Value for Money
Achieving government’s long-term environmental goals
Published 11 November 2020
13 recommendations
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Climate change and net zeroEnergy and environmentEnvironmental sustainabilityPollution and environmental qualityRural and countrysideWaste and recycling
nao.org.uk
This report examines how government has set itself up to deliver its long-term environmental goals.
Recommendations (13)
Source: NAO Recommendations Tracker · PAC follow-up below
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 1
Accepted
Implemented
We recommend that government:
• clarifies its environmental ambitions so that by the time it puts forward new legislative targets (in October 2022), these are part of a coherent suite of objectives that set specific and measurable ambitions for medium-term (2030) and long-term (2040 onwards) outcomes for each of its environmental goals;
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 10
Accepted
Work in Progress
We recommend that Defra, working with Cabinet Office and HM Treasury:
• monitors annual costs and spend on key environmental initiatives across government, alongside the benefits they achieve, as part of developing performance reporting against the Plan.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 11
Accepted
Work in Progress
We reiterate our recommendation that government:
• continues to strengthen safeguards for OEP’s independence, by developing a clear framework document for the terms of its relationship with Defra, and by setting out Parliament’s ongoing role in reviewing OEP’s funding and leadership.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 12
Accepted
Implemented
We also recommend that Defra:
• continues to develop its public reporting of progress, including by incorporating reporting against a comprehensive set of interim milestones as soon as these are available; and
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 13
Accepted
Implemented
• includes in its progress reports an appendix showing how it has responded to any recommendations made by the OEP.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 2
Accepted
Implemented
• develops a delivery plan for how the planned outcomes are to be achieved. This should set out the firm and funded actions that government has planned, and explicitly state whether government expects these are likely to be sufficient to put progress on track to meet the outcomes. Where there are gaps, government should set out how and when it expects to make decisions to fill these. This plan should also set interim milestones by which progress can be monitored, covering medium-term outputs (up to 2030); and
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 3
Accepted
Implemented
• assesses the short-, medium- and long-term costs of this delivery plan to ensure that Defra and HM Treasury have a shared view of the associated costs and how these might be financed.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 4
Accepted
Implemented
We recommend that Defra:
• maps out the most significant interdependencies between the goals in the 25 Year Environment Plan and sets out how decisions about any significant trade-offs will be made, and by who; and
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 5
Accepted
Implemented
• defines the values and behaviours that will support delivery of its environmental goals, reviews how closely these align with its current working culture and sets out plans for improving and monitoring progress.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 6
Accepted
Implemented
We recommend that Cabinet Office and Defra:
• review and improve arrangements for engaging departments outside Defra on the Plan. This should involve:
a) mapping out the areas where other departments have a critical role to play;
b) establishing clear expectations for these departments’ contributions to improving performance, and how this will be measured and monitored; and
c) strengthening coordination and oversight arrangements where appropriate, particularly for climate change adaptation and domestic biodiversity.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 7
Accepted
Implemented
We recommend that Defra:
• prioritises its behaviour change strategy work to capitalise on positive behaviour changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to build links with related behaviour change work being carried out with other parts of government.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 8
Partially Accepted
Work in Progress
We recommend that Defra, working with Cabinet Office and HM Treasury:
• develops a strategy for ensuring that the right skills and resources are available to meet government’s environmental ambitions. This should include:
a) a published analysis of how government will ensure that key delivery partners, including local authorities and Defra’s arm’s-length bodies, have appropriate funds to fulfil their environmental responsibilities; and
b) a review of the factors that led to high turnover among the senior responsible owners for the Plan, and how these factors may be mitigated in future.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 9
Accepted
Implemented
We recommend that government:
• sets a deadline for securing a full set of outcome-focused environmental indicators, with data, and that Defra’s Environment Committee monitors progress against this deadline, taking swift action if things fall behind.
Parliamentary Committee Follow-Up
The Public Accounts Committee examined this NAO report and published its own recommendations. The government responds to PAC recommendations via Treasury Minutes.
Fortieth Report - Achieving government’s long-term environmental goals
Public Accounts Committee
· 3 February 2021
· 12 recommendations