Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 10 July 2007.
John Robertson
PPS (Dr Kim Howells, Minister of State), Foreign & Commonwealth Office
2:30,
10 July 2007
My hon. Friend will be aware that environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have stated that the planning white paper
"opens the door to nuclear power stations and airports which will take the UK's fight against climate change backwards".
Can my hon. Friend allay the fears of the public and confirm that those are unfounded remarks? Can he also confirm that the proposals will make climate change a priority, ensure security of energy supply in the future, and put an end to the delaying tactics that have stopped companies investing billions of pounds in this country?
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
