Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer given by Baroness Kramer on 18 June 2014, Lords Hansard, column 899, what her policy is on transferring the Public Estate Forest Land at Cinderford North Quarter site in the National Heritage Forest of Dean for development.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to his previous question on 10 March 2015, PQ UIN 226483.
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will invite the Pensions Regulator to submit a Climate Change Adaptation Report looking at the effect of climate change on the UK pensions sector.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The current round of reporting under the Adaptation Reporting Power is already underway and its scope was subject to a full public consultation. The Pensions Regulator was not invited to report.
We will review and consult on the third round of reporting, taking account of our latest assessment of climate risk, during which the involvement of a range of new reporters will be considered.
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Greening Government Commitments Annual Report 2013 to 2014, published in February 2015, what steps she plans to take to improve implementation of policy on procurement of construction timber and office furniture by government departments.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Government continues to promote and support the Timber Procurement Policy (TPP). This includes the provision of practical advice to public sector procurers and suppliers through the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET), which provides guidance and information through a helpdesk and regular, targeted workshops. Central Government Departments report annually on the application of the policy in construction contracts for the purposes of the Greening Government Commitments. CPET is reviewing the certification schemes that support the TPP to ensure they are sufficiently robust, and will report in the summer.
I am writing to Departments reminding them of the importance of the TPP, pointing them to the example of best practice of the Environment Agency as summarised in WWF’s recent report on Government implementation of the TPP, and asking for details of how they are ensuring implementation, for example by including the TPP in contracts and in key performance indicators. The Government Buying Standards (GBS) for Construction and for Timber Products require the TPP to be met. These GBS are now included in the CCS Facilities Management Framework contract, with work ongoing to ensure all future Government contracts include these criteria.
Asked by: Martin Horwood (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether there are any plans in place for the Public Forest Estate land at the Cinderford Northern Quarter site in the National Heritage Forest of Dean will to be transferred to any other party for development.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Government stands by its commitment, set out in the 2013 Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement and on subsequent occasions, that the public forest estate will remain in public hands. However, while this commitment is intended to secure the future of the public forest estate as a whole, in line with the recommendations of the Independent Panel on Forestry, it was never intended to preclude all land transactions on the estate.
The Government is aware of the decision of the Forest of Dean District Council planning committee on the matter and the continuing work in hand. A final decision on the proposed land exchange involving land on the public forest estate and land owned by the Council will be taken later in the year in the light of all the information then available.