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SR2002/SUS

15 July 2002

Promoting sustainable development

Providing a better quality of life for all, now and for generations to come, is at the heart of the Government's spending plans announced today.

Highlighting the Government's ongoing commitment to sustainable development, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Paul Boateng said:

"Sustainable development is a challenge for us all and cannot be delivered by governments alone. But this Government recognises the importance of showing leadership on sustainable development, at home and internationally. The significant additional resources provided in this Spending Review for the delivery of a better quality of life for all demonstrate that leadership."

In Spending Review 2002:

• For the first time each Government department has produced a Sustainable Development Report identifying the full social, economic and environmental implications of its work
• The Treasury, for the first time, provided detailed guidance to departments on how to incorporate sustainable development into their work. This Guidance was made publicly available in November 2001. Each department was required to produce a detailed Sustainable Development Report, outlining the key social, economic and environmental impacts of their work.

Notes for editors

1. At the heart of the Government's Sustainable Development Strategy is the aim of ensuring "a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come". The UK Sustainable Development Strategy, A Better Quality of Life, sets out the principles underlying the Government's commitment to sustainable development and the indicators by which progress can be measured. This Strategy has informed the Review throughout.

2. As the UK Strategy makes clear, Government action alone cannot deliver sustainable development. But it has an important role to play, setting the overall agenda, establishing goals and targets and intervening directly where appropriate. Spending Review 2002 is one important mechanism the Government is using to help to deliver a better quality of life.

3. The Government conducted a comprehensive review of public services - the Comprehensive Spending Review - in 1998, into which sustainable development was integrated. The 2000 Spending Review built on this by setting targets and allocating resources for the three years to 2003-04. The 2002 Spending Review revises these plans for 2003-04 and outlines new plans for 2004-05 and 2005-06.

4. The Government's fifteen headline indicators set out in 1999 and regularly updated are available at: "Headline Indicators of Sustainable Development for the UK". The Government's policy is "for all the headline indicators to move in the right direction over time… Where a trend is unacceptable the Government will adjust policies accordingly."

5. For further details please contact the HM Treasury Press Office on 020 7270 5238 or visit the HM Treasury website. For previous press notices relating to sustainable development and the Spending Review 2002 see: "Sustainable Development at the Heart of Government Policy Development".

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