§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost to public funds was of the Joint Environmental Markets Unit in each of the past 10 years; and what the total value is of waste management contract which British companies have secured overseas as a direct result of the activity of the Joint Environmental Markets Unit in each of these years. [144575]
1370W
§ Mr. MorleyJEMU is a joint unit between DEFRA and DTI. JEMU provide support for the environmental goods and services industry, of which waste management is a sub sector. The total public funds (from both departments) spent on the Joint Environmental Markets Unit over the past 10 years are as follows:
Year Total budgets (£000) 1993–94 1488 1994–95 1819 1995–96 11,032 1996–97 1990 1997–98 11,133 1998–99 11,046 1999–2000 11,026 2000–01 11,305 2001–02 11,254 2002–03 1,333 2003–04 (Year's allocation) 1,404 1These figures are an estimate based on available records. JEMU targets its international trade work at developing markets, where it can add most value. JEMU has worked with other parts of Defra and the Environment Agency to promote UK Environmental Policy as a means of marketing UK expertise. Relationships in these countries take time and persistence to develop and contracts can take several years to be finalised. JEMU is aware of at least two waste management companies who, in recent years, have won contracts totalling in excess of £5 million as a direct result of JEMU work. Feedback from waste companies, who participated in a JEMU trade mission to SE Asia last March, has also forecasted total potential business of £63 million over the next three years. JEMU introduced a systematic method of monitoring performance recently, and will be evaluating the results of this carefully.