The government failed to reach its own target to reduce carbon emissions from its estate last year and "performed poorly" on other green targets, according to a parliamentary committee report.
The environmental audit committee said it was "unconvinced" by the government's claim that it is on track to exceed its 2010-11 target for carbon emissions from its estate and said the goverment had based its projections on "unverified figures."
According to figures from the Sustainable Development Commission the government failed to reach its target for sustainable operations in the period 2007-08 although it was on track to meet targets for recycling and the sourcing of energy from renewable sources.
However, it said that the performance of these targets had dipped from the preceding period of 2006-07 and changes made to the governance of its sustainable operations have been confusing or ineffective.
The audit committee report said that this was "not good enough."
"It must continue to improve the sustainability of its operations each year. The ease with which the Government continues to meet some targets, even when its performance worsens, indicates the urgent need for the government to set itself stringent targets that match the high level of ambition of its own policies on climate change and sustainable development," the report said.
The report also criticised the limited scope of departments and executive agencies that fall under the scrutiny of targets and urged the government to extend monitoring to the wider public sector, including outsourced operations.
Despite the criticisms, the commission has increased the government's overall green rating from three stars to four. It also and praises improvements made in the quality of the data produced by the government.
The committee makes a number of recommendations including procurement - it says the government has the power to influence suppliers and the wider economy - and the development of "green skills" in its workforce. It also calls for greater accountability and a formal audit process.
