Consultations
ScotGov: A consultation has been launched (closes on 3 March 2011) on ways of giving Scottish Water increased flexibility to help build a low carbon economy. The Scottish Government’s 'Building a Hydro Nation - A Consultation', examines how Scotland, and in particular, Scottish Water, as a publicly-owned utility, can better exploit its expertise, assets and Scotland's water resources for the continuing benefit of water customers, the environment and the wider Scottish economy.
EU News: In a public consultation launched last week, the European Commission is asking businesses, consumers, telecoms operators and public authorities whether they see benefits in a system that would allow businesses to use the same telephone number in all EU Member States.
An EU wide phone number could help European businesses to offer cross-border sales more easily and facilitate access to after-sales and customer enquiry services irrespective of the Member State where the customer is situated. The consultation will run until 28 February 2011.
Press release ~ Public consultation on the future harmonisation of numbering resources for the provision of business services
DWP: Last week the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller, asked disabled people & their organisations to join the debate on reforming Disability Living Allowance. The proposals set out in the consultation (closes on 14 February 2011) are centred on ‘creating a clearer, more targeted benefit, with an objective assessment, designed to enable disabled people to participate more fully in society’.
To mark this important change, Disability Living Allowance will now be known as Personal Independence Payment, and will continue to be paid to people in & out of work. Reform of this benefit needs to follow a social rather than medical model based on a person’s needs and the barriers they face rather than their individual disability.
FSA: The Food Standards Agency is consulting on its revised Strategic Plan for 2010-2015. The 5-year plan, first published in December 2009, sets the Agency’s strategic direction and priorities, and describes the outcomes the Agency aims to deliver to safeguard public health at all stages of the food chain. If you want to comment on the proposed strategy, your response must be received by Friday 11 February 2011.
OFT: The OFT has launched a consultation on its draft guidance for creditors on mental capacity. The draft guidance is designed to explain the steps the OFT expects creditors to take to identify borrowers who might lack the mental capacity to make informed borrowing decisions, where it isn't known that they lack capacity but there is reason to believe, or at least reasonable grounds to suspect, that this might be the case.
It also outlines the OFT's view of the appropriate way for creditors to deal with borrowers who do or might lack capacity and explains the practices & procedures it considers they should put in place. Closing date: 4 March 2011.
HO: Tougher entrance criteria, limits on work and an end to students staying in the UK to look for a job are just some of the changes proposed in a consultation (closes on 31 January 2011) as part of a shake-up of the student visa system. After their course finishes, students will have to leave the UK and apply for a new visa to further their studies, and show evidence of progression to a higher course.
Press release ~ The Student Immigration System: A Consultation ~ Research report 'Overseas students in the immigration system: types of institution and levels of study' ~ ippr comment on student visa policy
LR: The Land Registry has launched a consultation (closes on 28 February 2011) on its proposed changes to land registration legislation to take account of changes made by the Legal Services Act 2007.
DECC: The Government has published proposals on how operators of new nuclear power stations will have to make secure financial provision for decommissioning without recourse to the taxpayer. The consultation on draft Funded Decommissioning Programme Guidance sets out how operators will be required to meet their obligation to have robust decommissioning plans and secure funds in place before constructing a new power station.
Also published last week was the consultation on a Waste Transfer Pricing Methodology. The Government intends to ensure the safe disposal of radioactive waste from new nuclear power stations without cost to the taxpayer, while facilitating investment through providing operators with the cost certainty they need to be able to invest.
A consultation on low-level radioactive waste from the non-nuclear sector has also been published. All consultations close on 8 March 2011.
Press release ~ Consultation on revised Funded Decommissioning Programme Guidance for new nuclear power stations ~ Consultation on an updated Waste Transfer Pricing Methodology for the disposal of higher activity waste from new nuclear power stations ~ Consultation on the strategy for the management of solid low level radioactive waste from the non-nuclear industry in the United Kingdom
MoJ: A ‘radical reform of the criminal justice system to punish criminals more effectively and reduce re-offending’ was announced last week. The green paper on sentencing & rehabilitation sets out plans to ‘break the destructive cycle of crime & prison by ensuring that jails become places of hard work, that rehabilitation programmes are opened up to innovation from the private and charitable sectors, paid by results, and that the priority will now be to reduce the re-offending by people after they have been punished’.
Despite a 50% increase in the budget for prisons & managing offenders in the last 10 years, around half of adult offenders re-offend within a year of being released from prison. There will also be new measures to force criminals to make amends to victims & communities for the harm they have caused.
The consultation on proposals will close on 4 March 2011. The Government will consult widely with stakeholders, analyse responses and publish a response setting out plans in May 2011.
Press release ~ Breaking the cycle: effective punishment, rehabilitation and sentencing of offenders ~ Think Tank Civitas’s comments
EU News: The European Commission is seeking the views of consumers, businesses, telecom operators and public authorities on the EU mobile phone roaming market in a public consultation (closes on 11 February 2011). The EU Roaming Regulation imposed a cap on retail prices for roamed voice calls & text messages within the EU, but there is still no competitive Single Market for roaming services.
Press release ~ Public consultation on a review of the functioning of Regulation (EC) No 544/2009 (the "Roaming Regulation") ~ Cheaper roaming services for consumers in the EU
HMT: The Government has launched a public consultation on the discount rate used to set contribution rates in unfunded public service pension schemes (closes on 03 March 2011).
HMT: The Government has published draft clauses for Finance Bill 2011. This is the first time the Government has published the majority of draft clauses for consultation (closes on 9 February 2011) and marks the first step towards the Government's commitment to improving tax policy making.
The Government is also publishing a response to the consultation Tax policy making: a new approach, setting out changes to the way in which tax policy will be developed & communicated. As part of this, the Government has announced that Finance Bill 2011 will be published on 31 March 2011.
