91 Mr. T. Foxe asked the Minister for the Environment if he will request Roscommon County Council to give its position regarding the adoption of the principles of Agenda 21 in view of the fact that he has backed Agenda 21 as a positive way forward. [7065/97]

92 Mr. T. Foxe asked the Minister for the Environment if Roscommon County Council is in agreement with the principles of Agenda 21; and if it will publish a statement to give credence to its interest in this agenda. [7066/97]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 92 together.

Agenda 21 defines a range of policies and programmes to be followed by countries for purposes of achieving sustainable development in the 21st century. In 1995, I issued Local Authority and Sustainable Development — guidelines for local authorities on sustainable development at the local level, having regard to Chapter 28 of Agenda 21. It is a matter for each local authority to decide how best to deal with local Agenda 21 initiatives in the context of their management strategies and general operations.