To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce its carbon emissions to meet the target of reducing central Government carbon emissions by 10 per cent. by June 2011.

The Department for International Development (DFID) has identified and is implementing a range of initiatives to achieve a 10% reduction in carbon emissions by June 2011. The biggest reduction in energy consumption will be achieved through reducing the number of IT servers. DFID has also installed a green roof at its East Kilbride headquarters, which has reduced carbon emissions from gas usage. A number of other changes have also been made, such as reconfiguring lighting systems and reducing plant operation times and cooling of IT equipment. In addition, a communications strategy has been developed to encourage staff to save energy by, for example, switching off computers and photocopiers after use.