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Consultations
CQC: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is consulting (comments by 28 December 2011) about changes to the fees it proposes to charge providers of health & adult social care services for 2012/13. These fees cover CQC’s work in registering providers & monitoring their compliance with government standards of safety & quality.
Press release & links
EU News: The European Commission has launched 2 public consultations related to access for alternative operators to the fixed telephone & broadband networks of established operators. The consultations are part of Commission efforts to boost the Single Market for telecoms services by ensuring consistent & coherent approaches to regulating telephone and broadband networks in all Member States.
Both consultations are open to telecoms operators, consumer organisations, national regulators, Member States and other interested parties until 28 November 2011:
* The first consultation concerns non-discriminatory access for alternative operators to the infrastructure & services of dominant telecom operators
* The second concerns the way national regulators calculate prices that operators have to pay for this wholesale access (cost-orientation remedies).
Press release & links
Ofsted: Ofsted has launched a consultation (closes on Tuesday 27 December 2011) on proposals to ‘revise & streamline arrangements for the inspection of residential provision in further education colleges for students under the age of eighteen’. From September 2012, Ofsted proposes to concentrate on 5 key judgements for colleges: overall effectiveness, outcomes for young people, quality of service, safeguarding and leadership & management.
Press release & links
BIS: More than 100,000
The consultation (closes on 29 December 2011) on Audit Exemptions and Change of Accounting Framework sets out plans to allow more small companies & subsidiaries to decide whether or not to have an audit. The Government is also proposing to introduce legislation in 2012 to exempt most subsidiary companies from mandatory audit, provided their parent is prepared to guarantee their debts.
Press release ~ Audit exemptions and change of accounting framework
DfE: Schools Minister, Nick Gibb has set out proposals to overhaul post-16 education and give students the best chance to go on to university or skilled employment. Consultations launched last week by the Department for Education and the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) recommend that:
* The complex funding system should be simplified & made fairer so it works in favour of students (closes 4 January 2012)
* All students aged 16 to 19 without a grade C or better in GCSE English & maths should continue to study those subjects (closes 5 January 2012)
Press release & links ~ 16-19 Funding Formula Review ~ Study Programmes for 16-19 year olds
