In 2003, BT was listed as the top telecommunications company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index - which ranks companies according to their ability to manage these factors to their competitive advantage - for the second year running. And we won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of our contribution to sustainable development.

We are committed to achieving best practice in our standards of business integrity, and every employee has a copy of our Statement of Business Practice, which defines the way we do business. We also require our agents and contractors to apply these principles when representing BT.

We believe that communications technology can help to tackle social exclusion, and our digital inclusion campaign - Everybodyonline - supports the Government’s aim of getting everyone in the UK online within the next few years. The campaign aims to increase access to communications technology in underprivileged areas and deepen understanding of the causes and effects of the digital divide.

Although telecommunications is generally seen as an environmentally friendly technology, any company the size of BT is bound to have an impact on the environment. Indeed, we are one of the largest single consumers of energy in the UK.

We normally commit a minimum of 0.5% of our UK pre-tax profits to direct activities in support of society and, in the 2003 financial year, contributions totalled £8.2 million (including £1.2 million to charities).

We focus on the big issues, where better communication can really make a difference. For example, more than 8,300 schools and around two million young people have had direct experience of the BT Education Programme, a drama-based campaign helping children to improve their communication skills.

And we are working with ChildLine on a major new campaign to help ensure that all young people can be heard. At the heart of this campaign is our commitment to help ChildLine answer every one of the 4,000 children who call them every day.