Consultations
CC: The Competition Commission has published for public consultation its draft revised guidelines on market investigation references, together with two annexes as a separate document. The CC has invited comments on the drafts before 14 September 2012..
HMT: The UK’s creative industries will benefit from tax reliefs that are ‘among the most generous in the world’, under Government plans announced last week. The reliefs will help support technological innovation and ensure that creative industries continue to contribute to economic growth and British culture.
The consultation closes on 10 September 2012. The Government will take all responses into account before finalising the policy design for the reliefs and publishing draft legislation for consultation in the autumn.
LC: In a consultation which opened recently (closes 17 September 2012), the Law Commission is asking which of the rules governing elections & referendums should be reviewed as part of its electoral law reform project.
Electoral law in the UK is spread across 25 major statutes. It has become increasingly complex & fragmented and, according to the Commission, needs to be simplified, modernised & rationalised in order to benefit the electorate, administrators and candidates.
Electoral law in the UK is spread across 25 major statutes. It has become increasingly complex & fragmented and, according to the Commission, needs to be simplified, modernised & rationalised in order to benefit the electorate, administrators and candidates.
DH: Plans to secure the future of a fair & cost effective way to offer free milk to all nursery-children have been set out by Public Health, Minister Anne Milton as she launched a consultation (closes on 11 September 2012) on how the scheme operates.
Figures show that the Government is spending up to 92p for a pint of milk through the scheme while most consumers can pick up one up for 45p – almost half the price. In 4 years, costs have jumped from £27m in 2007 to a staggering £53m in 2011. Estimates show that modernising how the scheme operates could save as much as £20m each year.
EU News: The European Commission has launched a public consultation with the aim to gather inputs from stakeholders & citizens on the scope of possible future EU-level actions in demand-side policies for industrial innovation policy. The public consultation runs until 6 September 2012.
EU News: In the context of its state aid modernisation initiative (SAM), the European Commission has launched the review of the general block exemption regulation (GBER) which exempts certain categories of aid from the obligation of prior notification to the Commission.
The review starts with a public consultation, seeking stakeholders' views on the functioning of the regulation since its entry into force in 2008. In light of the submissions received and its own experience in applying the Regulation, the Commission will propose a revised draft regulation in 2013, with a view to contributing to the objectives of SAM. Submissions can be made until 12 September 2012. .
BIS: A new package of proposals to reform rules for consulting staff about large scale redundancies was published last week by Employment Relations Minister Norman Lamb. Consultation closes on 19 September 2012). Currently large employers have to consult with their staff for 90 days.
Ministers want to reduce this period and to produce a new Code of Practice to improve the quality of communication between managers & staff, to reduce uncertainty and to make sure that employers can better respond to changes in market conditions.
NE: Over recent months, Natural England has established a major programme to review its delivery work in the uplands. The Evidence Review is now underway and anyone with an interest in the issues being covered is invited to contribute by submitting evidence to the independent expert group that has been specially set up to oversee the evidence review process.
Submissions for Phase 1 of the review are invited by 20 July 2012. Phase 2 follows on and closes on 14 September 2012.
Submissions for Phase 1 of the review are invited by 20 July 2012. Phase 2 follows on and closes on 14 September 2012.
