Defra's budget settlement
47. First among the four major environmental announcements
in the Pre-Budget Report was the budget settlement given to Defra
in the Comprehensive Spending Review:
[…] increasing the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs' budget by an average of 1.4 per cent a
year in real terms, from £3,508 million in 2007-08 to £3,960
million in 2010-11. This includes increasing funding for flood
and coastal erosion risk management from £600 million in
2007-08 to £800 million in 2010-11[69]
Despite this increase in funding there has recently
been much parliamentary concern over reported budget cuts within
Defra. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee,
which has responsibility for scrutinising Defra's budget, is currently
inquiring into the funding of Defra. In our inquiry we received
evidence, from Green Alliance and Friends of the Earth, to suggest
that the Treasury was under-funding Defra, considering the importance
of increased spending on climate change (both in terms of mitigation
and adaptation). The projected impacts of climate change include
increased risks of flooding and outbreaks of insect-borne diseases,
such as bluetongue.[70]
It is likely therefore that climate change will increase the incidences
of environmental crises that draw on the resources of Defra and
its agencies. It would be unfortunate if in responding to unforeseen
natural crises, potentially exacerbated by climate change, the
Government undermined its ability to fund its overall climate
change programme. We have some concerns about whether the Treasury
is prepared to ensure that climate change programmes are sufficiently
funded. We have written to the Chairman of the EFRA Committee,
drawing his attention to our concerns.
69 HM Treasury, 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive
Spending Review: Meeting the aspirations of the British people,
p 113 Back
70
Purse et al, "Opinion: Climate change and the recent emergence
of bluetongue in Europe", Nature Reviews Microbiology,
vol 3 (February 2005), pp 171-181 Back
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