---

Health and Social Care Bill

And I am impressed with the people behind me. As such, through the forthcoming NHS carbon reduction strategy, to which the noble Baroness referred, we are determined to implement a system that helps to achieve our ambition of a significant reduction in carbon-related emissions. We expect to launch a consultation on this strategy in June 2008. But that will be a beginning and not an end. The noble Baroness is right: this is not the whole story. The Care Quality Commission can of course play a role here. The good news is that the Health and Social Care Bill already allows us to give the Care Quality Commission an effective role in promoting and contributing to sustainable development across health and social care. The publication of comparative information is a significant incentive to improving services and I take this opportunity to put on record our intention to require the Care Quality Commission to publish information about the performance of NHS organisations and others in this vital area relating to how individual organisations are contributing to sustainable development. Chapter 3 gives the Care Quality Commission responsibility for reviews and the publication of comparative information on the quality of care. Chapter 5 allows studies as to economy, efficiency and so on. Those functions already allow the commission to consider aspects of sustainable development. Moreover, the indicators used for the commission’s periodic reviews could, where appropriate for health and adult social care organisations, be used to promote energy efficiency and broader elements of the sustainable development agenda, such as reducing health inequalities and tackling obesity. Our 2008-09 ““vital signs”” for PCT planning include, for the first time, an NHS carbon and energy efficiency indicator alongside those indicators for improving health and accessing effective care. Again, that is a start, not an end. We are committed to working up suitable indicators on sustainable development as one of the issues that the commission will consider in its periodic reviews. That approach may have greater impact than a general requirement such as is proposed in the amendment.