Question: This week the Prime Minister makes a major speech on the environment to conservation groups. Looking at the Government's green credentials. It said it'll cut greenhouse emissions by twice as much as it was committed to under the Kyoto Agreement. John Prescott took centre stage over the summer, warning developed countries to stop dragging their feet over Kyoto commitments - Michael Meacher has delivered the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill and Gordon Brown has been described by a Conservative MP as having delivered the "greenest ever" Budget in 1999 - Labour have simply out-greened you haven't they?

Damian Green: "Not at all, they've been hugely disappointing. They said they were going to be the greenest government ever, that was their pitch before, and the fact that in the last months of this Parliament, Blair is having to finally be dragged to make an environment speech shows that its not remotely central to his agenda and what we need is a reality check between the warm words that Blair will no doubt utter and the actual performance of the Government on a range of issues, both global issues, like climate change and domestic issues, such as what they're doing to the British countryside. I have five tests that I think should be applied to Blair's speech on a range of policy areas, on each of which the Government has failed and if he doesn't say enough on each of these areas then he'll show that it's not really a green government."

Question: So what are these tests?

Damian Green: "First of all, on house building, Prescott is committing himself to much larger house building numbers over the green fields of southern England than the local people there want and the regional planning guidance suggests. If Blair doesn't overrule Prescott on that then thousands of acres of countryside will be gobbled up. Second test is in the Government's enthusiasm for coal-fired power stations. They had a two-year moratorium on gas-fired power stations which are cleaner, now that's a straightforward anti-green measure. The third one is Government's, indeed Blair's personal, enthusiasm for GM foods. They've had to be dragged reluctantly behind those who say there are dangers here, we should have proper scientific tests and not actually have commercial planting until we know the results of those tests. The fourth one is on promoting a whole range of renewable energy. I proposed it in my party conference speech. A range of measures that would help all kinds of renewable energy sources. I understand from leaks that Blair's going to talk about solar power, but not as far as we know about anything else. And the fifth one is recycling. There was a report last week that said we are at the bottom of the European league on recycling. We've proposed that every household in Britain should have the opportunity to doorstep recycling - why can't the Government match that commitment ?"

Question: Tony Blair is addressing conservation groups on Tuesday. He could say - 'I've introduced a Countryside and Rights of Way Bill' - he's delivered there hasn't he?

Damian Green: "Well no, because the problem with the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill is that there are parts of it that we have supported and tried to strengthen - the protection of SSSIs we are very much in favour of, but what we're not in favour of is the half-cocked way they've introduced access in ways that actually endanger wildlife. They are allowing people nighttime access which obviously poses a potential threat to livestock and indeed to people's property. We've been pushing them throughout the process to increase the restrictions on where dogs are allowed to protect ground-nesting birds, lambs and still the Government has made no significant concessions on that, so even within the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill there are measures that actually threaten wildlife rather than protect it."

Question: So you're saying the Government is being insensitive to wildlife?

Damian Green: "We all know they have problems with the legislative programme. We offered them a deal whereby if they just stuck to the wildlife protection parts of the Bill we would give it a fair wind, but they've insisted on putting it together with the access part which is a different argument in many ways and it shouldn't be together in the same Bill. It shows that their commitment to wildlife is skin-deep. They've tried to use this Bill as a vehicle to do something else they want to do."

Question: Why do you oppose access?

Damian Green: "We don't oppose access, what we oppose is the unrestricted and impractical access the Government's proposing. We're very happy for everybody to enjoy the countryside, we think that there are sensible ways to achieve that and we just don't think the way this Bill is constructed is a sensible way of achieving it and it endangers the wildlife provisions of the Bill."

Question: The Conservatives are criticised for being populist. For instance - you've called for a cut in fuel tax of 3p - that's just populist isn't it - what about the environment?

Damian Green: "Well we introduced the fuel escalator when out petrol prices were the lowest in Europe and they are now among the highest in Europe. The fuel escalator has done its duty but the Government is carrying on, not for any green purpose, as they now admit, Blair now says it's to fund the Health Service and Education. Now that's bogus as well because the Government has got all this extra revenue from higher oil prices, but its significant that even the Government doesn't try and put a green fig leaf over this particular stealth tax anymore, and what we've said is that we want to encourage greener motoring. We believe that people should be encouraged to switch their cars to greener fuel, switch to running cars that are themselves less polluting and we think that in the long run it will be technology that solves the problem of pollution from cars, not taxation."

Question: Say the price of fuel comes down - would you rule out the possibility of re-introducing the fuel escalator?

Damian Green: "It's not for me to set taxation policy. What we want is a fair and balanced tax system which takes into account the competitiveness of British industry, the ability of people to pay and also the environment. We have got a range of measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and its important that we encourage greener motoring, as we have done, but that we take steps in other areas. Cars and vehicles generally only provide 23 per cent of the emissions, much more important are the emissions which come from power stations and electricity generators, which is why we are in favour of moving our electricity generation away from the traditional coal fired measures, which do pump large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, to either gas fired or renewable ways. One of our major charges against the Government is first of all they actually imposed the moratorium on gas fired power stations and also that they have done absolutely nothing to support renewable energy for the three and a half years they have been in power."

Question: Do you agree that if you fight for environmental and conservation causes you must accept that sometimes you have to be unpopular with other groups, like businesses and motorists - where are you prepared to be unpopular with these groups?

Damian Green: "Let's look at the policies we've proposed. We've proposed much greater support for renewable energy, now that will involve using fewer fossil fuels in energy generation. That's a stance we take on principal."

Question: So what about job losses in that area?

Damian Green: "It's important to have a balance. We suggest a much greater reliance on recycling, in waste collection, we want there to be fewer incinerators built than the Government suggests, so that again is an issue of principal because we believe that recycling is better than building incinerators around the country. So yes we are prepared to take stands on principal that will promote green policies."

Question: We've recently seen floods in the south causing havoc - just one of many floods around the country - is it simply an issue of river management or does global warming have a part to play here?

Damian Green: "It's controversial, frankly, whether global warming had a part to play in the recent floods. What I think is undeniable is that building houses on flood plains contributes to human misery when floods happen and one of the things we say about John Prescott's plans to build anything approaching a million houses in the south east of England is that inevitably the more houses you build the more houses you have to build in dangerous areas. John Prescott is planning to build houses on flood plains which at some stage in the future may well be flooded. This is just madness and the floods should have served as a warning to Prescott to reverse his plans to increase the amount of house-building he wants across southern England, not just in the south east but in the south west as well. One of the things Blair must do if he is establish green credentials in this speech is to say that he is reducing the plans for house-building numbers."

Question: Do you think Michael Meacher has credible green credentials as Environment Minister?

Damian Green: "I think Michael's problem is that whatever he wants to do personally, and he is an honourable, straight-forward, honest and decent man, is that the green case doesn't have any clout inside this Government and that's what the green groups themselves tell me, that they have perfectly good relations with Michael Meacher and respect for him but they know that when he goes up to Blair there's just nothing there. Blair doesn't think this is an important issue and indeed the Government is making a great fuss about Blair making this speech, and I should point out that William Hague made a speech to the green alliance months ago and indeed one of his earliest speeches as party leader was to a conference in Oxford, specifically on the environment. Already in the time he has been leader, William has made two major speeches on the environment, finally after three and a half years as Prime Minister we get one from Blair. That shows the relative importance the parties attach to the environment."