Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
We asked the Department what its role is in relation to creating and retaining ‘green’...
Conclusion
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 to £80 million. The Department noted that the initial fund was oversubscribed and estimates that the projects started by it will create around 3,000 new jobs and safeguard around 2,000 existing jobs in a range of nature and conservation activities.44 35 C&AG’s Report, para 2.17 36 Q 77 37 Q 61 38 Q 77 39 Q 80 40 Q 78 41 Q 80 42 Q 79 43 Q 80 44 Q 82 Achieving government’s long-term environmental goals 13 Environmental impacts in spending decisions
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
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. It recognises there is significantly more required to assess the skills required and the capability and capacity available to deliver the long-term ambition. 4.3 Since publication of the Environment Plan, additional investment has been secured to increase capacity and focus on the environment to make progress across the Defra group. 4.4 Natural England recognises the Environment Bill and the Environment Plan as key components of their ‘People Strategy 2019-2023’. As a science-led, science-based organisation with a significant proportion of staff from professional scientific backgrounds, Natural England recognises the importance of applying science to understand how a wider whole ecosystem works. 4.5 Environment Agency strategic workforce planning has previously identified skill gaps in some critical areas of the business and have sought to implement measures to manage and mitigate these risks. The Agency continually reviews whether further interventions are needed to maintain and develop a skilled workforce. 4.6 In addition to the work of the Defra group, the government will develop a wider skills and capability plan and approach to help provide long term capability improvements to help progress towards the long-term ambitions.