Recommendations
11. As
soon as the National Well-being and SDI measures reach a stable
state of development, the ONS and Defra should consider how a
single framework could be produced. We recommend that this should
be done as the UN Statistical Commission's work on well-being
and the post-Rio draft Sustainable Development Goals take shape.
(Paragraph 22)
12. The proposed 'debt'
SDI should be replaced with an indicator which reflects the extent
to which public sector debt will be a burden rather than a boon
for the next generation. Bond rates could provide an economic
view of the sustainability of a country's debt. A measure which
might reflect social and environmental purposes behind borrowing
should be investigated. (Paragraph 33)
13. Defra should reconsider
its proposal to drop the 'environmental equality' SDI, and explain
in its analysis of the responses to the consultation how it will
source the data for this indicator. It should also review each
of the other proposed SDIs to see how they might measure the range
values for how they affect people's lives, not just the average.
(Paragraph 38)
14. The 'natural resource
use' indicator should comprise all finite non-fossil fuel resource
usage, thus excluding biomass, timber and fossil fuels, but including
aggregates usage (which is in the current SDIs). (Paragraph 40)
15. We recommend that
Defra should apply existing commitments as targets for the corresponding
SDIs, including those on air quality, emissions and renewable
energy. It should also review the scope for setting targets on
the other SDIs, consulting again those who have recently raised
this issue with the department. (Paragraph 45)
16. We recommend that
Defra should produce a full set of SDIs when it presents the results
of its recent consultation exercise, including those indicators
which were identified as still under development in July. It should
plan now to provide the designated resources necessary to ensure
that there is no delay in finalising those outstanding indicators
and establishing the necessary data sources. It should also confirm
that the new set of SDIs will be designated as National Statistics,
fully subject to the quality controls that that implies. (Paragraph
49)
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