Government departments 'failing on greener car targets'
Mon 04 December 2006
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At least five departments failed to meet the Government's March 31 deadline to have at least 10 per cent of their car fleets comprising low carbon vehicles, according to the Observer.
Four years ago, the Government announced that, by March 31st 2006, it would reduce its departmental fleets’ carbon emissions by 10%, make sure 10% of the fleets were alternatively fuelled and reduce single occupancy car commuting by 5%.
The Ministry of Defence and the Home Office were reported to have fallen well short of the targets. According to the Observer, Defra officials would not disclose if they had met their target, though figures released four months earlier showed that only around 5 per cent of the department's 621 cars were in the required low emission category.
All the Whitehall departments missing the target contacted by the Observer said that cleaner diesel fuels would be more effective in lowering carbon emissions than the prescribed hybrids or alternative fuel vehicles.
Eight departments reported that they had met the 10 per cent target.
A spokeswoman for the Sustainable Development Commission, said that progress towards the targets was not constantly monitored, but would be reviewed again at the end of the year.
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