6 Conclusion
55. If the Government is committed
to sustainable development, it must set itself tough and stretching
targets that match the high level of ambition of its own policies
on sustainable development and climate change. Evidence of performance
against these targets must be provided in the form of robust,
verified data. But setting targets is not enough: the Government
must take radical action to ensure that all government operations
are making real progress towards sustainability. It must develop
a more coherent investment strategy, based on an analysis of present
and future costs, in order to enable it to spend to save.
56. To achieve this, the Minister
responsible must show strong leadership and take an active role
in performance management. There must be clear lines of accountability
so that underperformance can be managed effectively. It must be
clear who should be held to account if performance in the 2008-09
reporting year is poor. But we also need to know that that person
has had not just responsibility for sustainable operations, but
also the means to make real changes happen.
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