Written Ministerial Statement by Phil Woolas: Review of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) - 4 June 2008
The Minister for the Environment (Mr Phil Woolas)
My hon. friend the Member for Dudley South, announced the start of a review of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) on 27 November 2006 (Official Report col 80ws). On 16 July 2007 I announced the Publication of the independent report of that review (Official Report: Col 1WS). Today, I am announcing the Government response to the recommendations put forward in that report .
The review carried out by independent consultants concluded that there was a continuing need for the RCEP and that it needed modernising to improve its level of impact and effectiveness.
The Government response I am publishing today sets out our future policy for the RCEP. New activities have been funded by savings released through efficiency gains from other areas of the Commission’s activity. The Government response will be implemented through annual plans agreed between Defra and the RCEP over the next three years.
My officials worked with the RCEP to identify ways that it could improve its way of working, along the lines envisaged in the report, while keeping within its current resources. This approach was agreed with the devolved administrations, other government departments, and the RCEP.
The Government values the work of the RCEP as an independent, high quality and objective analyser of environmental issues. Its reports are often highly influential and enhance the quality of Government policy making.
A summary of the Government response follows at Annex 1 and background information about the RCEP at Annex 2.
Copies of the Government response and the Review will be placed in the libraries of both Houses and are also available on the Defra website.
Annex 1
Summary of the Government response to the review of the RCEP
The Government welcomes the Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC report and its findings. We value the work that the RCEP has done as an independent, high quality and objective analyser of environmental issues. The great value of RCEP to Government has rested on its combination of independence and scientific authority. We value its reports which are often highly influential and deliver policy benefits to the Government.
We have been working with RCEP to identify ways in which it could modernise along the lines envisaged in the review while keeping within existing resources. Our approach has been to fund the new activities proposed in the PwC report through savings released through efficiency gains in other areas of the commission’s work. We have worked with the RCEP to identify areas where RCEP could make such savings which include:
- Costs of accommodation – by moving from current private accommodation to an estate building, including re-letting current premises;
- Costs of hiring meeting rooms – by using Defra meetings rooms which are free of charge;
- Costs of IT support and printing/photocopying – by using Defra IT shared services and reprographic facilities.
These could amount to savings of around £89,000 a year, although smaller savings are expected in the first year, to allow for the cost of fees, dilapidations, disposal of current accommodation and IT relocation and removal (estimated not to exceed £49,000). The realisation of these savings, and hence the implementation of the review recommendations, will clearly depend on RCEP achieving value for money with regard to the way it uses its resources.
Under the existing Framework Document, the RCEP agrees a business plan with Defra defining its strategic direction, priorities and goals over the next three years. This annual plan assists Defra in fulfilling its financial management responsibilities by helping us to assess whether resources allocated to RCEP represent value for money. Implementation of these recommendations will be an element of the plan over the next three years.
Annex 2
Royal Commission on Environmental PollutionThe Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent standing body, which advises the Queen, Government, Parliament and the public on environmental issues. It was established by Royal Warrant in February 1970. The Commission’s terms of reference are “To advise on matters, both national and international, concerning the pollution of the environment; on the adequacy of research in this field; and the future possibilities of danger to the environment”.
The Commission interprets “pollution” broadly as covering any introduction by man into the environment of substances or energy liable to cause hazards to human health, harm to living resources and ecological systems, damage to structures or amenity, or interference with legitimate uses of the environment. Within this remit the Commission has freedom to consider and advise on any matter it chooses; the Government may also request the Commission to consider particular topics.
The Commission's advice is mainly in the form of reports which are the outcome of major studies. The RCEP published its 26th report on the Urban Environment in March 2007 and is concluding its study on the Environmental Impact of Novel Materials during 2008. In September 2007, it announced its next study, “adapting the UK to Climate Change. In reaching its conclusions, the Commission seeks to make a balanced assessment, which takes account of the wider implications for society of any control or preventive measures proposed.
Further information
The Commission is funded through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and is supported by a small full-time Secretariat. The Commission maintains links with Government Departments, Parliamentary committees, pollution control agencies, research organisations, industry and environmental groups, and with its counterparts in other European countries.
Page published: 4 June 2008