Whitehall insists it is on track to meet emissions targets

The government will today release new data indicating that after a significant improvement in its performance over the past 12 months, Whitehall is largely on track to meet its environmental targets over the next few years.

Reports from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) show that last year saw a 10 per cent cut in carbon emissions from government offices relative to a 1999/2000 base line, a step up on the 6.3 per cent cuts delivered in the previous year.

The OGC said that as a result the government is in a "robust position" to exceed its current target of 12.5 per cent by the end of March 2011 and is currently on track to cut emissions 17.8 per cent against the baseline.

The report showed that it was similarly on track to meet or exceed targets to cut emissions from road vehicles used in government’s administrative operations by 15 per cent by 2010/11 relative to 2005/06 baseline, reduce waste levels from government departments and increase recycling rates to 40 per cent.

"The figures released today demonstrate the strong commitment and progress being made across Whitehall to address the crucial matter of reducing the environmental impact of Government's day-to-day business operations," said economic secretary to the Treasury, Ian Pearson MP, adding that the government would announce new targets for Whitehall next year, following a comprehensive review.

However, alongside the strong performance against targets the OGC report noted a number of areas of concern, warning that departments were in danger of falling just short of a target to reduce water consumption by 25 per cent on office and non-office estate by 2020, relative to 2004/05 levels.

It also revealed that a number of departments were guilty of flouting mandated best practices designed to improve the overall environmental performance of government.

For example, only 70 per cent of departmental new-build projects and 47 per cent of refurbishments meant mandated green building standards, while only two of the 10 departments which undertook office relocations reported full compliance with the OGC requirements to undertake sustainability appraisals.

Similarly, while the number of departments reporting that 100 per cent of relevant staff have sustainability objectives rose last year, 11 of 22 departments still admitted that some relevant staff were being assessed on their performance.

“It’s great to see the progress that has been made in the past 12 months, thanks to considerable efforts from government," said Rebecca Willis, vice chairwoman of the SDC. "The next task for government is to get to grips with its supply chain, and to look at the performance of all government agencies, including its non-departmental public bodies."