HM Treasury News Release

123/01

14 November 2001

Government Departments have been asked by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Smith, to ensure that sustainable development issues are considered and reflected in their bids for the 2001 Spending Review (SR). This is the first time that specific sustainable development guidance has been provided.

Mr Smith said:

"All Departments have a contribution to make to sustainable development and this should be reflected in their Spending Review proposals, targets and investment strategies. Spending Review 2002 will make a significant contribution to our economic, social and environmental objectives. This Guidance demonstrates the importance the Government attaches to its Quality of Life objectives."

As part of its Spending Review submission each Department participating in the Spending Review has been asked to produce:

• A sustainable development report (SDR), in which Departments will have an opportunity to explain the sustainable development dimension to their work.
• A summary of how sustainable development has influenced the Department’s priorities.
• An explanation of how its PSA targets relate to sustainable development.

This SDR will be the main sustainable development product of SR2002, giving departments an opportunity to explain in more detail the sustainable development implications of their bids and expanding on information provided elsewhere in the SR2002 bid. The SDR should set out any anticipated significant social, economic and environmental implications for Departments’ top priorities.

Mr Smith has laid out fifteen headline indicators as a starting point for Departments to consider.

2. The Government’s policy is "for all the headline indicators to move in the right direction over time…Where a trend is unacceptable the Government will adjust policies accordingly."

3. The Chief Secretary outlined the Treasury’s priorities for SR2002 in a Parliamentary Answer on 25 June 2001.

• Delivery of high quality, efficient and responsive public services through investment linked to reform and modernisation;
• Raising productivity, in the public sector and outside, through improved skills, research and infrastructure;
• Spreading opportunity and prosperity more widely, and tackling child poverty and social exclusion;
• Improving the quality of life in both urban and rural areas; and
• Securing a modern international role for Britain through co-operation with our European and international partners.

Annex A — the 15 headline indicators

Economic output (GDP)

Investment (% of GDP)

Employment

Poverty and social exclusion

Education (qualifications at 19)

Health (exp. years of healthy life)

Housing (unfit / non-decent homes)

Crime

violent crime

vehicle, burglary

Climate change (greenhouse gases)

Air quality (days of air pollution)

Road traffic

River water quality

Wildlife (farmland birds)

Land use (% of new homes on

brownfield sites)

Waste (more waste reduction,

reuse, recycling and recovery)