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Consultations
NA: Are you satisfied with The National Archives' online service? They are asking for your feedback to help with their ongoing website development (no closure date given).
HEFCE: The next Higher Education - Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey is now open & available to all UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The survey period is academic year (August to end July) 2007-08, and the deadline for responses is Monday 26 January 2009.
This is the last year that HEFCE is running the survey on behalf of the UK higher education funding bodies and DIUS. HESA will take over collection for 2008-09 onwards and have already written to HEIs to announce this process.
DH: Local NHS organisations are being encouraged to engage with staff to help develop a framework for a new generation of indicators that will measure quality at local, organisational, regional and national levels. Some of the regional indicators will also be used to measure the implementation of the local visions for improved healthcare produced by every Strategic Health Authority (SHA) as part of Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review - 'High Quality Care for All'.
The Department of Health has identified a list of existing indicators used by various parts of the NHS to measure performance. Staff are being invited to comment on the usefulness of each indicator which applies to their specialism and to suggest other measures they may already use but which are not on the list. The indictors are listed on the NHS Information Centre website, which staff can use to feedback online (by 12 December 2008).
Press release ~ NHS Information Centre ~ Clinical Quality Indicators Survey ~ 'High Quality Care For All'
ScotGov: A discussion paper that raises the prospect of extending the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act to more organisations has been published. It seeks views (by 12 January 2009) on extending the Act to cover:
* Contractors who provide services that are a function of a public authority
* Registered social landlords
* Local authority trusts or bodies set up by local authorities
Minister for Parliamentary Business Bruce Crawford, has also announced that the Government would be pro-actively publishing Ministerial car travel and diary information. In addition, the Minister also announced the publication of the latest ScotGov Annual Report on request handling.
Press release ~ Discussion Paper on the possible extension of coverage of FOISA to cover bodies who are not Scottish Public Authorities ~ Ministerial Engagements ~ Ministerial Car Journeys ~ Scottish Government Annual Report on request handling ~ Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 ~ Scottish Information Commissioner
Defra: A consultation (closes 10 February 2009) on the implementation of changes to the EU School Milk Scheme in England has been launched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Under the scheme, Primary and Secondary pupils in England are currently eligible for a serving of subsidised plain or flavoured milk and plain yoghurt.
When the scheme was extended to secondary schools from the start of the 2008 Autumn term, Defra committed to carrying out a consultation about the range of products offered and what to do with the ‘national top-up’ to the EU subsidy. Any changes to the Scheme to be made following the consultation will be implemented in the Summer Term 2009 at the earliest.
Press release ~ Consultation on the implementation in England of The EU School Milk Scheme ~ School Milk project
DWP: Minister for Pensions and Ageing Society Rosie Winterton has welcomed the publication of a review of how the Government currently engages with older people, undertaken by John Elbourne, former Chief Executive for Prudential Assurance. Comments on the review should be submitted to DWP by 9 January 2009and the Government will respond by 30 January 2009.
Press release ~ Review of Older People's Engagement With Government - John Elbourne ~ 50+ Engagement - The Right To Be Heard ~ Helping older people engage with benefits and services: an evaluation of the Partnership Fund ~ Engaging older citizens ~ Help the Aged - Older people's voices ~ Older people's shared priority - Engaging with older people ~ 'Asking the Experts' - A guide to involving people in shaping health and social care services (CCNAP)
BERR: The Government has launched a consultation (closes 16 February 2009) on proposals to make tips fairer for hard-working service staff across the UK. Under the plans, employers will be banned from using any tips or service charges towards payment of the national minimum wage.
As well as inviting comments on proposals to change the rules, so that tips are paid on top of the national minimum wage, the consultation will also look at ways of improving information for consumers.
Press release ~ The National Minimum Wage: Service Charges, Tips, Gratuities, and Cover Charges: A Consultation ~ BERR - Minimum Wage
WAG: A 'Green Jobs Strategy for Wales' has been drafted by the Welsh Assembly Government to make existing jobs more sustainable & carbon efficient - and to help generate a range of new jobs based on emerging green technologies and products.
The draft Strategy - published for consultation (closes on 20 February 2009) - will seek to ensure that businesses in Wales will have access to expert advice & technology to make their operations more efficient in an increasingly carbon constrained economy.
DfT: A major new road safety consultation (closes on 27 February 2009) sets out plans to help the police better enforce against drug & drink driving, as well as exploring whether there is a need to change the law on drug driving or on the drink drive limit.
It also examines the need to toughen penalties and make it easier for police to tackle other forms of reckless driving to cut the toll of nearly 3,000 road deaths a year.
Press release ~ Road Safety Compliance consultation ~ Related independent research reports ~ Tales of the Road website ~ RoadSafe ~ Sentencing Guidelines Council ‘Causing Death By Driving’ guidance ~ 2006 Road Safety Act ~ Talent Lives ~ Road Safety of London's Black and Asian Minority Ethnic Groups ~ Deprivation and Road Safety in London
CompC: The Competition Commission (CC) has published for consultation (closes 12 December 2008) its proposed remedies designed to increase competition in the retail payment protection insurance (PPI) market. Following discussions with providers and other interested parties, the CC is proposing a package of measures which it considers will be practical & effective in increasing competition in the market to the benefit of customers.
Press release ~ Provisional decision on retail PPI remedies (21 November) ~ Previous press release ~ Provisional decision on remedie (13 November) ~ FSA thematic work on PPI ~ FSA additional rules ~ Money Made Clear - PPI
HO: The Government has begun a consultation (closes 13 February 2009) on the finer detail of the next phase of the National Identity Scheme. The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has invited comment on secondary legislation needed to ensure the first cards for British citizens become a reality and are issued to airside workers and a number of volunteers at the end of 2009.
While the Identity Cards Act set out the framework for a National Identity Register (NIR) and biometric identity cards, this secondary legislation will establish procedures for issuing cards that mirror those in place for issuing passports.
Press release ~ Identity Cards Act Secondary Legislation - A Consultation ~ Identity and Passport Service (IPS) – Identity cards ~ Identity Cards Act 2006 ~ Liberty – ID cards ~ LSE – ID Cards ~ NO2ID
LLUK: Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) are currently developing National Occupational Standards (NOS) for learning delivery. A first tranche of consultation has taken place, with focus groups in each of the nations. The draft NOS have been developed following that feedback and you are invited to take part in the electronic consultation by 16 January 2009.
BIG: The Big Lottery Fund is urging organisations & individuals across the UK to engage in the debate on how BIG’s funding should be allocated through its grant programmes between 2009 and 2015.
Big thinking, the Fund’s public consultation (closes on 27 February 2009), is giving everyone the chance to have their say through a series of national, regional and local face-to-face events and online channels including questionnaires, blogs and videos – See ‘Charities / Voluntary Organisations / Third Sector’ for more information.
