Isra-Mart srl:MPs: Cabinet minister should replace Sustainable Development Commission

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MPs will today call on the government to strip the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) of its role promoting sustainable development across government and give the Cabinet Office responsibility for reducing the government's environmental impact.

The report from the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) argues that Defra lacks the clout necessary to ensure Whitehall departments stick to environmental targets, such as the Prime Minister's pledge to cut carbon emissions from central government 10 per cent during his first year in office.

It recommends creating a new minister for sustainable development, who would be based in the Cabinet Office and could hold departments to account if they failed to deliver on environmental goals.

The minister would also be able to impose financial sanctions on departments for poor sustainability performance with the help of the Treasury.

The committee, which includes MPs Caroline Lucas and Zac Goldsmith, argues that while Defra has the technical know-how to map out sustainable development, it does not have enough sway to enforce behavioural change.

A spokesman from Defra told BusinessGreen it will now examine the report in full and set out its new strategy to embed sustainablity across government in the coming weeks. While a Cabinet Office spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.sustainability

The inquiry was launched after Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman axed the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), the independent body that monitored the government's environmental performance and provided recommendations on how to embed sustainable development across government policies.

Commenting on the report, EAC chair Joan Walley said a new senior ministerial role was required to ensure the government's sustainability agenda is pursued across Whitehall.

"Defra has the expertise, but it does not have the influence to get the rest of government to act more sustainably," she said. "The government now needs to broaden this ambition and get departments acting more sustainably across the board. And that means getting the Cabinet Office to take the lead, supported much more by the Treasury, and ensuring that government specifies what resources are needed to make this happen."

The report also criticised Spelman for failing to adequately consult with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolved administrations before axing funding for the the SDC. The devolved administrations, who are part-owners of the independent commission, told MPs on the committee that they were disappointed with Spelman's decision.