To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what submissions his Department has made to the intergovernmental conference on transparency in regard to environmental policy and information disclosure; and what plans he has for future submissions. [40589]

The United Kingdom has made no submissions on transparency to the intergovernmental conference.The IGC discussions have not altered the Department's policy of openness which accords with the Government's code of practice on access to Government information, published in 1994.