by March 2001. The onus is on individual Departments to ensure they are operating these procedures properly, in particular getting their approach to the initial screening of policies for environmental impacts right.
The Third Annual Report on Greening Government, published in November 2001, reported that Departments, where applicable, had systems in place to maintain a 607W record of environmental screenings and had produced guidance or training on the screening of options. Detailed information on the systems in place in each Department can be found in Part 2 of the report at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk.