Green Minister (Hansard, 26 January 2004)

§ John Healey

As the Treasury's Green Minister, I am committed to 'greening' the Department's operations, to integrating environmental considerations across policy areas, and to improving the economic analysis underpinning the Government's environmental initiatives.

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In the last three months, as the Treasury's Green Minister my work has included membership of the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Green Ministers and the Sustainable Development Taskforce, and meetings with representatives of non-governmental organisations and other key stakeholders on topics ranging from climate change to waste to aviation.

I have written to senior officials responsible for sustainable development in each of the Chancellor's Departments and agencies to stress the importance attached to ensuring that appropriate priority and commitment are given to meeting the Government's sustainable development objectives and targets, and I led a meeting of the Working Group of responsible officials from across each of these Departments and agencies in October.

In addition, the development of a range of environmental policy measures, including those announced in the pre-Budget report (PBR) on 10 December 2003 (Cm 6042), is my responsibility. The measures contributing to the Government's sustainable development strategy set out in PBR 2003 include: announcing plans for changes to the eligibility criteria for climate change agreements that will provide better incentives for businesses to encourage energy efficiency and scope to extend the sectors eligible; the extension, subject to state aid approval, of relief from levy for aggregates used in processed products and virgin aggregate in Northern Ireland; a proposed framework for alternative fuels including a commitment to providing three year certainty on duty differentials for all alternative fuels; a gradual increase in the duty rate for LPG to a level which better reflects its relative environmental benefits; recycling landfill tax revenues to businesses; and a consultation in early 2004 on tackling diffuse water pollution, including a consideration of the pros and cons of economic instruments.

As I confirmed in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Morley and Rothwell (Mr. Challen) on 13 November 2003, Official Report, column 408, all Government Departments will be required to consider sustainable development as part of the 2004 spending review process, as they were in 2002.