Number 10 has issued a strong rebuttal of an interview given by the environment minister in which he complained about the low priority given to green issues by the government.

According to press reports, the environment minister had also fought to get on the ministerial delegation that will be going to the sustainable development summit in Johannesburg.

Forum Response: Woodland Trust

A spokesman for the Woodland Trust told ePolitix.com: "We welcome Michael Meacher's frankness. The magnitude of the environmental challenges which we face this century require wholehearted engagement by government at the highest level and it is vital that he does not continue to represent a lone green voice in government.

"There have been some positive green aspects to the government's record but it is a long way from delivering on its proclaimed aim in 1997 to 'put the environment at the heart of government', as current airport expansion, road and house building proposals demonstrate all too clearly."

Forum Response: Environmental Services Association

Andrew Ainsworth, senior policy executive at the ESA, told ePolitix.com: "Protection and enhancement of the environment must be at the heart of the government's decision making as part of its overall commitment to Sustainable Development. This comes in part from the implementation of European waste management legislation which is the primary driver for the waste and secondary resources management industry represented by ESA.

"The government must be prepared to make some bold decisions with respect to the management of waste in the UK in order to provide the necessary certainty to our industry to underpin the investment that will deliver the UK's recycling and recovery obligations. The government's previous record has been one of inconsistent implementation of European legislation which has resulted in the stockpiling of fridges among other things.

"If the government wants the UK to reach even average levels of recycling performance achieved in the rest of the European Union it must be prepared to fund in full the national waste strategies, or be prepared to charge householders for the waste management services they receive. This government must provide the leadership to give our industry the confidence and certainty to make the investment in new waste management infrastructure.

"On the management of hazardous waste, ESA has for some time been outgreening government, calling for all hazardous wastes to be treated to an environmentally benign state prior to final management in landfill sites to ensure that these wastes are not bequeathed as an unsustainable legacy for future generations."