Environment, sustainability and rural affairs

Environmental topics continue to be at the forefront of political debate, and the newspapers print articles on green issues and the demise of the natural world practically every day.

The National Audit Office’s work in this sector includes auditing the annual financial statements of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the public bodies which it sponsors, including the Rural Payments Agency, Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Commission for Rural Communities alongside many others.

We also produce a wide range of value for money (VFM) reports, covering environmental programmes managed by Defra and wider topics such as the steps which departments, businesses or the general public are taking to operate more sustainably. Recent reports have examined the Government’s efforts to reduce household energy consumption, programmes to encourage the move to a low carbon economy, and the management of flood defences.    

In addition, we provide briefings and reports to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, which is charged with monitoring the contribution made by departments and agencies to environmental protection and sustainable development and auditing progress against targets.

Finally, we are always happy to be involved with work to promote good sustainability practice more widely – for example, cross-Whitehall initiatives such as the Sustainability Reporting Pilot Group, which looks to improve the reporting of sustainability data across the public sector.

Features

Programmes to reduce household energy consumption (VFM report)

UK households spend £20 billion on energy each year, mostly on electricity and gas, and account for just under 30 per cent of all energy consumed in the country.

Read full article: Programmes to Reduce Household Energy Consumption

Building and maintaining river and coastal flood defences in England (VFM report)

Almost half a million households and businesses in England are at significant risk of flooding. The financial impact of flooding will depend on the scale of damage and nature of the property, but flood repairs can cost up to £40,000 per household.

Read full article: Building and Maintaining River and Coastal Flood Defences in England

Renewable energy - Options for scrutiny

(Briefing for the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee)

The EU proposes that 15 per cent of the energy that the UK consumes in 2020 should come from renewable sources. The current figure is just 1.4 per cent (ranking 25^th out of 27 Member States). 

Read full article: Renewable energy - Options for scrutiny

Sustainability at Work (Good practice material)

The National Audit Office contributed to the Sustainability at Work website, a product of the "Accounting for Sustainability" project sponsored by the Prince of Wales. The website provides guidance, tools, links and case studies to help organisations integrate sustainability into their decision-making and operations. It also provides a framework to enable organisations to report on their performance in a more consistent manner. 

Diverting Municipal Waste for landfill: Speeding up the Challenges

On 22 May 2007, the National Audit Office held a conference on municipal waste.

Read full article: Diverting Munical Waste for landfill: Speeding up the Challenges