General Reports and Other Publications
Newswire – IfG: The Institute for Government's Executive Director has written about the challenges facing the coalition in securing fiscal consolidation. In an article entitled Shaping the Future, Lord Bichard talks about challenge to cut budgets dramatically, while preserving the many strengths of our system of government - and tackling some of its deeply entrenched weaknesses.
Lord Bichard discusses the lessons from abroad, how to guard against falling service standards and how tackling some of Whitehall's inefficiencies could help.
Press release ~ Shaping the Future ~ Seminar podcast: How to tackle the deficit in a coalition government
Newswire - MEE: Professor Sir John Temple has launched his report ‘Time for Training’, an independent review of the impact of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) on the quality of training for doctors, dentists, pharmacists & healthcare scientists.
The report was commissioned by Medical Education England (MEE) at the request of the former Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson. Sir John’s report concludes that high quality training can be delivered within the reduced number of hours available, but fails if trainees:
* have the major role in providing out of hours service
* are poorly supervised or
* have limited access to learning
Newswire – CABE: There should be a new simpler standards framework for housing, in return for a set of minimum national design standards for all new homes, according to a report from CABE. Simpler and better: housing design in everyone’s interest argues that smarter regulation would give consumers a guarantee that homes and neighbourhoods are well designed everywhere.
The current mix of standards required by building regulations, planning policy and funders desperately needs rationalisation. CABE is proposing replacing this with a single set of clear requirements by which developments are designed, judged & developed through the planning system, and specifically identifying those that should be delivered through the building regulations.
Press release ~ Simpler and better: housing design in everyone's interest ~ Housing standards: evidence and research
TfL: A new, 30-strong Police Cycle Task Force hit the streets of London last week, as the Mayor, Transport for London (TfL) and London's police forces published (for consultation – closes on 3 August 2010) a draft plan for tackling cycle theft & vandalism in the Capital.
They will patrol London's streets by bike, investigating & tackling cycle theft and criminal damage to bicycles.
Alongside local Safer Transport Teams, the new team will also run sessions on bike marking & registration and give London's cyclists advice on how to lock up their bikes securely in order to deter theft.
Newswire – HMCIP: Prisons have come a considerable distance in meeting the religious needs of Muslims, but are not yet effectively managing a complex & multi-dimensional population, said Dame Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing a thematic report - Muslim prisoners’ experiences.
A pervasive theme was the lack of support & training available to staff, outside briefings relating to violent extremism & radicalisation. This meant staff could either back off from confronting challenging behaviour or challenge inappropriately.
MoJ: The Guardian newspaper last week highlighted the work of the Shannon Trust to help prisoners who can read to teach those who cannot. Tuition from other prisoners who do have reading skills makes offenders better equipped to find work at the end of their sentences. The Toe by Toe peer mentoring programme is supported by a network of 160 volunteers in the community and a similar number of prison officer facilitators.
Newswire – ASI: A new report from the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) has called on the government to implement £91bn of cuts by 2015 to eliminate the deficit. This equates to a reduction in public spending across all departments of 3% a year for the next 5 years.
Nigel Hawkins’ report - The Party Is Over – A Blueprint for Fiscal Stability - claims that no budget should be ring-fenced and says that even the Health budget should be subject to an annual reduction of 2% a year.
Further cuts also need to be made in the current financial year if the deficit is to be eliminated within the course of this government. In addition, Secretaries of State should expect to lose their jobs if they are unable to deliver the necessary savings – such is the economic importance of bringing spending under control.
NAO: Government funding for developing renewable energy technologies has delivered technology innovation and increased the supply of renewable energy, according to a report published by the National Audit Office. However, co-ordination has historically been limited and the absence of a consistent approach to measuring & reporting on the impact of this support means the overall value for money of spending to date cannot be demonstrated.
NICE: Doctors should focus on tackling health inequalities as part of their everyday practice, a report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) concludes. Despite an increase in rates of life expectancy in recent years, there is evidence to suggest that health inequalities are still rife across the UK. In Canning Town, a deprived district in the East End of London, the average male life expectancy is 73 years, compared with 79 years in the affluent London borough of Westminster.
The report, published last week and developed in partnership with other Royal Colleges, as well as with the NHS, identifies how doctors can take account of social inequalities in every area of their work. NICE has published guidance to help doctors achieve a number of the recommendations set out in the report, and is committed to helping drive down health inequalities across Britain.
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