General Reports and Other Publications
CO: The review into Government Direct Communication and the role of COI, carried out by Matt Tee, Permanent Secretary Government Communication has been published recently. It is proposed that activity will be concentrated in fewer areas of focus and to targeted audiences, so that Government communications is more effective and so that the Government is not aiming multiple messages at the same audience.
Newswire – CIPD: The extent to which managers provide guidance, feedback and the appropriate level of autonomy for staff is key to whether employees go the extra mile for their organisation, new research for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggests. The research was commissioned to help organisations develop practical guidance for use in promoting better line management performance amongst managers.
NICE: NICE has issued its response to the government's plans to introduce a new value-based system of pricing medicines which aims to give NHS patients better access to effective and innovative medicines.
iea: A new paper released recently shows that many of UK Uncut’s claims are fundamentally flawed & contradictory. In UK Uncut Unravelled the iea examines the claims made against some of UK Uncut’s main targets and finds that they often misrepresent the facts and completely misunderstand the way that tax law.
NIA: The Northern Ireland Assembly debated the Committee for Education’s Report on its Inquiry into Successful Post-Primary Schools Serving Disadvantaged Communities recently. The Report makes a number of recommendations to the Department of Education highlighting in particular the importance of leadership to a school’s success.
KPMG: Preliminary findings from the forthcoming 2011 Pensions Accounting Survey from KPMG in the UK reveal that the change to using CPI as the pension inflation measure & stabilising life expectancies have improved the position for UK private sector pension fund liabilities. The KPMG Pensions Accounting Survey 2011 will be available in May 2011.
WWF: The water & carbon footprint of wasted household food in the UK has been identified for the first time, highlighting the major environmental consequences of food waste, both in this country and globally.
The report - The Water and Carbon Footprint of Household Food Waste in the UK (jointly published by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and WWF) - found that water used to produce food that householders in the UK then waste represents 6% of the UK’s water requirements, (6.2bn cubic metres per year), a quarter of which originates in the UK.
The report - The Water and Carbon Footprint of Household Food Waste in the UK (jointly published by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and WWF) - found that water used to produce food that householders in the UK then waste represents 6% of the UK’s water requirements, (6.2bn cubic metres per year), a quarter of which originates in the UK.
The 6.2bn cubic metres of water used to produce the 5.3m tonnes of food that householders waste every year is nearly twice the annual household water usage of the UK. The report also goes on to identify the countries of origin for wasted food and looks at the context of water scarcity in those regions in the shape of case studies.
Socitm: Socitm Head of Policy Martin Ferguson is 1 of a panel of 3 local authority IT experts who will be giving evidence to the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) inquiry into the way in which Government develops information technology (IT) policy, and the strategy for its implementation.
The PASC inquiry addresses the Government's overall approach to information technology including how it identifies business needs, the effectiveness of governance arrangements and procurement policy & practice. See press release for Socitm’s written evidence to PASC.
IFS: New Institute for Fiscal Studies research estimates that in the 3 years from 2008 to 2011 real household incomes will have fallen by 1.6%, or £360 a year. So households are likely to be about 6% worse off than they might have expected had incomes risen in the normal way.
Newswire – NHSConfed: The NHS Confederation’s BME leadership forum recently gathered over 60 delegates from across the health sector to discuss how the proposed NHS reforms might impact on BME communities, patients & staff (See press release for presentations from the day).
The forum is now looking for a new chair to guide & drive the work of the group and ensure it is effective in meeting its aims. The forum will be hosting its yearly reception at the NHS Confederation’s Annual Conference and Exhibition from 6 to 8 July 2011 in Manchester.
NAO: Increases in expenditure on education for 16- to 18-year-olds, which now stands at £6bn per year, have been matched by improvements in students’ achievements and their increasing participation in education. Nevertheless, the National Audit Office cannot conclude that value for money is being delivered across the system, because of variation in the arrangements for accountability, performance monitoring & intervention where poor performance exists.
IISS: It would take Iran at least 2 years to produce a single nuclear weapon, according to a new in-depth report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Although concerns have long been raised about Iran’s uranium enrichment programme – and major powers have sought to limit it through talks, sanctions & sabotage – officials & analysts have differed in their estimates of the timeline for an Iranian nuclear weapon.
This latest Strategic Dossier, Iran’s Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Capabilities: a net assessment explains that most government public estimates fail to provide, the assumptions & calculations behind the timelines.
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Newswire – NHSConfed: Frontline professionals support the idea of personal health budgets, but currently have little enthusiasm for their implementation’ says a new report from our Mental Health Network and the National Mental Health Development Unit. It says clinicians especially are not yet convinced that personal health budgets will benefit patients.
51% of healthcare professionals agree that personal budgets will enable a positive shift in power & control to service users, whereas only 20% disagree. Overall, however, just 28% of respondents said they have any enthusiasm for personal health budgets to be implemented.
NAO: The Department for Transport took a tough line in negotiating with the owner of the InterCity East Coast franchise, National Express, before terminating the franchise agreement in 2009, according to the National Audit Office. The Department avoided disruption to passenger services & protected the taxpayer, securing overall value for money.
Newswire – RoSPA: Teenage parents want better access to home safety information so they can take even greater steps towards keeping their children safe, show the findings of new research – ‘Investigating home safety amongst young parents’ which looked at how safety messages could be better tailored for young parents.
Newswire – PC: MPs should be allowed to use handheld electronic devices, such as iPads & smartphones, in the Chamber of the House of Commons provided that they do so with decorum and regard for others, say the Procedure Committee in a report published last week. The committee will now seek an opportunity to put the report to the House for its agreement.
Newswire – JCHR: The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has published a report on the policing of recent protests in central London and the preparations for last Saturday’s 'March for the Alternative'. The policing of protest engages several human rights, including freedom of expression & assembly, the right to life, the prohibition against inhuman or degrading treatment and rights to liberty & privacy.
The report welcomes the advance cooperation between the police & organisers of the TUC march and the planned involvement of human rights observers in the control room on the day of the march itself. It also welcomes police initiatives to communicate better with protestors by using leaflets & Twitter, but concerns remain about ‘kettling’ & the use of batons.
NAO: The National Audit Office has published a review of the developments to date associated with the Efficiency and Reform Group and its main responsibilities. It is too soon for the NAO to reach a judgment on its success in improving the value for money of government overall. The review is intended to provide an objective baseline against which progress made by the Group can be assessed by the NAO and the Public Accounts Committee.
Newswire – EUsC: The House of Lords EU Sub Committee on economic & financial affairs and international trade is sceptical about implementation of new proposals and concerned about creation of a ‘two-speed’ Europe.
EA: The Environment Agency have published detailed profiles on the cleanliness of some 500 bathing water sites across England & Wales. The new bathing water profiles on their website, include maps, photos and links to the latest water quality results for each of the country’s designated coastal & inland bathing sites. Over 8 in 10 beaches met the EU ‘guideline’ standard – compared to just 3 in 10 in 1990.
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