General Reports and Other Publications
PwC: Renewable energy power generation capacity grew by 30% in Europe in 2010, more than in any other year, reaching a total of 23GW. However a noticeable lack of progress on reform to the infrastructure planning & permits regime now poses the single biggest threat to the future large scale expansion of renewable electricity in Europe and North Africa.
The analysis, Moving towards 100% renewable electricity in Europe and North Africa, was undertaken by PwC, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the International Institute for Applied System Analysis.
This complementary analysis to last year’s 2050 Roadmap report examined developments & events globally over the past 12 months to understand whether, for Europe & North Africa, a vision of 100% renewable electricity by 2050 has moved closer or further away.
This complementary analysis to last year’s 2050 Roadmap report examined developments & events globally over the past 12 months to understand whether, for Europe & North Africa, a vision of 100% renewable electricity by 2050 has moved closer or further away.
Press release ~ Executive Summary of Analysis ~ Potstdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Press Release ~ 100% Renewable Electricity – A roadmap to 2050 for Europe and North Africa
EA: Environment Agency officers are stepping up river monitoring activities to quickly identify impacts on fish & other wildlife as dry conditions continue across many parts of the country. The change in the normal conditions of rivers & streams can lead to serious consequences for many species, including birds, fish and insects. The EA is readying its specialist pumping equipment to respond to falling oxygen levels in rivers, which can kill fish and other aquatic wildlife.
The EA’s latest drought management briefing shows:
* East Anglia has only had 20% of average rainfall so far this month
* Central, south east and south west England has received between 41 & 55% of average rainfall so far this month
PwC: The greatest risk facing the insurance industry is the raft of new regulations being introduced simultaneously at international & local levels, according to a new survey which ranks insurance sector risk. The CSFI’s latest Insurance Banana Skins survey, conducted in association with PwC, says that new rules governing issues such as solvency & market conduct could swamp the industry with costs & compliance problems. It could also distract management from the more urgent task of running profitable businesses at a time when the industry is already under stress.
Defra: The majority of meat & dairy products now feature information on where their ingredients came from or where they were produced, according to research announced by Food Minister, Jim Paice recently. The survey looked at labels on over 500 meat & dairy products purchased from the major retailers and a number of independent shops.
It is the first evaluation of country of origin labelling since the food industry put in place voluntary standards to provide clearer country of origin information to consumers last November. Clearer origin labelling is a key commitment for the government. The voluntary code agreed in November 2010 will reduce confusion in the origin of products and make the British consumer the best informed in Europe.
IFS: A package of early literacy interventions has been found to improve significantly the reading & writing skills of young children who struggle to learn to read. As currently implemented, the policy is arguably expensive, costing over £3,000 per child in the first year and £2,600 per child thereafter. Even so, it could still offer good value for money, but that judgement will depend on the extent to these improvements are maintained throughout children's school careers.
These are the main findings of new research funded by the Department for Education and carried out by Institute for Fiscal Studies researchers in collaboration with the National Centre for Social Research. This work assessed the impact of the Every Child a Reader (ECaR) programme of initiatives, which targets low-attaining children aged 6 or 7 and attempts to raise their attainment to the expected level.
DG: The telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, has published its first research into the performance of mobile broadband across the UK. 4.2m tests were conducted at the end of last year. The most important factor affecting mobile broadband performance is coverage. Ofcom suggested that consumers should check with their provider how good the coverage is likely to be before buying a service.
They should also consider what they most want to use mobile broadband for. As well as being able to use it in different locations, mobile broadband may also be less expensive for some consumers as it does not require a landline, and pay-as-you-go tariffs are available.
ippr: The number of people unemployed for more than a year has risen to the highest number since 1997, according to analysis of the latest government data by think tank IPPR. There are now 850,000 people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months, up 20,000 since January 2011.
Research evidence shows that being unemployed for 1 year or more can reduce chances of finding work, as well as having a negative impact on one’s health & wellbeing. For young people, the scarring effect of long-term unemployment can have an impact for many years on their wage prospects, future earning potential and health.
Newswire – TUC: Low corporate tax rates reduce revenues but fail to create jobs, according to a new TUC report. Corporate tax reform and competitiveness, written by chartered accountant & tax specialist Richard Murphy, warns that recent tax reforms and ongoing reductions in the headline corporation tax rate will reduce vital tax revenues without any significant benefit to ordinary taxpayers.
The report cites data from OECD countries to show that the UK enjoys an extremely competitive tax rate. More than 90% of UK businesses pay the small business rate of 20% while the effective corporate tax rate for large companies is currently estimated by PriceWaterhouseCoopers to be 23.2%, far lower than the OECD average of 26.5%.
NO: Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council did not take into account its legal duties to people with disabilities when it introduced car parking charges for blue badge holders, finds Local Government Ombudsman, Anne Seex.
In her report, issued last week, she says that the Council’s duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA) were not brought to the attention of decision makers, who had insufficient information about the likely impact on people with disabilities, and there is no evidence that they were properly considered.
In her report, issued last week, she says that the Council’s duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA) were not brought to the attention of decision makers, who had insufficient information about the likely impact on people with disabilities, and there is no evidence that they were properly considered.
Newswire – WWF: A new report published recently by WWF has highlighted the impact that the growing global demand for soya is having on sensitive environments around the world, such as the little known Brazilian savannah, the Cerrado.
Soya is grown predominantly for animal feed & vegetable oil, with the main use being in soya meal, as a source of protein for poultry, pig & cattle feeds. In the last 15 years, production of the crop has doubled, driven largely by the rising consumption of meat, as well as for use in food, biofuel and other products.
To meet this growth in demand, more & more land is being planted with soya; in Brazil alone, the area planted with soya is already the size of the entire United Kingdom.
However, this expansion is often at the expense of habitats such as the Brazilian Cerrado, a globally important savannah which is on its own responsible for 5% of the world’s biodiversity and which is currently experiencing habitat destruction at a faster rate and on a similar scale to that in the Amazon.
DWP: A new research report published by the Department for Work & Pensions looks at Carer’s Allowance recipients. The research explored Carer’s Allowance recipients’ caring responsibilities, their experiences of combining care with paid employment and support mechanisms used to manage their caring roles.
TKF: A new report from The King’s Fund warns that the coalition government’s reforms risk reducing accountability in the health system, potentially undermining the performance of key NHS organisations as a result.
The report looks at accountability for commissioners & providers of health care in the NHS currently and under the reforms set out in the Health & Social Care Bill. It concludes that the reforms are likely to meet the government’s aim of reducing centralised control, but fail to deliver on its commitment to improve local accountability, a key pledge in the coalition agreement.
The report finds a number of weaknesses in the accountability arrangements set out in the Bill including the following.
The report finds a number of weaknesses in the accountability arrangements set out in the Bill including the following.
Defra: The true value of nature can be shown for the very first time thanks to research by hundreds of UK scientists. The research forms the basis of a major new independent report – the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA) – which reveals that nature is worth £bns to the UK economy. The report strengthens the arguments for protecting & enhancing the environment and will be used by the government to direct policy in future.
The UK NEA has used new approaches to estimate the value of the natural world by taking account of the economic, health and social benefits we get from nature. The assessment provides values for a range of ecosystem services to help us fully understand the value of the natural environment and how the benefits to individuals and society as a whole can be better protected and preserved for future generations.
KPMG: With the introduction of the UK Bribery Act now less than a month away, the majority of U.K. compliance executives say bribery & corruption remains part of doing business in some countries, however most companies continue to operate in such places and have chosen to take precautions that include improved internal controls, enhanced due diligence and employee training to enable them to do so, according to a KPMG International survey.
73% of U.K. senior compliance executives say corruption is endemic in certain areas of the world, of which 32% acknowledge that not doing business in those countries is a way of avoiding bribery and corruption risks.
PC&PE: In a report published last week, the Home Affairs Committee criticises the lack of progress made by the UK Border Agency in effectively controlling immigration to the UK. In the second of what is intended to be a series of reports on the Agency's work, the Committee raises serious concerns about the way the Agency approaches enforcement across the range of its activities:
According to MPs, the net result is that a very large number of people remain in the UK who either have no right to be here or who would have been removed had their cases been dealt with in a timely manner.
HL: Following the publication of our national report charting changes in the homeless sector (Survey of Needs and Provision 2011 (SNAP), a regional breakdown has been released, along with ‘hot topic’ reports on funding, mental health and employment. The briefings aim to provide homelessness agencies, local authorities, commissioners and policy makers with information they can use to improve services for homeless people.
PC&PE: MPs have criticised the Government for its approach to the trade in fishing quota. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry into domestic fisheries management examined the system for managing & allocating quota to the English fishing fleet and found that urgent changes are needed to preserve fishermen’s livelihoods.
IISS: The latest IISS Strategic Comment looks at how Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh used his recent visit to Kabul to send the message that, unlike the West, New Delhi has no 'exit strategy' from Afghanistan.
