§ Andy KingTo ask the Prime Minister if he will restate his challenge of October 2000 that all the FTSE 350 companies should publish annual environmental reports by the end of 2005. [154275]
§ The Prime MinisterI still believe that our largest companies should take up the challenge of publishing annual environmental reports. The White Paper on Modernising Company Law (CM5553) published in July 2002 included a proposal to require economically significant companies to include information on environmental, social and community issues amongst others in a new Operating and Financial Review, where these issues are judged by directors to be essential to an understanding of the company's business. This should provide further encouragement for directors to consider seriously their company's impact on the environment.