To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is on course to meet the commitment in the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate targets to (a) source at least 10 per cent. of its electricity from renewables by 31 March 2008 and (b) increase recycling figures to 40 per cent. of waste by 2010. (181320)

Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate targets apply to the central Government estate in the UK. In financial year 2005-06 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office sourced 39 per cent. of its electricity from renewables and recycled 32.7 per cent. of its waste on its UK estate.

The Sustainable Development Commission is expected to publish in mid-March its assessment of Government Departments’ performance in 2006-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has adopted the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management Programme. (181321)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office started implementing a Carbon Management Programme, developed with the Carbon Trust, in 2007 on its UK estate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department met the target in the sustainable operations on the Government Estate to reverse the then upward trend in carbon emissions by April 2007. (181322)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not meet the target to reverse the upward trend in carbon emissions on its UK estate by April 2007.

Since 2007 we have been implementing a carbon management programme, developed with the Carbon Trust, to achieve the Government's sustainable operations targets on carbon emissions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is working towards an accredited certified environmental management system for (a) its whole estate and (b) some of its buildings. (181323)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's environmental management system is accredited to the International Organisation for Standardisation 14001, and covers 91 per cent. of its staff on our three major sites. We keep under review whether we can effectively and efficiently extend coverage to our other relatively small sites.