Consultations
DH: The Prime Minister’s Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery held a listening event at the City of Manchester Stadium last week, which was intended to give the 10 Commissioners attending the opportunity to meet participants face-to-face and hear their views on what:
* the skills & attributes of the ‘ideal’ nurse or midwife are
* nurses & midwives could do more of or do differently in the future
* might be preventing nurses & midwives from doing this now
All views & evidence will be added to the submissions currently coming in from the public consultation launched by the Commission on May 10 2009. The submissions will then be analysed and these will then be fed back to professions & the public during a second engagement phase in the autumn, which will include a national deliberative event. The final report with recommendations will be submitted to the PM by March 2010. Further submissions are welcome and should be received by 10 August 2009.
Newswire – TSA: Social housing tenants up & down the country are being asked to host their own Local Conversation events to help shape the Tenant Services Authority’s (TSA) new standards for social housing landlords in England. Anyone interested in hosting an event can download an application pack or request a copy by calling the TSA on 0845 230 7000.
The local events are being encouraged as part of the second phaseof the National Conversation – the largest consultation to ever be held with social hosing tenants. More than 27,000 tenants took part in the first stage, where getting repairs & maintenance right and tackling anti-social behaviour were listed as top priorities for their landlords.
Using the results of the first phase of consultation, the TSA recently published a discussion paper on the proposed new standards. The consultation on the draft standards runs until 8 September 2009. The final phase will be a statutory consultation, which will be launched in Autumn 2009.
Press release ~ Local Conversation events ~ National Conversation ~ Discussion paper: building a new regulatory framework
WAG: The Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones, has set out how he will deliver the One Wales vision of a modern & sustainable transport system for Wales. Launching the first ever National Transport Plan for consultation (closes on Monday 12 October 2009), Mr Jones explained how the Welsh Assembly Government will deliver the Wales Transport Strategy over the next 5 years.
The plan is based on 3 key principles:
* to meet the demand for enhanced mobility which will enable economic growth & improve the quality of life for the people of Wales
* to put transport onto a more sustainable & less carbon-intensive path
* to use transport funding more effectively in light of increased pressures on public finances.
BIS: Industry, academia & consumer groups have been invited to use a new website to help develop a UK Strategy For Nanotechnologies, building on & consolidating the existing research and consultations that have already taken place (contributions by 31 October 2009).
The aim of the strategy is to describe the actions necessary to ensure that the UK obtains maximum economic, environmental & societal benefit from nanotechnologies, while keeping the risks properly managed.
MoD: The MoD has published a Green Paper - The Nation’s Commitment to the Armed Forces Community: Consistent and Enduring Support - which will look at how to prevent Service personnel and their families being disadvantaged due to their unique circumstances in accessing public services such as housing, education and healthcare. It will also look to provide them with tailored routes through which to address complaints.
Options in the Green Paper include creation of a Charter for the Armed Forces community, exploring the value of a legal duty being placed on public bodies, and an Armed Forces hotline to help Service personnel and their families make complaints if they are dissatisfied with the public services they receive. The consultation closes on 31 October 2009.
Press release ~ Consultation: The Nation’s Commitment to the Armed Forces Community: Consistent and Enduring Support ~ 2008 SPCP: The Nations Commitment: Cross-Government Support to our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans ~ The Royal British Legion ~
Cabinet Office: The Government has launched a consultation (closes on 7 October 2009)into the design & functions of a Social Investment Wholesale Bank. If positive this consultation could result in a new breed of financial institution – a bank with the primary purpose of investing in society, the environment and the economy.
Originally it was proposed that a Social Investment Wholesale Bank could be funded predominantly by unclaimed assets lying in dormant bank accounts. The Government is looking forward to seeing the banks make progress on releasing these resources for reinvestment over the coming months. However, this consultation is not about identifying the financial resources, but more about how the bank would work.
Defra: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published draft noise action plans for 23 English large urban areas, major roads & major railways, for consultation (closes on 4 November 2009).
This follows an informal consultation on earlier versions of draft template noise action plans, which gave the public & local authorities the opportunity to comment on the proposed way forward and what information should be included in noise action plans. The UK is required to produce noise action plans in order to fulfil its obligations under the Environmental Noise Directive.
Press release ~
DH: Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, has claimed in the Green Paper: Shaping the Future of Care Together that ‘everyone in England will have access to a National Care Service that is fair, simple and affordable’. The Big Care Debate (consultation closes 13 November 2009) will canvas the public’s and people who work in care & support services’ views on what the National Care Service should look like and how care should be paid for – See ‘In the News’ section for more information.
DWP: The Government has launched a strategy - Building A Society For All Ages - to help Britain prepare for our ageing society. It is intended to draw together action to help individuals, families, businesses, public services and communities respond to demographic change and it follows the Government’s reforms to respond to demographic. The consultation on the proposals in the strategy closes on Monday, 12 October 2009 – See ‘In the News’ section for more information.
