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President: |
The Rt Hon John Prescott MP |
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Chairman: |
Professor Sir Richard Southwood DL FRS |
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Secretary: |
Philip Dale, Zone 4/F5, Ashdown House, 123
Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE |
From the Chairman
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The Rt Hon John Prescott MP |
22 January 1999 |
Dear Deputy Prime Minister
The Round Table has recently considered the question whether and how public bodies should have a duty to promote or take account of sustainable development.
In our report Economic Regulation, published in January, we recommended that "The economic regulators should have a duty to promote sustainable development . . . [and] to have regard to statutory guidance from Government on sustainable development." The Government's response, published in October, does not fully accept either part of this recommendation. It is silent with respect to the duty to promote sustainable development. On the question of guidance "The Government agrees that the regulators should be placed under a duty to have regard to statutory guidance on social and environmental objectives in the exercise of their statutory functions. Where actions aimed at [such] objectives would have significant financial implications for consumers of the regulated companies, however, these should be taken forward by means of specific legal provision for the intervention, rather than by way of guidance to regulators." I have since had a letter from John Battle spelling out further aspects of the Government's policy on this and offering a meeting, an offer which I have taken up.
This is one aspect of a wider issue which we would be grateful if you would address.
In its report on the Greening Government Initiative, the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee recommended that the Government's commitment to sustainable development should be set out in clear and consistent language in the aims and objectives of all new public bodies and of existing Government machinery when it is revisited and relaunched. In its response, the Government agreed that this would be considered in each case. The Round Table would like the Government to make an unequivocal commitment to implementing the Committee's recommendation.
Some public bodies do have a duty to promote or to take account of sustainable development. The Environment Agency is one example. The Regional Development Agencies also have such a duty, which has since been elaborated in draft guidance. And the Welsh Assembly will be required to make a scheme setting out how it proposes, in the exercise of its functions, to promote sustainable development. We were pleased that the Government was able to agree to these and hope that Parliament will approve such measures more generally.
Against that background, the response to the EAC recommendation is welcome, but does not go as far as we would wish. The Government should establish, as a principle, that all new public bodies will have the objective, in the exercise of their other duties, of promoting or taking account of sustainable development. Current public bodies should be given an additional duty to that effect. A core text of consistent wording, adapted to the context of each body, would prevent the need for repeated lobbying and lengthy deliberation in Parliament.
The forthcoming Government strategy document on sustainable development would seem to be the ideal vehicle in which to enter into such a commitment. The Round Table urges you to do so.
I and some of my colleagues on the Round Table would welcome the opportunity to meet you to discuss this.
I am copying this letter to John Battle and to John Horam, Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee.
