Climate change 'not a priority for the PM' - Tuesday 7 August 2007
Questions asked about Gordon Brown’s commitment to tackling climate change following the downgrading of the key cabinet committee on the environment. In addition the sub-committee on Sustainable Development in Government, which aimed to embed sustainable development in central Government departments, has been scrapped entirely.The Ministerial Committee on Energy and the Environment was previously a full Cabinet Committee chaired by the Prime Minister but will now be a sub-committee chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.The downgrading is despite strong criticism of the lack of joined-up government on climate change issues. The Ministry of Defence recently cut climate change research at the Met Office while the Department of Communities and Local Government plans 108,000 homes on southern floodplains and the Department of Transports aims for a major airport expansion.Following Brown’s announcement that the cabinet committees would ‘focus on the Government's priorities’, the energy and environment committee has been downgraded to become a sub-committee of the Economic Development Committee. It will now be chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer rather than the Prime Minister.
To show your concern email Gordon Brown:
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page821.asp
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From Charlotte MacKenzie
Whoever
started circulating this does not understand that putting the environment
at the centre of the UK's
economic strategy (Treasury) is a practical step to enable government to really
deal with the issues. Brown's style is more collegiate than Blair's, he is
boosting the role of the chancellor in delivery, not downgrading the
environment:
"Prime
Minister's Delivery Unit
The role of the
Prime Minister's Delivery Unit (PMDU) is to promote a relentless focus on
effective delivery of the Government's key priorities. The PMDU will now report
jointly to the Prime Minister and to the Chancellor and will be based in the
Treasury, working - as now - closely with Number Ten, Cabinet Office and HM
Treasury officials, and departments, on the critical priorities and actions
needed to strengthen delivery across Government, and on the reform of key
public services."
Charlotte MacKenzie
http://trurofalmouthlabour.wordpress.com
http://labourcornwall.wordpress.com
From Ian Jones
Charlotte
I personally find it
difficult not agreeing that changing something from a Committee to a
sub-committee is not downgrading. Also surely to scrap the Sustainable
Development Committee which was trying to get all government departments to
embed sustainability is not a good thing! Perhaps Gordon Brown’s focus remains
on big economic solutions via corporate business we will also have to watch what
happens with nuclear power and the possible replacement to
trident.
Ian
Blair tried to Muzzle Chief Scientific Officer
OTHER NEWS FROM PARLIAMENT
The government's chief scientific adviser Sir David King has claimed that Downing Street attempted to "muzzle" him over his worries about the threat of climate change. Sir David, who is stepping down after seven years in the job, said the incident took place in 2004 when Tony Blair was prime minister. Sir David King made his revelation while giving evidence to the Commons Innovation, Universities and Skills Committee. He told its members that in 2004 he wrote an article for the magazine Science in which he warned that global warming was an even more serious threat to mankind than global terrorism. Soon after, he said, it became clear that "some people in government thought he had overstepped the mark."
Reeta Chakrabarti
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7130424.stm