Annual Reports
FSA: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has published its annual report for 2010/11, outlining its performance against the priorities set out in its 2010/11 Business Plan and its statutory objectives. Additional statistical information on the FSA’s work during 2010/11 can be found in the appendices in the report published today, together with the Enforcement Annual Performance Account which sets out details of the FSA's enforcement work.
HEFCE: Universities & colleges across the UK are continuing to improve the quality of their buildings and to use them more efficiently, according to a report published by the Higher Education Funding Council England. 'Performance in higher education estates: EMS Annual Report 2010’ (HEFCE 2011/17) focuses on the performance of UK higher education estates over the 10 years to 2009. In that time, the proportion of buildings in 'good' condition has increased from 63% to 76% and, as a result, infrastructure is better able to support high-quality teaching & research.
NE: More fields than ever before are being managed to halt the decline in farmland bird populations, new figures from Natural England show. Over 152,000 hectares (375,000 acres) of arable farmland are now providing vital winter food & habitat through farmers adopting bird-friendly measures, as part of their Environmental Stewardship (ES) agreements.
The effort to restore the fortunes of farmland birds is being reinforced by the launch of a new compilation CD of their songs, titled “The Best Farmland Bird Album in the World Ever, Volume 1!” The 52 ‘vocalists’ featured on the album are those species most likely to be heard on farmland, including the 10 ‘most wanted’ arable species - rapidly declining birds that are a focus of ES.
Copies will be available free of charge from NE stalls at agricultural shows during the summer, starting with Cereals in Lincolnshire this week on 15-16 June.
Copies will be available free of charge from NE stalls at agricultural shows during the summer, starting with Cereals in Lincolnshire this week on 15-16 June.
HO: Key government achievements in advancing gender equality and eliminating discrimination against women were highlighted in a new report to the UN this week. The UK's 7th periodic report sets out the progress the government has made on women's rights under the United Nation's Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).