Monitoring government performance
The monitoring of the performance of municipal and provincial authorities in the area of environmental policy provides a picture of the effect of national environmental policy at the national and regional levels. The objectives, subjects, implementation, origin and the quality of the data are discussed here.
Reasons to monitor government performance
The primary objective of the Coordinating Committee for Government Monitoring (CCO) is to allow the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment to answer to the Lower House. Ministries also use the figures to evaluate the environment policy and to make it possible for, among others, the inspectorate to provide more targeted supervision. Municipal and provincial authorities use the information to set priorities for their own policy and for benchmarking. The monitoring of the Association of Provincial Authorities (IPO) primarily targets provincial authorities, followed by the ministries in question and the EU.
Subjects covered by the monitoring of government performance
Monitoring covers a wide range of environmental areas. The topics dealt with include:
- the establishment and implementation of government policy relating to environmental themes such as safety, noise, soil pollution, water, waste, desiccation and sustainable building;
- the establishment and implementation of government policy for environment-related themes such as nature, water and agriculture (in particular in the case of monitoring by the Association of Provincial Authorities);
- the drafting and appraisal of permits and company environmental plans for target sectors;
- the enforcement of environmental permits and rules;
- the elaboration of environment policy in zoning plans.
The implementation of the monitoring of government performance
The Coordination Committee for Government Monitoring (CCO) is responsible for monitoring the government. The CCO membership includes:
- the inspectorate of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (chair);
- various environment directorates of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment;
- the Association of Provincial Authorities;
- the Association of Netherlands Municipalities;
- the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM);
- the Institute for Inland Water Management and Wastewater Treatment.
The Association of Provincial Authorities monitors the progress of environment policy in the twelve provinces for the purposes of its reporting on the environment, water, agriculture and nature. The various chapters are written under the responsibility of the relevant consultation platforms and advisory groups of the Association of Provincial Authorities. The results are also available to the CCO and parts of them are included in the CCO Annual Report in accordance with the agreements made.
Origin of the data
The CCO collects the figures using surveys covering municipal authorities, water boards and national government. Data relating to provincial authorities is also collected by the Association of Provincial Authorities using written surveys. Statistics Netherlands, RIVM, the Waste Consultation Body (AOO) and the Facilitaire Organisatie Industrie also supply data (see the references in the various indicators).
Quality of the data
The CCO had 38 indicators in the 2002 Annual Report compared to 36 in preceding years. A large number of government authorities collaborated in voluntary government-monitoring activities in 2002; all the provincial authorities, 266 of 496 of the municipal authorities, 37 of the 54 water boards and 14 - in other words 93% - of the national government institutions. Municipal participation has increased in recent years (from approximately 40% to approximately 55%). The level of participation of the large municipalities (with more than 40,000 inhabitants) is high (8 out of 10) and the average population of the municipalities which participate is higher than the national average of 32,500 inhabitants. However, it is not known whether the figures presented are representative for all municipal authorities. Responses from municipal authorities can vary according to question or sub-question. This can be seen in annex C of the 2002 Annual Report.
The Association of Provincial Authorities monitors provincial authorities. All the provincial authorities answered the survey. The figures presented are based on data from all the provincial authorities unless otherwise stated in the text.
The sources are responsible for supplying the data and for the quality of the data. The manager (the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment) of the monitoring system checks the figures for consistency and processes them for the purposes of the national CCO indicators.
Reporting on the results of government monitoring
The CCO and the Association of Provincial Authorities report annually on government performance. Both reports compare, where possible, policy achievements with objectives set by the administration. The reports from the CCO and the Association of Provincial Authorities also describe developments over time.
The 2002 CCO Annual Report (CCO, 2003) also provides a picture of the achievements of all levels of the administration in the area of environment policy. The information about the policy achievements of provincial authorities relates to a selection of data from the surveys conducted by the Association of Provincial Authorities.
The 2003 report from the Association of Provincial Authorities (IPO, 2003) provides a picture of what was achieved at the interprovincial level in the area of the environment, water, agriculture and nature by the joint provincial authorities and the Association of Provincial Authorities. This report brings together a number of compulsory reports from the provincial authorities.
References
- CCO (2003). Overheidsmonitor, Jaarrapportage 2002. Rapportagereeks Milieu Monitor nr. 10. Coordinatiecommissie Overheidsmonitoring.
- IPO (2003). Interprovinciale rapportage Milieu, Water, Landbouw en Natuur 2003. This report contains an extensive set of data about the environment, water, nature and agriculture for 2002.
