Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution has expressed support for the government's proposal to create a Sustainable Development Commission. It looks forward to working with this major new body, and wants it to be both a missionary and a watchdog, acting on behalf of future generations.

In a statement sent to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Royal Commission highlights the need for high profile, influential body to reach out and promote sustainable development across all sectors of society in the UK.

Sustainable development is summarised as 'the simultaneous and integrated pursuit of social progress, environmental protection, prudent use of natural resources, and high and stable levels of economic growth and employment'. While many pay lip service to this idea, it is not yet accepted as an objective across the whole of the economy and society.

The Royal Commission envisages the new body monitoring how thoroughly the principles of sustainable development have been absorbed by all levels of government and by each sector of society, and how effectively those principles are being put into practice. The SDC must press for stronger commitments and new structures when and where it finds these are needed.

'The Chairman and Members of the SDC must be people who carry considerable weight, not only in public life generally, but with key stakeholders,' says the statement. And the membership must be large enough to allow the SDC to fulfil its functions effectively.

The Royal Commission says its own role will remains 'to identify and analyse situations where sustainability is under threat as a result of the failure to protect the environment.' It will continue to do this by preparing and publishing major studies of particular issues.

On 17 May 1999, the government announced that it planned to replace the UK Round Table on Sustainable Development and the Government Panel on Sustainable Development (which report to the DETR and the Prime Minister respectively) with a new body, the Sustainable Development Commission. The announcement was part of A Better Quality of Life, the Government's new strategy for sustainable development.

DETR has proposed that the Sustainable development Commission should have a UK-wide remit and between 12 and 15 members in addition to the Chairman. These would reflect a broad range of sectors, backgrounds and parts of the country, but serve as individuals rather than as representatives of particular groups. DETR invited comments on its proposals.

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is an independent standing body established in 1970 to advise the Queen, government, Parliament and the public. It reviews and anticipates trends and developments in environmental policies, identifying fields where insufficient attention is being given to dangers and problems. The Royal Commission has chosen to interpret pollution broadly and approaches environmental issues within the framework of sustainable development, taking economic, ethical and social aspects of an issue into account as well as the scientific and technological ones. Its advice is mainly in the form of reports which are the outcome of major studies; 21 have been published since its formation.

The Commission has 14 members and is chaired by Sir Tom Blundell FRS, Head of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. It has a small, full time secretariat.

Enquiries: David Lewis, Secretary to the Commission, Telephone 020 7273 6644

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