THE crisis in Kosovo is having a knock-on effect in delaying fleet 'greening' initiatives at the Ministry of Defence. A project to roll out ultra-low sulphur diesel to the military fleet has been hindered while the bombing raids are under way. The MoD is responding to a deadline set by John Prescott in his integrated transport White Paper which said all Government departments must implement green transport plans for main buildings by March 31 and for other buildings by March 2000.

MoD minister John Spellar told the Commons: 'The MoD is not only a department of state but also an operational headquarters which must be able to function around the clock, at times when public transport is not an option. This adds a further layer of difficulty to the production of green transport plans.'