from Sunday Herald, 08 August 2010
The Scottish finance secretary, John Swinney, has accused
the UK government of breaching its high-profile promise to “respect” Scotland
by failing to consult over the axing of public bodies.
In an attempt to cut the budget deficit, London ministers have scrapped or cut back more than 80 environmental, health and cultural quangos. But for some of those that cover Scotland, Scottish ministers were given little or no warning of their imminent demise.
This has left Scotland with a series of tricky problems to solve in determining the fate of several crucial agencies like the Sustainable Development Commission, the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency. Moves are now underway to see if some of the vital functions performed by these bodies can be saved.
The difficulties are particularly acute with the Sustainable Development Commission, which has given expert advice to ministers in Scotland and the rest of the UK on how to make policies more environmentally friendly and save money. Its funding from next April has been withdrawn by the UK environment secretary, Caroline Spelman.
But insiders say this was done without realising that the commission was also funded by the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – and without conferring with ministers in those countries.
“The issue, certainly in the case of the Sustainable Development Commission, is a lack of proper consultation by the UK Government given the implications for all three devolved administrations,” said a spokesman for Swinney.
“It is the opposite of a ‘respect agenda’. We will decide on the best way forward for Scotland once we are in possession of all the necessary information.”
Scottish ministers are understood to be exploring ways of enabling the commission to continue its work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But it is bound to end up a much smaller organisation than it was.
Another respected body scrapped by Spelman is the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. For forty years it has been providing expert advice to ministers in Scotland and England on almost every green issue, including nuclear power, genetic modification and pollution.
“The danger is that cutting these agencies could leave a gaping hole in environmental services in Scotland,” warned Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour's environment spokesperson.
“These
decisions expose the Con-Dem coalition's claim to be the greenest government
ever as worthless. These groups were all set up to provide independent
expertise to scrutinise the government's environmental performance.”
According
to Boyack, losing the Sustainable Development Commission would be “bad news”
for Scotland’s targets to cut climate pollution. "The organisation plays a
vital role in helping our schools, hospitals and local authorities cut waste
and save money,” she said.
“We need the advice of these organisations to reach the heart of government as "critical friends" on difficult issues that cannot be ducked."
Professor Jan Bebbington, the head of the Sustainable Development Commission in Scotland, described the UK government’s decision as “profoundly disappointing”. She is working with Scottish ministers to ensure a future for sustainable development.
“A critical part of this is an effective independent adviser able to hold government to account,” she said. “I think the Scottish government realises the importance of this work, and I'm hopeful that we can agree a way forward.”
The Food Standards Agency has had its wings severely clipped in England, with its responsibility for promoting healthier eating being taken away. The Scottish government, however, has said that it will preserve this function in the Scottish part of the agency, which is based in Aberdeen.
Westminster’s action was criticised by Tim Lang, the professor of food policy at City University London. “This creates unnecessary tension between London, Edinburgh and Cardiff,” he told the Sunday Herald.
“The governments in Scotland and Wales did not want the Food Standards Agency to be reduced in scope. It’s not irresolvable, but it’s destabilising.”
Last month's decision by the UK health secretary, Andrew Lansley, to scrap the Health Protection Agency (HPA) creates similar problems. It is responsible for helping to combat infections and protecting against radiation.
Axing the agency was condemned by Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University. "It's a very bad idea because the HPA is an absolutely essential national resource," he said.
The HPA took over from the former National Radiological Protection Board and is responsible across the UK for expert advice on the health risks from nuclear plants, telephone masts and radon gas in the home. It runs a major radiation laboratory at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
But insiders last week said that no thought appeared to have been given to its fate. One possibility was that it would become part of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
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