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News
UK
12/08/2008 01:24
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Cabinet
Office Minister Tom Watson MP has been appointed to take the lead on
improving the way Government can achieve sustainable operations and
procurement objectives across departments.
Building on the recent announcement to slash the energy consumption of government computers and data centres, the Cabinet Office Minister publishes a detailed
delivery plan to achieve more sustainable operations across Whitehall.
The delivery plan has been compiled by the new Centre of Expertise in
Sustainable Procurement (CESP), which is based within the Office of
Government Commerce (OGC), in conjunction with departments.
It focuses on the actions that have to be made in order to meet the
targets set for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate. As
Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, Tom Watson will lead
and ensure CESP has a cross-departmental role that delivers on
sustainable targets.
Speaking about the plan, Tom Watson said: 'A lower carbon economy is
probably the single biggest issue facing us all today, and Government
has a crucial leadership role in limiting the effects of climate
change.
'That is why we have set ourselves targets to deliver carbon reductions
from our offices, our cars, waste, recycling and water consumption.'
Nigel Smith, Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce,
said: 'This plan marks significant progress for Government. We
recognise that there is still a long way to go for Government to
achieve its sustainability goals; but departments are to be
congratulated on a very real step forward, both in terms of the actions
they have initiated, and in ensuring that there is a much clearer and
more comprehensive picture of the impact of those actions. This means
we can now identify much more readily where we need to concentrate more
effort in the future.'
The Sustainable Development Commission commented: 'Overall, the plan
represents the most thorough and robust package produced by Government
to date for addressing the impact of its own operations and for
inspiring change in the public and private sectors. Although there is
much more work to do on the plan before the SDC can be fully satisfied
that it supports delivery of all the changes needed, the OGC and other
Government departments should be commended for pulling the plan
together in such a short timescale.'
The Government has already set in place a number of initiatives to
assist departments in meeting the targets, including producing guidance
on how the £160 billion spent on public sector goods and services can
safeguard the environment. The High Performing Property initiative is
also improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the management and
use of Government estate, to achieve more sustainable operations and
achieve savings of up to £1.5 billion by 2013.
Source: http://www.publictechnology.net
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