WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
ICB: Unhappily for some people, there is no mention of ‘Hung, Drawn & Quartered’ as a penalty for bankers taking unwarranted risks! - The Independent Commission on Banking has published its Interim Report. The Commission has been asked to consider structural & related non-structural reforms to the UK banking sector to promote financial stability & competition and to make recommendations to the government.
The Interim Report sets out the Commission’s current & provisional views on the need for reform & on possible reform options, and it seeks views, evidence & analysis in response. The Commission has not reached final conclusions and is due to publish its final report in September 2011.
Press release ~ ICB report ~ Independent Commission on Banking: high-level summary of Issues Paper responses ~ PwC comment ~ CBI further comment ~ nef comment ~ iea comment ~ KPMG comment ~ Deloitte comment ~ Treasury Committee publishes findings on competition and choice in banking sector ~ Feather-bedding Financial Services ~ German savings banks and Swiss cantonal banks, lessons for the UK ~ Bank Creditors, Moral Hazard and Systemic Risk Regulation ~
Defra: EU energy labels get the plus factor - From 20 June 2011 consumers will see a new mandatory energy saving rating label when buying TVs, washing machines, dishwashers & fridge freezers to help make the right choice on what product is best for the environment. In conjunction with retailers, Defra has developed a toolkit of communication materials including a poster, leaflet and a film to explain the changes to the label.
The European Energy Label includes a rainbow of coloured bars and an indicator showing how well that product performs. The labels currently run from A-G, with A being the best & displayed as dark green, and G the worst, depicted as red.
The new labels will see the introduction of A+ and A++ so that products that have gone the extra energy saving mile gain more credit. As products become more energy efficient, higher categories of A+++ may also be added to the rating scale. But the colours of the label will remain the same, so dark green will always indicate the most energy efficient products, even if it is not always 'A'.
Press release ~ Directgov: European Energy Label ~ Video about new labels ~ Factors influencing the penetration of energy efficient electrical appliances into national markets in Europe (VLF: 4.5Mb) ~ Related previous PR on Green Claims guidance for compaies ~ Read the full Guidance or the shorter ‘quick guide’ ~ Ecolabels index ~ Defra: A shopper’s guide to green labels ~ Directgov: Green labels & claims
nef: Early pro-active action costs less than meeting needs reactively later on - A report (commissioned by Catch 22) attempts to measure & value how greater coherence & responsiveness in young people’s services would contribute to potentially better outcomes for young people & society.
Currently, public services do not deal effectively with this life stage. At the ages of 16, 17 and 18 many of the better targeted & coordinated services for children fall away, often leaving young people who lack support from their families both vulnerable & struggling.
An estimated 200,000 young people find themselves locked into destructive cycles, with long-term consequences for their economic, physical & emotional wellbeing and substantial costs for the state as a result of their ill-health and their dependence on welfare. Recent estimates suggest that youth unemployment costs the exchequer £8.1bn a year; the cost of crime is an additional £1bn each year.
Press release ~ Improving Services for Young People: An economic perspective ~ Catch 22 ~ Valuing What Matters ~ Ready or Not campaign ~ Nef: Social Return on Investment ~ Punishing costs: How locking up children is making Britain less safe ~ Demos: The Forgotten Half ~ Family breakdown in the UK – It’s NOT about divorce ~ CPA report: Youth Justice ~ Young people & alcohol: influences on how they drink ~ Ethnic minority young people: Differential treatment in the Youth Justice System ~ Economic and Social Research Council ~
HSE: It’s Party Time - Communities wanting to organise celebrations for the wedding of Prince William & Kate Middleton are being urged not to be fobbed off by jobsworths citing 'health & safety'. The Health & Safety Executive is concerned that 'health & safety' will be trotted out as an unfounded excuse not to hold local celebrations.
HSE has published new information on its website setting the record straight, along with a cartoon lampooning those who would stand in the way of communities celebrating together - returning to its previous 'myth busting' to pre-empt any attempts to inhibit celebrations with unnecessary bureaucracy & red tape.
Press release & links ~ Royal Wedding website ~ Related CLG PR and links
White Paper: Improving the UK’s Cyber Space Security – A Guide to Advanced Persistent Threats (APT’s) - As the UK’s dependence on cyberspace grows, the security of cyberspace becomes ever more critical to the health of the nation. Cyber space cuts across almost all of the threats. The coalition government has given national security the highest priority with the creation of the The National Cyber Security Programme, supported by £650 million of new investment over the next four years
The internet provides enormous benefits and opportunities for the ’s industries, government and public but as our reliance on it grows, so do the risks and threats we face online. These threats and opportunities are likely to increase significantly over the next five to ten years, as our dependency on cyber space deepens.
Imperva, leading data security solutions providers to government and the public sector, have recently produced a paper, ‘CISO’s Guide to Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) and Industrialisation of Hacking’.
Click here to receive your copy of the guide.
Please choose from the links below to view individual sections of interest: