Consultations
CRC: The Commission for Rural Communities have extended the deadline for people & organisations to share their views on the Government's green paper 'Shaping the future of care together' to Friday 9 October 2099. The Government green paper sets out a vision for a National Care Service, the options for reform and how the new system could be organised and paid for.
Press release ~ Download more information about call for evidence ~ Download a response form ~ Big care debate website ~ 'Shaping the future of care together'
HEFCE: The Higher Education Funding Council England (HEFCE) has published a consultation, on behalf of the 4 UK higher education funding bodies, on the Research Excellence Framework (REF). The REF is the new process for assessing research in UK higher education institutions, enabling the selective allocation of funding. It will replace the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
Press release ~ Research Excellence Framework: Second consultation on the assessment and funding of research ~ Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)
Newswire – Care Support Independence: People across the country will be able to come face to face with their future selves now as Care Services Minister Phil Hope launches the Big Care Debate ‘Face of Care’. The online software will allow people to ‘age’ a photo of themselves and generate an image of what they might look like in old age. Alongside facts & stats on the care & support system, the snapshot will be a fun but frank look at what might be in store for people as they get older.
In using the application, people will also be encouraged to have their say on proposals for a radical reform of the care & support system, including the creation of a new National Care Service that is ‘fairer, simpler and more affordable for everyone’.
CRC: The Commission for Rural Communities are looking at the impact of recession on business performance. Their last business performance report in January 2009 found:
* an increasing deterioration of businesses across rural England
* heavy reliance of rural businesses on finance secured on mortgage lending, overdrafts & credit card borrowing
* high visibility of major retail closures in market towns
CRC want your views & experiences by Friday 9 October to help inform their next business performance report.
Press release ~ CRC: The Credit Crunch and Recession ~ Previous Business performance report ~ National Economic Council.
DWP: Employers will be having their say on some of the key elements of the Government’s auto-enrolment pension reforms with the launch of the consultation (closes on 5 November 2009) on the second batch of regulations.
It will seek views on matters including scheme self certification, qualification criteria for pension schemes and requirements to provide employees with information on auto enrolment. The responses to the consultation on the first batch of regulations have also been published.
In addition the Government has also published a second consultation (closes on17 December 2009) on draft guidance on the use of Group Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) for auto-enrolment and the use of default options in workplace personal pensions (WPPs) used for auto-enrolment.
Press release ~ Workplace Pension Reforms: Completing the Picture ~ Workplace Pension Reforms: Completing the Picture – Impact Assessment ~ The use of Default Options in Workplace Personal Pensions and the use of Group Self Invested Personal Pensions for Automatic Enrolment ~ Pension Service ~ Department for Work and Pensions: Pensions reform
ScotGov: Farmers are being urged to have their say on how future financial support for agriculture & rural development should be targeted. The Inquiry into Future Support for Agriculture in Scotland has announced it wants to gather evidence from as many sources as possible, including individual farmers & industry bodies.
The inquiry team met for the first time last week and, as the first stage in its programme of work, agreed to issue a call for written evidence from interested organisations & individuals. Evidence can be submitted on the Scottish Government website until October 30, 2009.
In addition the inquiry will draw upon relevant statistics, reports, international experiences & research, including the forthcoming findings of the Rural Land Use Study. An interim report will be published in December 2009 before a public consultation and a series of meetings take place. A final report is due in April 2010.
Press release ~ Brian Pack Inquiry into Future Support for Agriculture in Scotland ~ Call for Evidence ~ ScotGov - Support for agriculture ~ ScotGov - Single Farm Payment Inquiry ~ Rural Land Use Study
DECC: International energy & environment Ministers will converge in London on 13 October 2009 to move international collaboration on carbon capture & storage forward ahead of the UN Climate Change talks in Copenhagen.
The Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF), hosted by the UK & Norway, will bring together Ministers from 23 countries as well as the European Commission and industry stakeholder and build on the foundations of the G8’s ambition to launch 20 CCS demonstration projects globally by 2010.
Ahead of the talks DECC is launching a consultation (closes on 30 December 2009) which aims to harness the huge potential of the North Sea for storing CO2. The consultation proposes the regulatory framework to ensure that exploration, development & management of the potential storage sites is safely carried out and effectively coordinated with other uses of the sea. DECC aim to make & lay regulations in the first quarter of 2010 in order to bring the regime into force in April 2010.
Press release ~ Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) ~ UN Climate Change talks in Copenhagen ~ Consultation on the proposed offshore carbon dioxide storage licensing regime ~ The Crown Estate (TCE) ~ North Sea Basin Task Force ~ Development of a CO2 transport and storage network in the North Sea: report to the North Sea Basin Task Force ~ Storing CO2 under the North Sea Basin ~
WAG: A consultation (closes on 20 November 2009) on the future management of the fishery orders (Several and Regulating) held by the Sea Fisheries Committees has been launched by the Welsh Assembly Government. The consultation follows the announcement that WAG will assume full responsibility for the management & enforcement of sea fisheries in Wales.
The fishery Orders are currently held by the 2 Sea Fisheries Committees (SFC) in Wales, which are due to be amalgamated with WAG Fisheries Unit. The consultation will seek to prevent the loss of valuable fisheries managed by the SFCs under fishery Orders.
