Administrative organization

Form of State: regional State.
Parliament retains absolute sovereignty; this places it above all the administrative institutions at both central and local level. Legislative power lies solely with the Westminster Parliament, except for the legislative power allocated to the Scottish Parliament.
The State holds exclusive responsibility on the following matters:

• foreign policy, including relations with Europe
• defence and national security
• tax stability
• economic and monetary system
• market in goods and services
• employment policy
• social welfare

Interesting ministries:

• Ministry for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Minister: M. Hilary Benn. DG « Natural Environment » which includes a Local environment, chemicals and rural Directorate. DG « Strategy and Evidence » which includes a Direction Strategy and sustainable development Directorate.
• Ministry of Communities and Local Government. Minister: Mrs Hazel Blears. In charge of local development, local social cohesion, and planning, building and the environment.

This is the official data presented by the European Union on the British administration. However, it doesn’t take into account the devolution process that occurred in the United Kingdom and which gave new powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Basing ourselves on the documents form the Comittee of the Regions and on the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, we feel free to add here a second table, closer to reality:

Total public expenditure: € 800,9 billions = 44.7% GDP.
Sub-national public expenditure: € 234,5 billions = 13.1% GDP = 29.3% total public expenditure.

Rural life

Utilized agricultural area: 61% total area, i.e. about 147,925 km2.
Rural population: 10.3% total population.
Labour force in agriculture: 299,000 Annual Work Units (AWU).
Unemployment rate by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 5.4%
• Intermediate areas: 3.4%
• Thinly populated areas: 3.5%

Employment rate by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 70.1%
• Intermediate areas: 75.3%
• Thinly populated areas: 74.2%

Youth unemployment ratio by degree of urbanisation:

• Densely populated areas: 8.6%
• Intermediate areas: 6.4%
• Thinly populated areas: 5.7%
• Total: 8.8%

Share of organic area in total utilised agricultural area: 3.8%.

Sustainability

The first UK sustainable development strategy (UK-SDS) was adopted in 1994. In May 1999
the National Government adopted a second strategy, entitled “A better quality of life”. It aims at four main objectives:

• social progress that recognises the needs of everyone
• effective environmental protection
• prudent use of natural ressources
• maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment

In this perspective, the British SDS sets as guiding principles:

• putting people at the centre
• taking a long term perspective
• taking account of costs and benefits
• creating an open and supportive economic system
• combating poverty and social exclusion
• respecting environmental limits
• the precautionary principle
• using scientific knowledge transparency, information,participation and access to justice
• making the polluter pay

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has lead responsibility over the implementation of the strategy, but all Government departments have a responsibility for implementing it. Furthermore, the strategy contains several references to local and regional SD strategies. The devolution process involves much domestic policy issues to be devolved to the new developed administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The devolved administrations have their own sustainable development strategies.
Environmental protection expenditure in the public sector: 0.5 % of GDP, i.e. 132€ per capita.
Government expenditure on environment protection, in % of GDP%: 0.5%.
Government expenditure on environment protection, in % of total government expenditure: 1.3%.
Area protected under the Habitats Directive as a percentage of total area: 6.5%.