This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Sustainable Development Commission
29/03/2004
A restructuring and new Scottish appointment to the UK
Sustainable Development Commission has been announced.
The Executive are also funding a new post in the
Commission's Secretariat to support the work of the
Commission in Scotland.
Maureen Child, an existing Commissioner,
has been promoted to the new post of Vice Chair (Scotland)
and Hugh Raven has been appointed as an additional Scottish
Commissioner.
They join Raymond Young OBE, who has been reappointed
for a further year.
Ms Child was elected to Edinburgh City Council in 1995
and is now executive member for Sustainability and Finance.
She is chair of the Edinburgh Sustainable Development
Partnership and was a member of the Lord Provost's
Commission on Sustainable Development.
Hugh Raven is Consultant to the Soil
Association as Scottish Policy Adviser and Aquaculture
Adviser, and to the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation as
Specialist Adviser on the Environment. He was specialist
adviser to the former Environment Minister, Michael Meacher
on the Rural White Paper: Our countryside, The Future, and
Convener of the Green Globe Task Force.
The Commission's structure has been altered to reflect
more closely the organisation's work programme and its
growing influence across government.
Over the next year Defra and the Scottish Executive will
continue to work closely with the Commission to focus on
how best to promote sustainable development across
government and to review the current relationship between
government and the Commission.
Deputy Environment and Rural Development Minister Allan
Wilson said:
"Sustainable development is a key element across all
aspects of government and is an overarching commitment in
our partnership agreement.
"We want a Scotland that delivers sustainable
development that puts environmental concerns at the heart
of public policy and secures environmental justice for all
our communities.
"The appointment of Maureen Child, Hugh Raven and
Raymond Young to the UK Sustainable Development Commission
demonstrates the strengthening of links between the
Scottish Executive and the Commission and will ensure
Scottish involvement in the development of this important
policy across the UK."
The Sustainable Development Commission was established
in 2000 following a proposal in the UK Government's 1999
Sustainable Development Strategy.
The Commission advises the Prime Minister and First
Ministers in the Devolved Administrations on sustainable
development.
Priorities for the next three years include following up
earlier work on food and farming policy; working with the
NHS to promote health through sustainable development,
particularly on food procurement and buildings; redefining
prosperity (resource productivity, economic growth and
sustainable development); helping deliver on sustainable
production and consumption; helping with implementation of
the Energy White Paper; helping to put sustainable
regeneration into action and looking at how to embed
sustainable development in local authorities.
Along with the Chair, there are 21 other members in the
Commission.
These reflect a range of interests and backgrounds and
are drawn from across the UK and from sectors including
business, local government and non-government
organisations. Details of other appointments to the
Sustainable Development Commission are available from
Defra.
Political activity - All appointments are made on merit
and political activity plays no part in the selection
process. However, in accordance with the Nolan
recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees'
political activities (if any) to be made public.
Maureen Child has been a member of the
Labour Party since the early 1980s and had held positions
including Secretary for the Portobello/Milton Branch. She
has also spoken and canvassed on behalf of the Scottish
Labour Party.
Hugh Raven stood as parliamentary
candidate for the Scottish Labour Party in the Argyll and
Bute Constituency (1999 - Scottish Parliament Election;
2001 - UK General Election; 2003 - Scottish Parliament
Election), spoke and canvassed on behalf of the party. From
1999 to 2004 he was Chair of the Lochaber Party.
Raymond Young has not undertaken any
political activities during the past five years.
Changes to the Commission include three new Vice-Chairs
who will focus on developing relations across Whitehall and
with Scotland and Wales and Chairs for the Commission's
five Steering Groups: - Health, Communications, Local and
Regional Government, Energy and Transport, and Economics.
The Commission's work on Food and Farming will continue,
but without a formally constituted Steering Group.
The SDC's remit is to advocate sustainable development
across all sectors of the UK, particularly within
government (including the Devolved Administrations), and
build consensus on the actions needed if further progress
is to be achieved.
Its specific tasks are:
- Identifying key unsustainable trends which will not
be reversed on basis of current or planned action, and
recommend action to reverse the trends
- Encourage and stimulate good practice
- Act as a "critical friend" to government in
appraising its performance in delivering sustainable
development
- Establish good working relationships with key parts
of government in promoting sustainable development
- Deepen awareness of the concept of sustainable
development within key sectors, increase awareness of
the issues it raises, and build agreement on how to
address them