Consultations

WAG: A new consultation (closes on 19 June 2009) on a plan to strengthen community health services to support the care of individuals in, or close to, their own homes has been launched by Health Minister Edwina Hart.  The main recommendation of the Community Nursing Strategy is to introduce new locality based nursing teams that address the needs of patients across the spectrum from ill-health prevention to the management of complex needs.
 
The proposed strategy, which includes 43 recommendations in total, is based on a report of the Community Nursing Strategy Working Group which was chaired by the Royal College of Nursing and involved a range of stakeholders.  
Press release ~ Community Nursing Strategy Consultation ~ WAG – Health and Social care ~ Community Nursing Strategy Ministerial Task and Finish Group ~ Designed to Improve Health and the Management of Chronic Conditions in Wales: An Integrated Model and Framework
 
DfT: Passengers' needs are to be put first under new measures designed to improve air passenger experience and the economic regulation of airports. Under the plans published for consultation (closes on 01 June 2009), the aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), will be given a new primary duty to promote the interests of passengers.  Air passengers will also get a new champion - 'Passenger Focus' - who will represent them as they do for rail and bus users.
 
The CAA will also be given a new secondary duty to ensure that airports meet their environmental obligations.  The CAA will not be asked to develop its own environmental policies but will be tasked with ensuring that the economic regulation of airports is consistent with existing environmental obligations placed on airports.
Press release ~ Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ~ Professor Martin Cave’s review the economic regulation of UK airports ~ Consultation documents
 
HO: A cross-Government public consultation (closes 29 May 2009)to tackle violence against women & girls has been launched by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.  It includes a review into police powers for dealing with serial perpetrators of domestic violence and a review of the sexualisation of teenage girls.
 
The Together We Can End Violence Against Women And Girls Strategy consultation sets out action Government has taken to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls.  It looks at what more can be done to challenge the attitudes that may uphold it in order to help women and girls feel safer. The consultation will include public and stakeholder events in 40 towns and cities across England over the next nine weeks.
Press release ~ Together We Can End Violence Against Women And Girls Strategy consultation ~ Events ~ Women's Aid ~ Home Office – Violence against women ~ Violence against women opinion polling - February 2009
 
IPO:  The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has announced a review of its trademark fees & services with a public consultation (closes on 1 June 2009). A range of options, including a reduced fee package and new support services, aims to help businesses register marks more easily & affordably in the UK, potentially saving them over £700,000 per annum.
 
The review has been prompted by a decrease in demand for patent and trademark applications in the UK, (down 12% in 2008) with other trade mark offices, including the European trade mark office, also seeing reductions.
Press release ~ Helping businesses register trade marks and patents - consultation on fees and services
 
SABIP:  When Minister David Lammy launched a debate about the role of copyright in the digital age in December 2008, he invited the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy (SABIP) to provide complementary advice to the work of the Intellectual Property Office.  SABIP has now published a paper laying out priorities for its copyright work programme over the coming months.
 
In the paper, the independent advisory body has put forward six areas as strategic priorities for its work on copyright: the role of the copyright system in fostering creativity & innovation, the ownership & coverage of copyright, rights management techniques & technologies, the relationship between copyright & contract law, possible simplification of the copyright framework, and the impact of changing attitudes & practices among consumers.
 
The paper is not a formal consultation document, but SABIP will welcome any comments on the scope of its work programme, which is designed to provide some fundamental analysis of the complex copyright framework.
Press release ~ Strategic Priorities for Copyright ~ Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy (SABIP) ~ Intellectual Property Office ~ Gowers Review of Intellectual Property ~ The Future: Developing a Copyright Agenda for the 21st Century
 
ScotGov: The Scottish Government has issued a restricted consultation paper (closes on 3 April 2009) to skippers asking how days at sea should be allocated to Scottish fishing vessels. Under the European Union's new cod recovery plan, member states receive national 'pots' of fishing effort and are free to decide how to allocate days to individual vessels.  This is a change from previous years, when EU regulations set day limits for each type of fishing vessel.
 
Because of this important change, the Government has agreed with the fishing industry that it is right to consult individual skippers on how the new system should work. Since the beginning of February 2009 an interim scheme has been operating.  This consultation of Skippers finishes on 30 April 2009.
Press release ~ ScotGov - Fishing ~ ScotGov – Sea Fisheries ~ EU cod recovery plan
 
DECC:  The Government has launched two consultations (closing on 4 June 2009) on the regulations which will form the basis of the Carbon Reduction Commitment initiative.  Participating organisations will have to register with the Environment Agency who will administer the scheme – See ‘Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides’ for further information.
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