§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what work his Department's Green Minister has undertaken in the last376W three months in that capacity; and what meetings his Department's Green Minister has attended in the last 12 months in that capacity; [171806]
(2) if he will list the meetings at which his Department has been present regarding the delivery of sustainable development across Government as co-ordinated by the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers; [171807]
(3) what steps he is taking to promote the delivery of sustainable development within Government; [171808]
(4) what progress has been made with his Department's Sustainable Development Strategy. [171809]
§ Mr. RammellAs the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Green Minister, I participate fully in ENV(G) Committee activity. I took part in the launch of the consultation on the new UK Sustainable Development Strategy on 21 April this year. I will attend a Royal Parks presentation and discussion in St. James's Park in June to explore how sustainable development relates to the strengths of Government departments.
I am a member of the cabinet committee of Green Ministers. FCO officials attend pre-ENV(G) meetings co-ordinated by the Sub-Committee of Green Ministers. However, exemption 2 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information precludes me from divulging the details of cabinet committee business or attendance at meetings. The committee has helped the FCO and other Departments to consider how Government policies can best contribute to sustainable development.
As part of our commitment to Sustainable Development in Government the FCO has implemented an Environmental Management Systems (EMS) across its main London Offices which is certified to environmental standard ISO14001. This covers 78 per cent. of UK based staff and a further 20 per cent. of staff will be covered by an extension to our rural site at Hanslope Park in late 2004. The EMS promotes sustainable development principles in our day-to-day operations. The FCO is working with Defra, DFID and DTI to ensure that international issues are integrated into the new UK Sustainable Development Strategy. The FCO worked with DFID, Defra and DTI to organise a consultation event in New York on the back of the Commission on Sustainable Development 12 on international issues. A further consultation event will be organised in London in July.
The FCO's Strategy (UK International Priorities A Strategy for the FCO, December 2003 Cm 6052) establishes 'sustainable development, underpinned by democracy, good governance and human rights' as one of its eight international priorities.
The Strategy will cover a range of economic, social and environmental issues. It will identify specific actions that the FCO can take through multilateral and bilateral processes and organisations. For example, the strategy will identify how the FCO is working through UN and related international bodies, trade, finance and investment bodies, the EU, G8, the Commonwealth, international partnerships, bilateral action through our posts and programme funds and the UK's Overseas 377W Territories. The Strategy will also set out how the FCO is managing its Estate sustainably. Country action plans will also be developed in conjunction with posts and other stakeholders. We are working closely with other government departments, external stakeholders including the Sustainable Development Commission. We aim to complete the Strategy by autumn 2004.