| 1. | We are pleased that, once again, further improvements have been made to the 'look' of the Departmental Report. Overall, the Report is more accessible and readable than in previous years, and contains a great sense of narrative in its description of how Defra's work is linked together. We commend the Department's report-writers for incorporating many of our previous recommendations relating to the presentation of the Report. (Paragraph 5)
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| 2. | As was the case last year, we believe the 2005 Departmental Report—at 372 pages—is too long. We understand there is a need to deal with all aspects of the Department's work; indeed, this was one of our recommendations on the 2002 Departmental Report. Nevertheless, the Departmental Report would benefit from being more concise and selective in the information it provides. We recommend that for those policy areas deemed to be of less importance—for example, issues not directly linked to Defra's Public Service Agreement targets—the Department should provide less information in the main commentary of the Report and include more web-link references. (Paragraph 6)
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| 3. | We strongly recommend that in future years the Forestry Commission's report is published separately from the Departmental Report, as occurs with Defra's other affiliated bodies. We believe this would improve the user-friendliness of the Departmental Report, not least by making it shorter. There would still be scope for a summary account of Defra's work with the Forestry Commission, which should be sufficient. (Paragraph 7)
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| 4. | We are pleased that financial measurement has improved significantly in the past three years. We support the efforts of senior staff to improve the situation still further. (Paragraph 8)
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| 5. | Although financial management in general has improved within Defra, further improvements to the Department's forecasting and budgeting processes are required. The Department is currently attempting to improve its financial forecasting by implementing recommendations set out in the Ernst & Young review. We look forward to further updates from Defra about the impact of these changes on its financial forecasting. We further recommend that in future Departmental Reports, Defra provide a commentary explaining significant differences between one year's estimates and the resulting outturn. (Paragraph 10)
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| 6. | We recognise the difficulties Defra faces in meeting its efficiency saving targets, as set out in the Gershon Review, given that achievement of almost half the £610 million target relies on the actions of local authorities in relation to waste management. We therefore welcome Defra's recent initiatives, such as the Waste Implementation Programme, to assist local authorities in achieving their individual targets. (Paragraph 13)
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| 7. | Nevertheless, Defra still has no power to oblige local authorities to make savings. We therefore remain to be convinced that this third party approach towards achieving the Department's efficiency saving target will actually work. We recommend that the Department publish a report on how it is progressing towards meeting its efficiency targets. (Paragraph 14)
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| 8. | We congratulate Defra for meeting its first year target of £52 million in waste services efficiencies. However, the targets for the next three years are more challenging. We recommend the Department strive to maintain, and expand, its various initiatives to assist local authorities—particularly those authorities performing less well—to ensure it meets its total waste services efficiency target of £299 million by 2007-08. (Paragraph 15)
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| 9. | We welcome the steps taken by senior managers to encourage integration in the Department. Defra has made significant progress in improving integration since 2001, particularly at senior grades, and we congratulate the previous Permanent Secretary for his contribution in achieving this. We recommend the Department continue its efforts to improve integration and now focus specifically on this work at junior staff levels. (Paragraph 18)
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| 10. | Whilst we welcome further integration of Defra's structure and working practices, it is essential that the Department's links with specific interest groups are not weakened as a result. We are concerned that some of Defra's traditional "customers" might become overlooked as a result of the Department's integration process. We remind Defra of its responsibility to ensure all its customers are fully valued and served by the Department. (Paragraph 19)
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| 11. | We welcome the improvements Defra has made in the past year in increasing its influence across Whitehall. In particular, we consider the sustainable delivery action plans, which other Government departments are obliged to produce by December 2005, to be a significant development. We urge Defra to ensure that performance against the targets set out in the action plans is monitored vigorously. Given the huge importance of its work on the environment, in particular, we agree with the Permanent Secretary that Defra "can never have enough clout". We therefore recommend the Department to continue to work to increase its influence further across Whitehall. (Paragraph 24)
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| 12. | We congratulate Defra for taking the lead in implementing sustainable practices within the Department, through initiatives such as thinksustainable and the Carbon Trust's Management Programme. We strongly recommend it continues its endeavours to be "best in class". This not only reflects well on Defra in practicing what it preaches, but also, by setting a good example to other Government departments, increases the credibility of Defra in arguing for sustainable practices across Government. (Paragraph 27)
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| 13. | We understand the difficulties the Department faces in maintaining staff morale amidst significant staff cuts, so we recommend Defra maintains a high level of communication to ensure its staff are appropriately informed of ongoing developments relating to staff reductions. We will continue to monitor the impact on staffing of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) Change Programme through the work of our rapporteurs on the RPA. (Paragraph 30)
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| 14. | We congratulate Defra on meeting its target of 30% female employees in Senior Civil Service (SCS) level grades by 2005, and are pleased that progress has been made since the publication of the Departmental Report in improving the proportion of SCS level staff from ethnic minority groups and with disabilities. Nevertheless, we remain concerned at the under-representation of minority groups in Defra's Executive Agencies, when compared to the core Department. We recommend Defra focuses specifically on improving the proportion of SCS level staff from these groups in its Executive Agencies. (Paragraph 34)
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| 15. | We welcome the fact that the Department for Transport (DfT) is now a co-owner of the Public Service Agreement target relating to climate change, as we have previously recommended. Defra needs to make considerable progress in order to meet its domestic target of a 20 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. Given that the transport sector is such a significant contributor to the UK's carbon dioxide emissions, it is essential that DfT shares responsibility for achieving this target. We strongly urge Defra to continue to work closely, and constructively, with the DfT (and the Department for Trade and Industry) to find practical and effective polices to meet this joint target. We look forward to Defra updating us as to how this relationship is developing on a six monthly basis. We expect to return to this issue as part of our forthcoming inquiry into aspects of climate change policy. (Paragraph 39)
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| 16. | We congratulate Defra on its progress in the past year in restoring sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), and for meeting its 67 per cent 'trajectory' target for 2005. However, the remaining third of SSSIs will undoubtedly be more difficult. We recommend the Department publish clear proposals about how it proposes to meet each of its trajectory targets for the next five years. (Paragraph 41)
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| 17. | We are extremely disappointed that Defra has still not been able to assess progress against its PSA target relating to rural affairs. This is especially unsatisfactory given the target went 'live' on 1 April 2003. We recommend the Department start to think now—in advance of the 2007 Spending Review—of a more appropriate PSA target relating to rural affairs. It should ensure that the baseline of, and progress made in achieving, any new target can be measured appropriately. (Paragraph 45)
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