Recommendations & Conclusions
22 items
2
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has the policy responsibility for the environment, but not the clout to hold other departments to account or manage trade-offs between policy areas. In July 2018, the Environmental Audit Committee recommended that government needed to do more to ensure that all departments, …
Government response. 3. PAC conclusion: HM Revenue & Customs breached its Net Cash Requirement by £726 million.
HM Treasury
3
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
Government still does not have a good grip of the total costs required to deliver its environmental goals and funding so far has been piecemeal. The Department received an additional £1 billion in funding for 2020–21 in the Spending Review 2020, though it is not clear how much of this …
Government response. 4. PAC conclusion: The Home Office breached its Net Cash Requirement by £118 million.
HM Treasury
4
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
Skills gaps in departments and arm’s length bodies jeopardise government’s capacity to deliver on its environmental ambitions. Progress towards environmental goals requires skills across government, and particularly in arm’s length bodies who have key responsibility for delivery of the goals. The Environment Agency has a particular risk of skills loss …
Government response. 5. PAC conclusion: HM Treasury breached its Capital Annually Managed Expenditure total by £32 million. 2 4
HM Treasury
5
Recommendation
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
Environmental impacts are still not being taken into account in spending decisions. For the last Spending Review, the Treasury asked departments to set out how their proposals would contribute towards the UK’s statutory carbon targets, and to explain their impact on, and coherence with, the 25 Year Plan. However, departments …
Government response. 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2022 5.2 HM Treasury recognises its important role in supporting the delivery of the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Both the Stern and the Dasgupta Reviews, on the …
HM Treasury
6
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
We are concerned that the new Office for Environmental Protection will inherit a backlog of cases, and remain to be convinced that it will be sufficiently independent. It will take some months for the Office for Environmental Protection and its responsibilities for enforcing environmental law to be established fully under …
Government response. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: By April 2021 6.2 The Permanent Secretary for the department has written on the 25 March 2021, to the Committee chair explaining that the government is setting up the …
HM Treasury
1
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (the Department), HM Treasury, Natural England and the Environment Agency about achieving government’s long-term environmental goals.1
Government response. 2. PAC conclusion: The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy breached its Resource Annually Managed Expenditure total by £4.9 billion.
HM Treasury
7
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
Government has not yet met European Union concentration limits for nitrogen dioxide that had an original compliance deadline of 2010, and the UK was one of six member states referred to the European Court in May 2018 over non-compliance.15 In addition, the most recent update on Biodiversity 2020 targets showed …
HM Treasury
8
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
To deliver government’s ambitions as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (the Department) has lead responsibility for all environmental policy areas apart from climate change mitigation, for which the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has the policy lead. …
Government response. In June 2011, government set the ambition for this to be the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than it inherited it, and to help protect and improve the global environment. In January …
HM Treasury
9
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
While the Plan sets out a whole-of-government commitment to improve the environment within a generation, the existing arrangements for joint working between departments on environmental issues are patchy, with no clear indications of senior ownership of the Plan outside the Department and its own arms-length bodies.19 The Department was the …
HM Treasury
10
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
We asked the Department whether it has sufficient clout to manage trade-offs where there is competition between departments; and how it plans to bring to bear its responsibility for leading government to deliver on the Plan.25 The Department expects that the new cross-government group will expose difficult choices and trade-offs …
Government response. The Department expects that the new cross-government group will expose difficult choices and trade-offs but told us that judgements on competing priorities will ultimately be made through escalating issues to Ministers or through cabinet committees such as the Climate Acti
HM Treasury
11
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
The Department received an additional £1 billion in funding for 2020–21 in the Spending Review, however it confirmed that this includes a previously announced increase in flood defence spending.29 It noted that the increase will allow for significant investment in other environmental areas, including tree planting and peatland restoration, however …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2023 (to align with the next Environmental Improvement Plan). 3.2 The establishment of new legally binding targets through the Environment Bill incorporates a robust framework for developing the economic …
HM Treasury
12
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
The Environment Agency and Natural England have a key role to play in delivering government’s environmental goals. Natural England confirmed that it has had its budget reduced by almost half in recent years which has affected its ability to meet demand for its services and deliver its work.31 As a …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2023 (to align with the next Environmental Improvement Plan). 3.2 The establishment of new legally binding targets through the Environment Bill incorporates a robust framework for developing the economic …
HM Treasury
13
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
There is no single point of responsibility within government for monitoring overall spend on environmental goals, and neither the Department nor the Treasury yet have a good understanding of the long-term costs involved in delivering the goals. Moreover, while the Department had started an analysis of spend by environmental goal …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2023 (to align with the next Environmental Improvement Plan). 3.2 The establishment of new legally binding targets through the Environment Bill incorporates a robust framework for developing the economic …
HM Treasury
14
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
Government needs to ensure that organisations have access to the skills and resources they require to play their part in delivering environmental goals.35 The Department told us that both scientific and project management skills are required to make progress, particularly in the Environment Agency and Natural England as key delivery …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: By end of 2021. 4.2 The department is working with HM Treasury, cross-government and with other delivery partners to understand and develop the skills required to deliver across environmental outcomes. …
HM Treasury
15
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
We asked about the diversity of the workforce to deliver these environmental goals, and the Environment Agency noted the steps it has taken to improve diversity, for example going into technical institutes where there may be a higher proportion of Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates and offering apprenticeships to …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: By end of 2021. 4.2 The department is working with HM Treasury, cross-government and with other delivery partners to understand and develop the skills required to deliver across environmental outcomes. …
HM Treasury
16
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
We asked the Department what its role is in relation to creating and retaining ‘green’ jobs. It told us that the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, established in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and initially funded to £40 million, has been extended in the recent Spending Review, and the fund doubled …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: By end of 2021. 4.2 The department is working with HM Treasury, cross-government and with other delivery partners to understand and develop the skills required to deliver across environmental outcomes. …
HM Treasury
17
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
We asked the Treasury what it was doing to ensure departments factor the environment into their spending bids. Treasury told us that for the 2020 Spending Review it asked departments for an assessment of the contribution of their proposals towards delivering the UK’s statutory climate objectives in terms of emissions; …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2022 5.2 HM Treasury recognises its important role in supporting the delivery of the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Both the Stern and the Dasgupta Reviews, on the economics …
HM Treasury
18
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
Treasury told us that the extent to which departments appraise the environmental impact of what they are doing is variable, a good example being the Department for Transport which has worked closely with Defra and the Treasury on its programme to improve air quality in local authorities, and another being …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2022 5.2 HM Treasury recognises its important role in supporting the delivery of the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Both the Stern and the Dasgupta Reviews, on the economics …
HM Treasury
19
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
Treasury conceded that there is a long way to go before accounting for the environment is fully embedded within the spending review process and is on a level pegging with carbon emissions where there is a statutory budget-setting process. It said it needed to do more to ensure the guidance …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2022 5.2 HM Treasury recognises its important role in supporting the delivery of the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Both the Stern and the Dasgupta Reviews, on the economics …
HM Treasury
20
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
As the Office for Environmental Protection is yet to be established under the provisions of the Environment Bill, we asked the Department about interim arrangements for holding public bodies to account on environmental law. The Department told us that a secretariat is in place, and the Chair-Designate of the Office …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: By April 2021 6.2 The Permanent Secretary for the department has written on the 25 March 2021, to the Committee chair explaining that the government is setting up the Office …
HM Treasury
21
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
The interim secretariat will be able to make assessments around reported breaches of environmental law by public bodies. It will then be up to the Office to catch up on these 45 Q 20 46 HM Treasury, The Green Book: Central Government Guidance on Appraisal and Evaluation, 2020 47 Q …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: By April 2021 6.2 The Permanent Secretary for the department has written on the 25 March 2021, to the Committee chair explaining that the government is setting up the Office …
HM Treasury
22
Conclusion
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’…
In discussing the reporting obligations of the Office, the Department explained that it will report to Ministers, who can then be held to account by Parliament. We noted that this is in contrast to the Climate Change Committee, which must report directly to Parliament.55 The Department told us that Ministers …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: By April 2021 6.2 The Permanent Secretary for the department has written on the 25 March 2021, to the Committee chair explaining that the government is setting up the Office …
HM Treasury