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WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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| The more they ‘evade’ the bigger the cuts will have to be |
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Tax evaders and the professionals who enable tax evasion will face tough new sanctions, including 2 new criminal offences and higher penalties, under a new regime to crack down on offshore evaders. The details on the new evasion regime & avoidance sanctions are outlined in a report published recently which sets out the government’s approach to tax avoidance & tax evasion. The government will consult on the detail of the new evasion regime. Over the course of this Parliament, as a result of actions taken to tackle evasion, avoidance & non-compliance, HMRC will have secured £100bn in additional revenue. This includes more than £31bn from big businesses, and an extra £1.2bn from the UK’s 6,000 richest people, who each have a net worth of £20m or more. |
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HMRC: New criminal offences in clampdown on tax evasion Tackling tax evasion and avoidance Reducing tax evasion and avoidance Looking back one can see that tax collection (in some cases) is just like trying to carry live eels Guardian: Tax officials call for more resources and better pay after HSBC scandal Perhaps the Greek government should try and book some places? |
| The more they ‘look’ the more they find! |
| An assessment into the extent of child sexual exploitation in the West Midlands has been published to coincide with national CSE Awareness Day. It sets out the latest understanding across the region of victims, offenders & locations, how the police, local authorities & partners are dealing with the issue and what happens next. |
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Report: Assessment into the extent of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the West Midlands NHS England: Our vital stand against child sexual exploitation Somehow the term ‘The Great & the Good’ no longer seems to be appropriate for our ‘Civic Leaders’ |
| But it must happen! |
| The active promotion of British values in all schools is welcome but the monitoring of how this is achieved in individual schools must be carried out with common sense & sensitivity, says the Education Committee in its extremism in schools report. |
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PC&PE: Common sense needed in tackling "extremism" in schools £1m to help schools recruit high-calibre governors Oral statement by Nicky Morgan on the 'Trojan Horse' letter PM actions in response to allegations of extremism in schools Is the promotion of mutual respect & tolerance incompatible with the faith ethos of some schools? Report from the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation & Extremism |
| 18-year old recruits of 1939 will be 94! |
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William Hague, Leader of the House of Commons, has announced 3 days of commemorations (8 – 10 May 2015) to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day 70) this summer. The plans include events across the UK to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Events will range from a parade, a service of thanksgiving and a star-studded concert in central London, to street parties around the UK. In the coming weeks, the government will also announce plans to mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, which will include a day of major events on 15 August 2015. |
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| Bringing the ‘Westminster Bubble’ to the electorate |
| Ofcom has published a statement on broadcasting rules ahead of the General Election, English local and mayoral elections on 7 May 2015. Ofcom's role, under duties set by Parliament, is to set rules for a minimum allocation of short party election broadcasts. |
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| The ‘problem’ grows every day |
| techUK welcomes the education of the next cyber generation. As business increasingly relies on digital technology to function, and awareness of cyber incidents continues to increase, demand for cyber security skills is far outstripping supply. In light of this, BIS recently announced a number of cyber security skills initiatives, linked to broadening entry routes to the cyber security profession, and embedding cyber security in digital qualifications. |
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techUK: BIS announce initiatives aimed at closing the widening cyber security skills gap CESG: Cyber Security Challenge 2015 This could really hurt (your organisation) |
| However, the debate about if it is a ‘Living Wage’ goes on |
| The PM & the Deputy PM have announced that the National Minimum Wage will increase by 3% to a new rate of £6.70 per hour, effective from October 2015. This is the largest real-terms increase in the National Minimum Wage since 2008, and over 1.4m of Britain’s lowest-paid workers are set to benefit. |
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10DS: PM & DPM announce increase in the National Minimum Wage |
| More than a ‘Living Wage’! |
| People on minimum wage Judges in the country’s highest court have declared that the benefit cap is lawful. The Supreme Court dismissed a challenge that the benefit cap was in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. The benefit cap limits the amount of benefits a household can receive to £500 a week for couples and £350 a week for households of a single adult. A cap of £26,000 a year for out-of-work families is the equivalent of a salary of £34,000. |
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| DWP: Supreme Court finds in favour of benefit cap |
| Just a tad OTT perhaps |
| Responding to the change to the Civil Service Code, which states that civil servants must ensure they have Ministerial authorisation for any contact with the media, FDA General Secretary Dave Penman said: "The announcement of a blanket ban on media contact for civil servants …. is an unnecessary, unworkable and unjustified restriction on the work of the civil service. ….. Guidance to regulate contact between civil servants and the media is already in place and we can see no justification for this sudden, drastic change, other than intimidating civil servants into silence." |
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| FDA: Blanket ban on civil service media contact is ‘unnecessary, unworkable & unjustified’ |
| One should at least get what one pays for as a minimum |
| The shift to longer contract lengths for mobile phones has left some consumers facing contract exit fees as high as £800, despite bad coverage or missing features, a new report from Citizens Advice on the state of the mobile phone market finds. New research from the national charity examines what prompted the 21,500 mobile phone problems reported to the Citizens Advice consumer service last year. The report, Calling the shots?, reveals that there is widespread confusion over who is responsible when things go wrong with their mobile. The report highlights the issues people face over faulty phones, shock bills run up by thieves, and people trapped into paying for poor service. |
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CAB: Mobile phone customers locked into longer contracts with bad service |
| We should be able to find out just how our taxes are spent and who with |
| In a report published last week, the ICO reports “a transparency gap has opened up in the provision of public service”, and sets out a range of solutions to tackle the issue. In an ICO survey, 75% of people said it was important that private companies acting on behalf of public authorities should be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. |
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ICO calls for greater transparency around government outsourcing |
| Register to take part in the General Election! |
| The Electoral Commission has yesterday launched a major public awareness campaign to remind people they must register to vote by the 20 April 2015 deadline if they want to take part in the General Election. |
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Electoral Commission has launched a major public awareness campaign to remind people they must register to vote by the April 20 deadline if they want to take part in the General Election – (Elections watchdog teams up with NUS and other youth organisations to say to students #RegAFriend) |
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More news, opinions, documents, claims & counter-claims; |
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ScotGov: Still debate over Scotland’s future |
