General Reports and Other Publications

ScotGov: The Belgian region of Flanders has been highlighted as an excellent example of how to deal with waste by Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead, who said: “They have a recycling rate of 70%, excellent waste prevention plans and a strong network of centres to ensure goods can be re-used”.
Press release ~ Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM) ~ ScotGov – Review of Flanders ~ Zero Waste Scotland
 
NA: The Local Government Association and leading archive ambassadors, including The National Archives, the National Council on Archives and the Society of Archivists, have launched a new publication - Our past, your future - a guide to local government archives.
 
The guide highlights how archives can enrich people's lives & support local communities and is aimed at local councillors and senior officers in local authorities in England.
Press release ~ Our past, your future - a guide to local government archives ~ Local Government Association ~ The National Archives ~ National Council on Archives ~ Society of Archivists
 
OFT: The time it takes for electronic bank payments & cheques to clear for consumers has speeded up but further improvements are needed, the OFT has announced in its Review of the Payments Council. The OFT found that there is much more effective strategic direction of the industry since the Payments Council was set up in 2006.
 
Key improvements the Council has overseen include the speeding up of slow cheque clearers as well as the implementation of the Faster Payments Service, which allows consumers to make & receive payments within a matter of hours rather than, as previously, having to wait for up to 3 working days.
 
However, the OFT also found that the Council's progress has been disappointing in some areas.  It is still too slow in driving improved payments for customers and it should also be more proactive in establishing where improvements are necessary, rather than reacting to external pressures.
Press release ~ Review of the Payments Council ~ Final report of the Payment Systems Task Force ~ Payments Council ~ OFT ~ Faster Payments Service
 
ScotGov: Scottish police forces can benefit from improving the way they seek the views of the public when setting their priorities, according to a new report - Strategic Priority Setting in Scottish forces: consulting the public - from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland.
 
It recommends that:
* All forces should develop a consultation strategy, or review their existing strategy
* Each force should have a central database to maintain the details of consultation activities
* All consultation exercises should be evaluated & guidance on evaluation should be provided
* Forces should move away from postal surveys to face to face consultation in communities
Press release ~ Thematic Inspection: Strategic priority setting in Scottish forces: Consulting the public ~ HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland
 
Ofsted: Ofsted have published a report on engaging young people. It draws upon evidence from local authority youth services inspections which took place as part of Ofsted’s joint area reviews of children’s and young people’s services from 2005 to 2008.  It reports on the quality & impact of youth work and tracks recent (but early) developments in the introduction of integrated youth support.
Press release ~ Engaging young people report
 
DH: A new survey released by the Department of Health reveals that while almost 50% of British travellers have become ill or injured on holiday, 35% of these have delayed (often essential) medical treatment until they return home.  The main reasons given for not seeking treatment abroad are concerns about the potential cost and lack of travel insurance.
 
However, British travellers could be putting themselves needlessly at risk as a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will entitle them to reduced cost or free healthcare in most European countries.  The research showed that nearly three in five people claim to have an EHIC, but 68% of these don't know when it expires.
 
Almost 3.3 million EHICs will have expired by the end of March 2009.  Travellers with out-of-date EHICs who require medical treatment will have to cover the cost themselves or claim on their travel insurance. To renew, or obtain an EHIC, call 0845 606 2030 or log on HERE.
Press release ~ EHIC applies in
 
CLG: More lives have been saved & fires prevented thanks to the success of firefighters carrying out Home Fire Risk Safety Checks according to a new independent report.  During a HFRS check a firefighter visits a person's home to discuss fire safety and to alert them to the risks of a potential fire. They will also check if the person has a working smoke alarm and, if not, fit one free of charge.
 
The report 'Evaluation of the Home Fire Risk Check and Fire Prevention Grant Programmes' shows that 4 years since the Government's £36m grants to Fire & Rescue Services (FRS) for fire safety, home fire risks safety checks each year have:
* saved 53 lives - a fall of 57% in lives lost through fires
* reduced the number of people injured by fire in the home by 888
* reduced the incidents of fires in people's homes by 13,670
Press release ~ 'Evaluation of the Home Fire Risk Check and Fire Prevention Grant Programmes' ~ Home Fire Risk Safety Checks
 
HEFCE:  The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has published 'Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology - a revised approach to HEFCE's strategy for e-learning'.  This revised approach follows an independent review of the strategy and is designed to provide further support to higher education institutions as they develop their own e-learning strategies.
 
The new approach is intended to support institutions in considering where they may wish to prioritise their technology-related investment over the next few years and to develop appropriate institutional learning & teaching strategies.  Support & guidance is available from the Higher Education Academy and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).
 
In order to assist institutions in achieving their strategic aims for enhancing learning & teaching through technology, the document suggests a framework focusing on: pedagogy, curriculum design & development; learning resources & environments; quality; and research & evaluation.
Press release ~ 'Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology - a revised approach to HEFCE's strategy for e-learning' ~ Higher Education Academy ~ Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)
 
Newswire - AS: An Audit Scotland report - Drug and alcohol services in Scotland - provides further evidence of Scotland’s growing problem with drug & alcohol misuse.  Drug & alcohol-related death rates are among the highest in Europe and have doubled in the past 15 years.
 
Alcohol misuse is an even bigger problem than drug misuse.  Alcohol problems affect many more people and cause three times the number of deaths compared with drug misuse. The impact is felt across the country and throughout local communities, but deprived areas are worst affected.
 
The Audit Scotland report says a coordinated effort is needed across the public sector to deliver services that meet the needs of people with misuse problems and of communities.  The report says the Scottish Government needs to work with the NHS, councils and other partners to ensure all public bodies are clear about their collective responsibilities.
Press release ~ Drug and alcohol services in Scotland ~ Audit Scotland ~ Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action ~ Analysis of Responses to the Consultation on the Scottish Government's Strategic Approach to Changing Scotland's relationship with Alcohol ~ ScotGov - Alcohol ~ Alcohol Health Alliance (UK) ~ Alcohol Focus Scotland ~ Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) ~ Scottish Licensed Trade Association ~ Pilot scheme to restrict sales of alcohol ~  Join the National Youth Commission on Alcohol
 
NAO: Government faces increasing pressure to do more with fewer financial resources and, with challenges such as climate change and an ageing population, will require innovation in public services.  Since 2006, when the National Audit Office last reported to Parliament on innovation in central government, departments have started to implement some of the report’s recommendations and improve innovation.
 
However, departments are still not maximising the opportunities to innovate and there are often barriers preventing public servants from developing innovations through to implementation. Barriers to innovation from public servants include risk averse attitudes within departments and a concentration on targets, budgets and high-profile national initiatives.
Press release ~ NAO: Innovation across central government ~ Achieving Innovation in Central Government Organisations (2006)
 
Newswire - AC: The Audit Commission report - Risk and Return, the first in-depth examination of English local authorities' deposits in the Icelandic banks - has been published.  The Commission finds that the majority of councils acted properly in managing their investments and were alert to the risks.  However, the report also identifies some examples of negligence during the days leading up to the collapse of the Icelandic banks on 7 October 2008.
 
The common denominator for those that were less cautious was an over reliance on credit ratings agencies and external advisers, to the exclusion of other information.  Seven local authorities breached guidance issued by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) and their own treasury management protocols, by investing £32.8m in Icelandic banks in October 2008.
 
The breaches included one council that failed to open an email warning of a ratings change; one using out of date information and another exceeding its own limit for deposits in a single bank.  The majority of local authorities heeded warning signs in April 2008, and the total value of deposits in Iceland halved between April and September.  Even so, new deposits exceeding £500m were made in that period.
 
On 16 October 2008 the Audit Commission confirmed its own exposure to the Icelandic bank collapse.  In December it published a review of its £10m deposits.
Press release ~ Risk and return - English local authorities and the Icelandic banks ~ Review of Audit Commission’s £10m deposits
 
NSG: The re-invention of policy making to ensure delivery of cost effective & efficient services responsive to people’s needs is proposed by the National School of Government’s Sunningdale Institute in a new report - Engagement and Aspiration: Reconnecting Policy Making with Front-Line Professionals - commissioned by the Cabinet Office.
 
The report looks at how to develop better links between Whitehall policy makers and front-line professionals to drive forward public service reform.  It calls for more engagement with front-line professionals in policy-making in order to create policies that are as effective as they can possibly be.
 
To achieve reconnection the report describes a new concept of modern policy coined the ‘Apogee Approach: Aspiring to Policy that is Grounded in Evidence and Experience’.  This is about policy makers becoming expert at accessing both evidence & experience and taking a pro-active networking & facilitative approach to policy-making.
Press release ~ Engagement and Aspiration: Reconnecting Policy Making with Front-Line Professionals ~ Working Together - Public Services On Your Side ~ National School of Government’s Sunningdale Institute ~ Public Service Workforce Reform
 
NAORed Dragon – a project by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Welsh Assembly Government and the then Welsh Development Agency (the Welsh Authorities) to provide modern aviation repair facilities at St Athan, South Wales – has cost the taxpayer around £113m, although it was meant to have saved MOD money and protected jobs in the area, according to a joint report released by the National Audit Office and the Wales Audit Office.
 
The project was established in 2000 and involved the modernisation of ageing MOD facilities, the construction of a super-hangar for fast jet repair and an aerospace business park promoted by the Welsh Authorities.  DARA – the Defence Aviation Repair Agency – was the intended main tenant, with most of its work on RAF fast jets being moved into a purpose built facility.
 
However, the MOD announced in 2005 that DARA would close its fast jet business at St Athan, leaving the site without its anchor tenant by April 2007.  Over £1bn of cost savings have separately been made through transferring repair to main Royal Air Force operating bases.
NAO press release ~ The Red Dragon project ~ MoD response press release ~  Wales Audit Office
 
NAO: A report from the National Audit Office summarises the results of the European Court of Auditors’ examination of the European Union’s accounts for 2007 and progress on the range of initiatives taken forward by the Commission & Member States.
 
For the first time the Court provided a positive Statement of Assurance, without qualification, on the reliability of the Commission’s accounts, in effect confirming that they give a true & fair view.  But for the 14th successive year the Court did not provide a positive Statement of Assurance on whether the underlying transactions conformed to applicable laws & regulations.
 
Cohesion Policy funds which are designed to reduce disparities in the level of development between regions and Member States (for example by supporting major infrastructure projects) remain the most challenging component.  Based on its audit work, the Court estimates that, for expenditure on Cohesion projects, at least 11% should not have been reimbursed by the Commission in 2007.
Press release ~ NAO: Financial management in the European Union ~ Annual Report of the Court of Auditors concerning the financial year 2007
 
HC: A Healthcare Commission study into public & patient involvement in healthcare brings together the views of hundreds of patients and members of the public and 139 healthcare providers.  The report includes some examples of healthcare providers ‘listening & responding’ to patients.

But many patients & service users involved in the study said they felt their views were not listened to or properly acted upon.  Few trusts involved in the study could demonstrate that they routinely took account of people’s views in their decision-making.
Press release ~ Listening, learning, working together?: A national study of how well healthcare organisations engage local people in planning and improving their services ~ More information on the study
 
CompC: The Competition Commission (CC) and Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have published an independent study of their decisions in past merger cases. Deloitte & Touche, supported by Professor Stephen Davies of the University of East Anglia, was commissioned by the CC and the OFT, along with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), to assess the analysis & decision-making in 8 merger cases between 2004 and 2006.
 
The study aimed to review these decisions in the light of subsequent market developments and to comment on the approaches taken by the OFT and the CC.  The focus was to examine the two bodies' assessment of the mergers' likely effect on competition, but not to examine the effectiveness of any subsequent remedies.
Press release ~ Review of Merger Decisions under the Enterprise Act 2002 (2009) ~ Understanding past merger remedies: report on case study research (Updated August 2008)
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