§ Mr. HoramTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the activities of the Green Minister in the Department in financial year 2003–04. [185128]
§ Jane KennedyThe Department's Green Minister is Baroness Hollis of Heigham. Baroness Hollis is a member of ENV(G), the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. However, it has been established practice under successive Governments not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees.
The Department actively contributes to the UK Strategy for Sustainable Development through its core objectives to combat poverty and social exclusion and to eliminate child poverty. Baroness Hollis' ministerial role on these issues is interwoven with her Green Minister role.
During the past year, Baroness Hollis has also been involved in communications with the Treasury to further develop the integration of qualitative assessment into cost benefit analysis. This will allow analyses to better demonstrate social, economic and environmental balance.
The Department issued its third Sustainable Development Annual Report in the autumn of 2003.