Lessons for the next comprehensive review of spending
59. The timing of the second Comprehensive Spending
Review should not cause the same difficulties as have been experienced
this time around with the review coming before the completion
of the Sustainable Development Strategy. In the second Comprehensive
Spending Review and its report the Government should more fully
reflect its commitment to sustainable development and the approach
it is adopting, so that it is clear that its spending proposals
and performance targets are fully consistent with its strategic
policy intention.
60. For the benefit of openness and to enable
an audit trail, key guidance on matters to be addressed in the
second Comprehensive Spending Review should be publicly available.
This guidance should spell out clearly that departments should
take into account their contribution to sustainable development
in their reviews, proposals, targets and investment strategies
and that they should report their overall approach in the resulting
documents.
61. To ensure that sustainable development considerations
are taken into account and given sufficient weight the second
Comprehensive Spending Review should involve a checking mechanism,
drawing on the expertise of the staff of the Sustainable Development
Unit and, if possible, Ministers with a special interest in the
overall sustainable development policy.
62. The next Public Service Agreements should
include performance targets related to key aspects of the Government's
sustainable development strategy and its commitment to greening
government operations.
63. The next Comprehensive Spending Review should
make clear the funding position regarding important policy developments
which are already known to be under review for completion within
the expenditure period.
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