Annex 1
Memorandum by the Cabinet Office to the
Environmental Audit Committee
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPARMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES
INTRODUCTION
1. This memorandum provides information
on the role of the Deputy Prime Minister on sustainable development
issues.
2. A description of the post-election roles
and responsibilities of each of the then Cabinet Office Ministers
and of Sir Richard Wilson (answer of 11 July 2001 to Parliamentary
Question from Andrew Lansley MP) is attached at Annex A for information.
THE ROLE
OF THE
DEPUTY PRIME
MINISTER
3. The Deputy Prime Minister deputises for
the Prime Minister at home and abroad as required. He has an overarching
responsibility for supporting the Prime Minister in the delivery
of key Government priorities and programmes, and he takes on specific
tasks at the request of the Prime Minister. In addition, he has
a number of personal priorities and cross-departmental responsibilities,
including social exclusion, regional co-ordination, regional governance
and devolution and the British-Irish Council.
4. The Deputy Prime Minister has a particular
role in deputising for the Prime Minister on international matters,
helping to build and maintain close relations with foreign counterparts.
In addition, he also continues to play role on international climate
change discussions and negotiations on behalf of the Prime Minister.
More recently, the Prime Minister has asked the Deputy Prime Minister
to take on a similar role in preparation for the World Summit
on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg in
September 2002.
5. The cross-cutting nature of the responsibilities
of the Deputy Prime Minister mean that his office works closely,
on a day to day basis, with No.10 and with other Government Departments
with an interest in these issues. The lead department for both
climate change and sustainable development is DEFRA, which retains
policy responsibility and deals with day-to-day progress and implementation
of the UK's policies. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
works closely with them—and with others with a key interest,
including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department
for International Development, HM Treasury and the Department
of Trade and Industry—on strategic and cross-departmental
issues.
6. The Deputy Prime Minister chairs the
Cabinet Committee on the Environment (ENV) and the newly established
Ministerial Group (MISC18) on the World Summit on Sustainable
Development. Through these Committees, the Deputy Prime Minister
is able to ensure proper collective consideration across Government
of all the issues and to ensure a co-ordinated and agreed approach
to them.
7. The Deputy Prime Minister has a particular
role in his contacts with international leaders in carrying forward
the UK's priorities on the environment and sustainable development
and raising their profile. The Deputy Prime Minister enjoys high-level
access to world leaders and is currently seeking to raise the
profile of the WSSD with them and to encourage and engage high-level
attention to it. In particular, he is emphasising the UK's wish
to match the current global coalition against terrorism with action
to deal with other important common issues such as poverty, access
to fresh water and energy, climate change and the problems of
Africa, which are likely to feature at the Johannesburg Summit.
The Deputy Prime Minister has in recent weeks had, or will over
the next few weeks be holding, discussions on these issues with
the Russian Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, the Ukrainian
President and Prime Minister, the Vice President of China, the
Prime Minister of Romania, the President of Venezuela, the United
States Vice President, the Secretary General of the United Nations,
and the Prime Ministers of New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and
Vietnam.
CABINET OFFICE
ACTION ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
8. The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet
Office (Chris Leslie MP) is the Green Minister for the Cabinet
Office and oversees the incorporation of sustainable development
considerations into both the management and housekeeping of the
Cabinet Office and into Cabinet Office policies in general.
Cabinet Office
26 November 2001
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