asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the work done by the secretariats of the European Parliament and the UN Conference on the Human Environment in compiling multilingual glossaries of environmental terms, the Government will initiate steps to reach international agreement on definitions in this field.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Multilingual Glossaries.
35.
The secretariat of the European Parliament has been at work for some time past on compiling a multilingual glossary of terms on environmental matters. The glossary, which is to be published in the very near future, is in five languages i.e. Dutch, English, French, German and Italian. Work has also begun on a Danish equivalent but is not very far advanced.
A glossary of environmental terms is also planned by the secretariat for the United Nations Environmental Programme. However, for the present the secretariat is concentrating its attention on the establishment of the international referral system for sources of environmental information, with which any glossary would be closely linked.
The Government will co-operate fully in any international efforts to reach agreement on definitions in this field.