§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department undertook on the environmental reporting of FTSE 350 companies prior to the Prime Minister's challenge in October 2000 to produce more corporate environmental reports; when her Department will next report progress made by UK companies in voluntary reporting of environmental performance; and what information her Department collates on the response of UK companies to the Prime Minister's challenge. [139673]
§ Mr. MorleyPrior to the challenge in 2000, the Department drew on published sources to establish trends in environmental reporting by business. Last year the Department conducted its own survey of reporting by FTSE 350 companies and an account of this was placed in the Library of the House in July 2002. That exercise has not been repeated, but several surveys by other organisations are now publicly available. One recent survey indicates that over half of FTSE 250 companies now report publicly on their environmental performance.