Arts Council
Peter Hewitt, Chief Executive, Arts Council
“I believe that by giving the public a greater voice we can achieve a greater sense of accountability in the publicly funded arts sector, one that is meaningful to the Arts Council’s own ambitions, to the individuals and organisations we fund and to wider society. “
The first stage of the inquiry is a series of in-depth discussion groups with members of the public across the country, including those that currently have little or no involvement with the arts. The next stage of the programme will include extensive research with artists, arts organisations and other Arts Council stakeholders.
In the New Year key issues will be opened up to wider public consultation & debate, with everyone able to have their say by logging on to the interactive discussion forum on the arts debate website.
The inquiry will come to a close in May 2007 and findings will be published in the autumn, along with the Arts Council’s response and plans for the future.
Press release ~ Arts Debate website ~ Arts Council England ~ British Arts Council ~ Value of Art ~ Engage ~ Policy Exchange – Report: Culture Vultures: Is the UK arts policy damaging the arts? ~ Arts and Education ~ The National Network for the Arts in Health ~ MadforArts ~ Children’s Art Day
Scottish Executive: Could
· Proposals for a fair, stable & transparent Local Property Tax based on up-to-date property values
· The same amount of money will be raised as under the current system - but in a fairer way
· Almost half of households would pay less & two-thirds of households overall would pay the same or less
· The Committee considered - and rejected - all other options for local domestic taxation
The committee thought that:
· property taxes are better suited for use as a local tax than income tax as they are difficult to avoid, suitable for local collection and are also relatively stable
· there is a strong theoretical case for taxing property as well as income and consequently for including a local property tax in the overall basket of taxes.
· there is a broad relationship in most cases between property values and ability to pay and there are better ways of helping those who need help than moving away from a property tax.
Press release ~ Local Government Finance Review Committee website ~ Report: A Fairer Way ~ The Impact of Council Tax on Older People's Income ~ Benefits Tangles ~ Council Tax Abolition and Service Tax Introduction (Scotland) Bill – Help the Aged response ~ SPICe Briefing ~ Lyons Inquiry website ~ JRF: Struggling to pay council tax: A new perspective on the debate about local taxation ~ Summary of Findings for ‘Struggling to pay council tax’ ~ JRF: Overcoming obstacles to equity release
HM Treasury: A Bond for Life - An international programme to deliver $4 billion over the next ten years on the immunisation of up to 500 million children in the world's 70 poorest countries has been launched with a ceremony in London attended by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan, and representatives of Britain's faith groups.
The International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) aims protect children against preventable diseases like polio, measles, diphtheria and hepatitis and is estimated to save 5 million lives in the years up to 2015, a further 5 million afterwards, and lead to the eradication of polio.
Commitments have so far been made by the
An inaugural bond issue is expected to raise up to $1bn, with the proceeds going immediately to help the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) to develop new & under-used vaccines, speed up the development of new vaccines in poorer countries and improve health services.
It is estimated that every year up to three million children die from diseases that could be prevented by vaccines that are available now or could be in the near future.
Press release ~ International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) ~ GAVI Alliance ~ United Nations' Millennium Development Goals ~ BBC News – Q&A: How the bonds work ~ World Health Organisation (WHO) – Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals ~ UNICEF – Immunisation Plus
Home Office: Political gimmicks don’t work but well resourced projects can deliver results - A report published by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) into ASBOs and under-18s, found that some teenagers view anti-social behaviour orders - or 'ASBOs' - as a 'badge of honour'. The report also claims that young people given ASBOs are sometimes seen by peers as glamorous, and that in half of all cases of ASBOs issued to youths the conditions attached to them were violated.
Despite these issues, the Chair of the YJB has been quick to defend ASBOs, claiming that they “work incredibly well” provided they backed up by youth offending teams offering the support & advice families need to help their troubled children.
Since the research in this report was commissioned last year, the YJB, in partnership with the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers, has issued guidance on the use of ASBOs on those under age 18, encouraging the involvement of youth offender management when ASBOs are issued to young people.
Press release ~ Download the summary of the YJB study ~ YJB ~ Anti-Social Behaviour Order Guidance ~ Anti Social Behaviour Orders ~ ASBO Statistics ~ ASBO concern ~ Every Child Matters: Youth offending teams ~ Together - tackling anti-social behaviour ~ Home Office: Anti-social behaviour ~ Directgov – Anti-social behaviour ~ Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 ~ Respect
Home Office: Ensuring sentences provide a sense of justice & public protection - New proposals to simplify sentencing and better protect the public have been unveiled for consultation (closes on
· making sentences easier for the public to understand
· giving judges more discretion to calculate & more clearly express how long dangerous offenders will spend in prison
· making it possible for some prisoners who present a serious risk to the public, with fixed sentences to be held in prison beyond the automatic halfway release point
· giving offender managers the power to deal with a breach of a community order without having to go back to a court, and
· reducing demands on probation resources so that probation officers can spend more time supervising more serious offenders
Press release ~ Consultation: Making Sentencing Clearer ~ CJS Review: Rebalancing the criminal justice system in favour of the law-abiding majority ~ CJS Online ~ Sentencing Guidelines Council ~ Orders for Lifelong Restriction ~ Risk Management Authority ~ Five Year Strategy for Protecting the Public and Reducing Re-offending ~ Chief Inspector of Probation report into the events leading to the death of John Monckton ~ National Offender Management Service (NOMS) ~ Risk of Harm 2005 Action ~ NAO: National Offender Management Service: Dealing with increased numbers in custody ~ Carter Report - Managing Offenders, Reducing Crime: A New Approach
Defra: Just in case it all goes wrong down on the farm - A plan to conserve the genetic material of the country's farmed animals has been launched in order to improve & maintain the diversity of our livestock's genetic material in the future.
The plan makes a strong case to support the view that the range of livestock breeds in the
The recommendations fall under the following broad categories:
· To maintain an advisory body to better inform the public, industry and policymakers on the country's farm animal breeds
· To improve the collection, quality & availability of information and data on genetic resources to provide effective ways for their future use
· To support the prioritisation, development and implementation of projects to conserve our genetic diversity
· To maintain a co-ordinating function and enhance issues surrounding genetic resources in other areas of Government and Industry
Press release ~ DfES: Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) ~ UK National Action Plan on Farm Animal Genetic Resources ~ FAnGR ~ National Steering Committee (NSC) for Farm Animal Genetic Resources ~ UK Country Report on Farm Animal Genetic Resources 2002 ~ 'First Report on the State of the World's Farm Animal Genetic Resources' ~ UN Food and Agriculture Organisation ~ Genetic resources for food and agriculture ~ The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture ~ The Royal Society: GM animals
For the latest Industry News please click HERE
For information on forthcoming public sector events please click HERE to visit the WGPlus Events Calendar
DfES: Children, Young People and Families
Minister Beverley Hughes has welcomed the next stage of a pathfinder project
that will look at how boarding provision might be used to improve the life
chances of some vulnerable children and young people.
Some children and young people who have multiple
needs and those living in families with a high risk of breakdown or of being
moved in to care may benefit from going to boarding school. Currently, the use of this sort of
provision varies greatly between authorities and it isn't suitable for all
young people.
Press release ~
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
(CAMHS) ~ Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children
and Young People in Care ~ Champion Vulnerable Children ~ Outcome Indicators for Looked after Children ~
DfES: Looked-after children – the struggle for
stability ~
Every child
matters: Change for Children ~ Boarding School Placement ~ CSCI - Being a Boarder ~ Boarding Schools: National Minimum
Standards Inspection Regulations ~ JRF: Progress on safeguards for children
living away from home
DCLG: New Government analysis has revealed that millions of
tonnes of carbon and billions of pounds in fuel bills could be
saved by simple measures like cavity wall insulation.
The initial report from the Review
of the Sustainability of Existing Buildings shows that millions of homes
across the country could benefit from cost effective improvements, with
widespread implementation thought to save around 7MtC (million tonnes of
carbon) a year.
The Government is now looking at ways to give householders the
information & support they need to make changes to their homes, and have
highlighted the potential of Energy
Performance Certificates (EPCs) as one possible
method.
Press release ~ Review of the Sustainability of Existing Buildings: the Energy
Efficiency of Dwellings - Initial Analysis ~ Energy Saving
Trust ~ Carbon Trust ~ Sample Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ~ Sustainable
Homes ~ Closed consultation
Paper: Proposals for Introducing a Code for Sustainable Homes
~ EU Directive on the energy performance of
buildings ~
Guardian article on EPC and green mortgages ~ EU Building Performance
Directive Implementation Advisory Group (DIAG)
Fellows’ Associates: Fellows’ Associates recently became the
R4E certification is awarded to organisations
with a strong focus on quality management and who have implemented the EFQM
Excellence Model and management frameworks.
Press release ~
Recognised for Excellence (R4E) ~
British Quality Foundation ~
European
Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) ~ Fellows’s Associates
CC: The Charity Commission has registered
the Farepak Response Fund, which has
been set up to help the thousands of families who together lost an estimated
£50 million when the company Farepak went out of business, as a charity.
The Farepak Response Fund - registered
charity number 1116756 - will make grants to the families affected to help them
buy the food and presents they had saved for all year. The charity will be run by the Family Fund, a charity which gives
grants to families with severely disabled or seriously ill children throughout
the
The Farepak Response Fund is seeking
donations from private companies, charitable trusts and members of the public
to enable vouchers to be provided to affected families in time for Christmas.
Donations must be received by the
Fund no
later than 24 November.
Press release ~
Farepak Response Fund ~ The
Family Fund ~ Charity
Commission ~ Farepak
website
WAG:
Wales has been hailed as moving towards having one of the most advanced
waste management operations in Europe, as the Welsh Assembly Government announced that the Wales Waste and Resources Research Centre
(WWRReC) is to receive a grant of £560,388, allowing it to continue its
valuable work for a further two and a half years.
The funding will allow
for the revamped centre to consist of a full time Director to be based at
Cardiff University, additional staff and enable the Centre to continue to
facilitate & develop active collaborations between academics &
stakeholders in the waste and resources sector across
Wales.
Press release
~ Wales
Waste and Resources Research Centre (WWRReC) ~
Waste Treatment Technology Network (WTTN) ~
Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy - Reaching Higher ~ Wise About Waste - the National Waste Strategy
for Wales ~ Waste and
Recycling
DCLG: A National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU) has been
established to provide independent advice on improving housing market
affordability and is expected to be fully operational in early
2007 with its offices at the Office of National Statistics in
Titchfield, near
The Unit’s purpose is to help strengthen
the housing market evidence base & analysis currently available to the regional planning bodies and help to ensure
that new homes identified in regional plans have a positive impact in improving
housing affordability.
The NHPAU has been set up in response to one
of the key recommendations in Kate Barker's Review of Housing Supply, which found that during the last 30 years
of the twentieth century house building rates halved whereas demand for new homes increased by
a third – leading to a shortage of homes
in some areas and corresponding increase in house
prices.
Press release ~
The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU)
Remit ~ The Barker Review ~ DCLG - Responding to the demand for homes ~
DCLG - Housing in England: A strategic overview of housing
policy ~ Report: Housing
policy: An overview (2005) (VLF 3.93Mb) ~ Pamphlet:
Extending home ownership (2005) ~ JRF article: Addressing housing affordability, clearance and relocation issues in
the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders
DTI: The formation of a European Union energy policy and the
need for member states to resist economic nationalism in the energy sector.
These are the messages that
Malcolm Wicks underlined in a speech to the Friends of Europe think tank.
His speech comes as a new study finds that
the
Press release ~
Friends of Europe ~ Previous reports (Energy Market Competitiveness Rankings for
the EU and G7 should appear there shortly) ~ Oxford Economic Research Associates (OXERA) ~
EU Energy policy links
Defra: A consultation (closing
In a speech to the Environmental
Industries Commission, Environment Secretary David Miliband said that while
energy-intensive industries were covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Climate Change Agreements, large non-energy intensive organisations
must also play a part in reducing carbon dioxide
emissions.
The consultation is asking for views on the most cost-effective measures
to reduce emissions from large, non-energy intensive organisations by 1.2m tonnes
of carbon a year by 2020. Two options are considered in
detail: an Energy Performance
Commitment and voluntary system of
reporting and benchmarking.
Press release ~
Consultation ~
Defra commissioned
independent analysis of the costs and benefits of a potential
scheme ~ Environmental Industries Commission ~
Home Office: A consultation paper (closes 9
February 2007) has been launched regarding proposals to stop criminals being able to
make money by selling the story of their
crimes.
Making sure that crime doesn't
pay is the
latest step in the Government's work to put the rights of victims of crime at the heart of the criminal justice
system.
The proposals are aimed solely at
criminal's accounts of & views on their crime and any new measure will not
prevent an author or film maker from interviewing or working with a criminal
and are not targeted at anyone else's profits from publications. It is also envisaged that any new
measure would not cover other publications by
criminals,
such as prison diaries.
Press release
~ <
FONT color=#800080 size=2>Consultation ~ CJS Review, Rebalancing the criminal justice system in
favour of the law-abiding majority ~ Criminal Justice
System Online ~ Support After Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM) ~ Victim Support ~
Prolific & Priority Offenders Programme
Mini-site ~ Delivering Simple, Speedy,
Summary Justice ~ Parole
Board ~ Probation Service ~ Prison
Service
Home Office: New proposals to simplify sentencing
and better protect the public have been unveiled for consultation (closes on
DH: The Department of
Health is claiming that people with mental health problems will have more
choice over their treatment under new guidance - 'Our Choices in Mental
Health' - which sets
out the national framework that will make more choice available locally to
people who use mental health services in England.
The framework provides advice & information for
service users & carers on the kind of choices they should expect to receive
in the future and on how practitioners can extend the choices they offer in
mental health services. The
document also includes positive practice examples showing how these
improvements are already being achieved in many
areas.
Other resources launched recently include a
checklist to help local communities in extending choice and a website providing
on-line support
Press release ~
'Our Choices in Mental Health' ~
DCLG: A new framework setting out the
Government's key policies and principles for minerals planning in
Minerals Policy Statement 1 (MPS1), Planning and
Minerals provides advice & guidance
to planning authorities and the minerals industry and it will ensure that the need by society and the
economy for minerals is managed in an integrated way against its impact on the
environment and communities.
MPS1 is accompanied by a Practice Guide, which sets out how the policies in the statement might
best be implemented.
Press release ~
Minerals Policy Statement 1 (MPS1), Planning and
Minerals ~ Planning and Minerals: Practice Guide ~ The (closed) consultation paper on Minerals Policy Statement 1:
Planning and Minerals and associated Good Practice Guide ~ Minerals Policy Statement 1: Planning and Minerals - Summary of
Key Issues raised in responses ~ Final Regulatory Impact Assessment for Minerals Policy Statement
1: Planning and Minerals, and the Practice Guide ~ CBI Minerals
Group ~ MineralsUK ~ GoodQuarry.com ~ Global Mining
Initiative (GMI) ~ Mining, Minerals
and Sustainable Development Project
DCLG: New guidance for local authorities on
how to take planning enforcement action has been outlined following the recently published results of the Review of Planning
Enforcement.
The review recommends that enforcement should remain at the
discretion of local authorities and led directly to the introduction
of Temporary Stop Notices (TSNs), which can stop
unauthorised development for 28 days. During the years 2005/06, over 300 TSN’s have been used to
stop unauthorised development, protect the environment and speed up the process
of enforcement action
The Good Practice Guide on
Enforcing Planning Control will be updated next year and provide the
latest information for local authorities on how to tackle a broad range of
enforcement actions.
Press release ~
Review of The Planning Enforcement System in England: Final
Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) ~ Review of planning enforcement: Summary of
Recommendations ~ Closed consultation documents: Review of the Planning Enforcement
System in England ~ Circular 10/97: Enforcing planning control: legislative
provisions and procedural requirements ~ Planning Policy Guidance 18: Enforcing planning
control ~ Temporary Stop Notices
(TSN) ~ Planning Advisory Service
Defra: New flood defences must
be fully adaptable to the consequences of climate change and rising sea levels
according to new guidance issued by Defra. The guidance advises those responsible for
building flood defences to plan for the long term, by factoring in increasing
rates of sea level rise - a result of the climate change already locked in to
the global system.
The new guidance, in line with previous
climate change scenarios issued by Defra, will help authorities to calculate
when & how best to build allowances for climate change & sea level rise
into their flood defence plans.
As well as higher sea levels, unchecked
climate change could lead to an increase in the intensity, severity and
frequency of coastal storms & rainfall events affecting river catchments
and urban surface water flooding.
The new guidance also includes updated allowances for these
events.
The Government will shortly be
publishing a new planning
policy statement on
development and flood risk, PPS25. This is intended to help avoid
inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding and direct development
away from areas at highest risk - so lessening the future impact of climate
change on flood risk.
Press release ~
Stern Review on
the Economics of Climate Change ~ Project appraisal guidance: procedural guidance for
operating authorities ~ Closed consultation on Planning Policy Statement 25: Development and
Flood Risk ~ UK Climate Impacts
Programme ~ UK Resilience Flooding website ~
Defra - Making Space for
Water ~ Environment Agency Flood
website ~ Foresight Project – Flood and Coastal
Defense ~ ABI
Flooding & Insurance website (includes principles) ~
Direct Gov Flooding
website ~ Defra Flood management website ~ Repair and restoration of buildings following
flooding ~ Flooding in Scotland ~ Institute of Civil
Engineers – Engineering skills for flood risk management
~ National Flood forum ~
National Appraisal of Assets at Risk of
Flooding and Coastal Erosion in England and Wales ~
Flood
Ranger
DCLG: A new manual to boost opportunities for
people to learn about how to make a difference to their communities has been
published, setting out the guiding principles & values for educating
citizens to enable them to influence decision making & shape public
services in their communities.
The Take Part Framework, part of the Government’s Together We Can initiative, offers
practical information & advice on how to develop learning opportunities in citizenship for adults from
a diverse range of backgrounds - from people with learning difficulties in
Devon to Somali refugees in Sheffield.
The
Framework, which is available as an
online resource, will support
the proposals set out in the Local Government White Paper published last
month. These include plans to
place a duty on local authorities to encourage
residents to be involved in the local
decision making process, by providing them with the information, skills and
confidence they need.
Press release ~
Take Part Framework ~ Take
Part ~ Active Learning for Active Citizenship pilot programme (June 2004 to
March 2006) ~ Together We
Can ~ Local Government White Paper ~ Citizenship Education curriculum ~ Citizenship programme for 16 to19 year
olds ~ Community Development Foundation (CDF) ~ Community Development Xchange (CDX) ~ Active Citizenship - Getting
Involved
The Parole Board: The Parole Board has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2005/06,
reporting on its performance against business plan targets, statistics for
determinate sentence & life sentence prisoners and accounts for the
year.
The report also gives details of the work
carried out to improve public confidence during a year which has seen the Board
come under public scrutiny as never before.
Press release ~
Annual Report and Accounts for
2005/06 ~ Stats Annexe 2005-2006 ~ The Parole Board ~ Probation Service ~ Prison Service ~
Home Office – Justice & Prisons ~ Your Rights: Parole: Parole and
release ~ CJS - Parole
Scottish Executive: In his first annual report,
The report comments how since smoking was banned in March 2006, Scotland
has seen a reduction in passive smoking rates and is showing early
signs of encouraging more people to quit; all of which is expected
to reduce
lung cancer rates to just a few hundred cases a year in the
future.
Dr Burns also spoke about other positive signs of health
improving north of the border, with life expectancy, breast feeding rates, the
dental health of children and immunisation rates all up.
Press release
~ Health in Scotland
2005 ~ Cleaning the air - Scotland ~ Scottish Executive: Improving Scotland’s Health
~ Scottish Health Improvement Agency ~ Scotland's
Health on the Web (NHS Scotland) ~ Public Health
Institute of Scotland ~ Health Protection
Scotland ~ Scottish Health
Statistics ~ BBC News: Q&A on passive
smoking
NAO: The
Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP) has lost £2.7bn from fraud
& error in benefit payments in 2005-06, with 60% of the
losses caused by official error. As a result, the head of the National Audit Office, Sir John Bourn,
has reported to Parliament that he has had to qualify the
DWP accounts, the 17th year in
which this action has been taken against the
Department.
In an effort to counterbalance the damming
action, Sir John acknowledged progress towards removing or tackling the
qualifications which have been made to the Department's account in recent
years and hopes that a newly established
Official Error Taskforce and new IT
systems will help reduce losses.
Press release ~
NAO report on DWP Resource Accounts
2005-06 ~ National Audit
Office (NAO) ~ DWP Quarterly Statistical
Summary ~ DWP – Benefit Fraud ~ Benefit Fraud
Inspectorate (BFI) ~ CAB - Benefits website ~ Strategy paper - Reducing fraud in the
benefit system (VLF1.3Mb) ~ Fraud Review
website
Defra:
75.1% of all English bathing waters also
reached much tighter 'guideline' water quality standards, higher than
last year's figure of 73.7%.
Higher standards will apply from
2015 and more information about
bathing waters will be provided to the public at beaches and
online.
Press release
~ 2006 results summary
tables ~
Ofsted:
Secondary schools which have in the past been judged as having
‘unsatisfactory behaviour’
are reducing low-level disruption by improving teaching, making learning more
enjoyable and providing wider choice within the curriculum; alongside ensuring
that all staff understand & consistently implement procedures for managing
behaviour.
A report by Ofsted, entitled Improving Behaviour, comments on
how schools are succeeding in tackling unsatisfactory behaviour by
spelling out what is considered to be unacceptable behaviour and its
consequences, whilst making good use of monitoring and celebrating
good behaviour. The schools also
seek students’ views about each stage of the improvement process and consult
with their local authorities.
Successful schools found
that as low level disruption reduced, any deep-seated behavioural
problems were unmasked, allowing the identification of vulnerable
students, including those at risk of permanent exclusion, and the
provision of one-to-one mentoring to discuss issues and work on
solutions.
Press release
~ Ofsted: Improving
Behaviour ~ Evaluation of the impact of learning support units ~ DfES: Improving Behaviour in Schools ~ <
FONT color=#0000ff size=2>Learning Support Unit (LSU) ~
MoD: The Armed Forces Act 2006, which has now received Royal Assent, harmonises & streamlines the discipline
systems of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force and pardons over 300
soldiers (including Private Harry Farr) who were executed in World War
One.
The introduction of the pardon is intended to
remove the dishonour of execution.
It does not quash the convictions or sentences and as such does not
apply to those convicted of murder.
It recognises that execution was not a fate that the servicemen
deserved.
The primary purpose of the Act is to
harmonise & streamline the discipline systems of the Royal Navy, Army and
Royal Air Force. This will be
particularly beneficial in a joint operational environment such as
The key changes in the Act include creating a
single independent Service Prosecuting
Authority and a faster, more efficient Redress procedure with an
independent member to sit on the Services Complaints Panel to deal with certain cases such as
bullying and harassment.
A
Complaints Commissioner will be appointed
to hear complaints & allegations from service personnel and third
parties.
Press release ~
MoD – Armed Forces Bill and background
links ~ Armed
Forces Act 2006 ~
WW1 executions ~ BBC Schools online ~ Shot at Dawn
(SAD) Campaign ~ Centre
for First World War Studies ~ Military justice ~ Military justice in the dock after acquittals - Law - Times
Online ~
BBC - History - Shot at Dawn: Cowards, Traitors or
Victims?
Defra: The Animal Welfare Act 2006
has received Royal Assent and will come into effect on
·
FONT>
introduce a "duty
of care" on people to ensure the needs of any animal for which they are
responsible
·
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create a new
offence of failing to provide for the needs of an animal in your
care
·
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allow action to
protect animals to be taken much earlier.- rather than have to wait for an
animal to show the signs of suffering, enforcers will be able to intervene
before suffering begins
·
FONT>
place more
emphasis on owners and keepers who will need to understand their
responsibilities and take all reasonable steps to provide for the needs of
their animals
Press release ~
Defra Bill website ~ Animal Welfare Act 2006 ~ House of Commons Select
Committee for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs report ~ Government response to Select
Committee ~ Analysis of the replies to the
public consultation (VLF 1.8Mb)
DfT: The Civil Aviation Act 2006 has
received Royal Assent and it is intended to:
·
clarify & strengthen the
measures available to airports for dealing with aircraft
noise
·
clarify the ability of
airports to set charges that reflect local emissions from
aircraft.
·
provide powers for a levy on
the aviation industry to replenish the Air Travel Trust Fund, which, along with the ATOL scheme,
protects customers of failed tour operators
·
enable Ministers to
authorise local authority airport companies to undertake specified activities
which have previously been outside their powers
·
allow the Civil Aviation
Authority to recoup the costs of its Aviation Health Unit by a levy on the industry
·
remove the right of airlines
to appeal to the Secretary of State in route licensing cases decided by the
CAA
·
clarify the respective roles
of aerodrome managers and the police in protecting an
airport
Press release
~ Civil Aviation Act 2006 ~ The Future of Air Transport -
White Paper and the Civil Aviation Bill ~ Air Travel Trust Fund ~ Responses to consultation on the Replenishment of the Air Travel
Trust Fund and Proposed Reform of ATOL Bonding ~ Civil Aviation
Authority ~ ATOL ~ Public experiences of and
attitudes to air travel ~ Air traffic
forecasts
DfT: The
Road Safety Act 2006 has received Royal Assent and
will:
·
FONT>
introduce the new
offences of causing death by careless driving or causing death by driving while
unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured
·
FONT>
crack down on
motorists who break the law by driving without insurance, or using a vehicle
that is un-roadworthy
·
FONT>
make it more
difficult for foreign drivers to escape penalties for driving offences
committed in the
·
FONT>
bring in measures
to raise driving standards through better education & training,
and
·
FONT>
offer more
appropriate penalties for offences such as speeding or driving using a
hand-held mobile phone
Press release ~
DfT Road Safety
Bill ~ Road Safety Act 2006 (the Act will appear here
shortly) ~ Defra - Tackling unlicensed and abandoned
vehicles ~ ’Think Road Safety’ ~ "Seizure
of vehicles being driven uninsured" ~ Home Office Bad Driving website ~ Brake road safety charity
DTI: The Companies Act 2006 received Royal
Assent this week and the government claims that it will introduce sweeping
changes to simplify & improve company law, despite it being the largest Act
ever, with 1,300 sections. All
parts of the Act will be in force by October 2008
About a third of this is a straightforward
restatement of the previous law in clearer & simpler language. It replaces the company law provisions
of the 1985 Companies Act, the 1989 Companies Act and the 2004 Companies
(Audit, Investigations and Connuity Enterprise) Act, except for the
self-standing provisions on community interest companies and provisions on
investigations (which go wider than companies):
·
FONT>
The first measures
to be introduced will include provisions on company communications to
shareholders. These will be
introduced in January 2007, saving
businesses over £50million by using electronic communications rather than
paper.
·
FONT>
The clauses on
takeovers which give the Takeover Panel power to make rules within a statutory
framework will also be one of the first areas introduced.
·
FONT>
Measures relating
to disclosure to the market and clarification of the liability attaching to
such disclosures will also come in at an early
stage.
·
FONT>
Shareholder
engagement will also be promoted through enhancing the powers of proxies and
making it easier for indirect investors to be informed and exercise governance
rights in the company.
·
FONT>
The package also
includes allowing shareholders to agree to limit the auditors' liability to
the company to what is fair and reasonable.
·
FONT>
The Act also
includes a new offence for recklessly or knowingly including misleading, false
or deceptive matters in an audit report.
·
FONT>
A power is
provided in the Act to require institutional investors to disclose how they use
their votes.
·
FONT>
The Act also paves
the way for the Financial Reporting Council to undertake regulation of the
actuarial profession, following the Penrose report into Equitable
Life
Press release ~
DTI – Companies Bill website ~ Companies
Act 2006 (the Act will appear here
shortly)
Home Office: The Police and Justice Act
2006 has received Royal Assent and is intended to ‘drive forward key strands of the
Government's police reform programme and create the provisions to implement
parts of the Respect Action Plan’.
The Bill will empower the police and improve
performance by:
·
FONT>
establishing a National Policing Improvement
Agency
·
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creating a set of
standard powers for Community Support Officers (CSOs) in all
areas
·
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amending the
powers for the Home Secretary to intervene directly in poorly performing
forces
·
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making changes to
the make-up and functions of police authorities
·
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giving police the
power to capture passenger and crew data on journeys within the
·
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giving police
powers to stop and search people and vehicles in any area of an airport, where
they have reasonable grounds to suspect that criminal activity has, or is about
to take place
Measures also enable the Government to act on
commitments outlined in the Respect Action Plan by:
·
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increasing the
number of agencies that can enter into Parenting Contracts and apply for
Parenting Orders
·
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providing a power
for CSOs to take part in truancy sweeps
·
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providing Trading
Standards Officers with the power to issue Penalty Notices for Disorder to
clamp down on licensed premises that sell alcohol to
under-18s
·
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strengthening
conditional cautions to add a punitive element to the
conditions
Additional measures
include:
·
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strengthening
joint working arrangements between the five criminal justice
inspectorates
·
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the ability to
conclude prisoner transfer agreements without consent, which will ensure that,
wherever possible, foreign nationals will serve their prison sentences in their
home country
·
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extending the
Independent Police Complaints Commission's (IPCC) remit to investigate
immigration service enforcement activity
·
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increasing the
penalties for computer misuse and introducing new offences to bring it up to
date
·
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extending the
circumstances in which live links may be used in criminal
proceedings
Press release ~
Police and Justice Act 2006 (the Act will appear
here shortly) ~ National Policing Improvement
Agency ~ Crime
and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) ~ Parenting Contracts ~ Parenting Orders ~
Independent Police Complaints
Commission
Cabinet Office: The Legislative and Regulatory
Reform Act 2006 has received Royal Assent. The Act is intended to allow the Government and Parliament
to do more to strip away outdated & unnecessary red tape to further reduce
burdens on businesses, public and voluntary
sectors.
From
Press release ~
BRE Act website ~ Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 ~
Budget 2005: Hampton
Review ~ Regulation - Less is More. Reducing Burdens, Improving
Outcomes
CC: The Royal Assent has been given to the
new Charities Act 2006.
(See Charity and Voluntary Sector
below)
CC: The Charity Commission report has found that £3.6
billion is being held by charities
without being accounted for
by
a reserves policy.
Reserve policies are designed to
help a charity ensure service delivery if funding is disrupted and explain to
supporters and funders alike why the charity holds money in reserve instead of
spending it.
The proportion of charities with a reserves
policy has risen from 27% in 2002 to 40% today, with charities holding at least £35.5 billion
of reserves, up from £26 billion in
2002.
Andrew Hind, Chief Executive of the Charity
Commission said:
"Charities must do better and get to grips with this issue, not least
because clarity about reserves is a vital part of their plan for long term
sustainability."
Press release
~ Report: Tell it like it is ~ Report: Charity reserves (RS3) – published 2003 ~ Charities Commission ~ Association for Charities
CC: The Charity Commission is celebrating
the Royal Assent being given to the new
Charities Act 2006 and Suzi Leather, Chair of the Charity Commission
said:
"It
will enhance both charities and the Commission's accountability &
independence, which will help increase public trust and
confidence.
Reducing the burden of regulation for tens of thousands of smaller
charities, improving the Commission's own governance structures,
reinforcing the requirement that all charities should deliver public benefit -
all these add up to a new framework for the sector which keeps charities at the
very heart of society."
Provisions in the Act will begin to come into force in early
2007. The Cabinet
Office's Office of the Third
Sector are working closely with the Charity Commission on informing the
sector of exactly what the Act will mean for them, including producing a plain
English version in early 2007.
CC press release
~ Cabinet Office press
release ~ Charity Commission ~ Charities Act 2006 (the Act will appear here
shortly) ~ Cabinet Office's Office of the Third Sector
CC: The Charity Commission has registered
the Farepak Response Fund as a
charity (see General
News)
FSA: The Financial Services Authority has published a discussion paper on
the impact that the growth in the private equity market has had on the
Whilst the FSA believes that the private
equity market is an increasingly important component of international capital
markets, recent market developments have prompted the FSA to consider whether
it currently exercises an appropriate level of regulatory
engagement with the
sector.
The FSA is seeking feedback (by 6 March
2007) from the industry and public policy
makers on whether it has correctly identified the risks posed by the growth
private equity market and the suitability of its regulatory approach in
addressing these risks.
Press release ~
DP06/6 Private Equity - A discussion of
risk and regulatory engagement ~ Briefing Note 028/06 Private Equity - A
discussion of risk and regulatory engagement
HM Treasury: The Treasury and Financial Services Authority (FSA) have
announced
The proposals are set out in a joint Treasury-FSA discussion paper on
supervision of insurers where they are organised as a group with a parent and
subsidiary companies.
This issue is seen as key to the proposed reforms of prudential
regulation for the EU insurance sector (Solvency II), which the European
Commission is currently considering.
Press release ~
UK proposal discussion paper: Supervising Insurance groups under Solvency
II ~ HM Treasury: EU and
financial Services and Solvency II ~ Financial Services Authority (FSA): Solvency
II ~ Comite Europeen des Assurances ~
DWP: Amending regulations designed to
improve the pensions aspects of the Age
Discrimination Regulations have been laid by the Government. The pension aspects of the original
regulations were postponed for two months to give businesses, trustees and
trade unions additional time to adjust and allow an informal consultation
period.
As a result of this further consultation, the
Government has decided to make amendments to the original provisions, due to
come into force on
European Law requires the legislation to be
implemented no later than
Press release ~
Employment Equality (Age) Regulations ~ DTI web page ~
Equality Challenge Unit ~ TUC Briefing ~ Age Positive ~ European Employment Directive
2000/78/EC
HMRC: VAT
Business Brief 19/06
Contents:
·
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VAT: Proposed
reverse charge accounting for businesses trading in mobile telephones, computer
chips and certain other goods - update on timetable
Press release ~
Business Briefs
2006 (it sometimes takes time to appear
here)
HMRC: VAT
Business Brief 20/06
Contents:
·
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VAT: Gaming
Machines - impact of the Linneweber decision
Press release ~
Business Briefs
2006 (it sometimes takes time to appear
here)
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