Written question asked by Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 November 2008.

Waste Management: Reduction Schemes

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:With reference to the sixth report of the Science and Technology Committee on waste reduction, whether the 57.9 per cent cut in the Envirowise budget for 2008-09 reflects an assessment of the work of Envirowise; and, if not, what factors determined the size of the budget reduction.

Answer: The decision to reduce budgets in 2008-09 partly reflected the department's wider budgetary pressures but also the decision to be more selective in the activities that we fund. This is because we believe that the business community now increasingly understands the case for taking action to improve environmental performance. Hence we are now focusing on developing the evidence needed to catalyse change among businesses, rather than supporting profit-making business beyond that point. This is something on which Envirowise has a good track record and continues to be well placed to contribute.

Secondary information