Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
Defra: The Government's updated Exotic Animal Disease Contingency Plan has been laid in Parliament. The revised plan is produced by Animal Health for Defra and includes changes which have been subject to formal public consultation. It includes a framework response plan for dealing with exotic animal diseases and plans for responding to specific diseases including Foot & Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease.
The changes to the plan reflect lessons identified from the incidents handled during 2008 and address recommendations made in Sir Iain Anderson's review of the 2007 outbreak of Foot & Mouth Disease.
Press release ~ Exotic Animal Disease Contingency Plan ~ Defra – Disease control ~ Animal Health ~ Sir Iain Anderson's review of the 2007 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease ~ Chief Veterinary Officer's annual report ~ Disease Alerts
SGC: The Sentencing Guidelines Council has published two definitive guidelines, which together cover:
* theft & burglary from a non-dwelling and
* breach of an anti-social behaviour order
Burglary in a dwelling house is the subject of a guideline judgment from the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). The Court of Appeal has recently (on 1 December 2008) considered the existing guidelines on burglary in a dwelling, and its judgment is expected shortly.
Press release ~ Guideline on theft and burglary in a building other than a dwelling ~ Guideline on breach of an anti-social behaviour order ~ SGC
OFT: The Office of Fair Trading has published revised leniency guidance for businesses and individuals that come forward with information about their involvement in a cartel. Under the OFT leniency programme members of cartels who provide evidence of such involvement may qualify for criminal immunity and may avoid any fine or receive a reduced penalty provided they fully co-operate with an investigation.
The clarified & expanded guidance is intended to give maximum predictability & transparency for leniency applicants and their advisers. The OFT's leniency policy & practice are consistent with the provisions of the European Competition Network (ECN) Model Leniency Programme.
Press release ~ Leniency and no-action (December 2008) ~ Application for leniency ~ Rewards for information about cartels ~ OFT - Cartels ~ European Competition Network (ECN) Model Leniency Programme
CIOB: The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has launched the next in its series of “Are you ready…?” online broadcasts. Entitled ‘Are you ready…to tackle corruption and fraud’, this latest edition focuses on the serious issue of corruption and fraud within the construction industry, highlighting the effects it can have on individuals and businesses.
The broadcast also discusses some of the key preventative measures that can be adopted to tackle the problem, including training, anti-corruption programmes, awareness-raising, and how and where these measures should be implemented across your business.
‘Are you ready for Site Waste Management Plans’ was the first broadcast in the series and future broadcasts in 2009 will include topics such as ‘sustainability’.
Press release ~ CIOB online Broadcasts ~ Global Infrastructure Anti-Corruption Centre ~ Fraud Advisory Panel
DH: Drug reference information in the British National Formulary will become a key element of the new NHS Evidence portal due to be launched in April 2009. As a result, responsibility for provision of this information for the NHS will transfer from the Department of Health to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), as part of the development of NHS Evidence.
Currently, basic drug reference information is provided for the NHS in England, via the Department of Health's contract for purchase of the British National Formulary (BNF) and British National Formulary for Children (BNFC). This contract will therefore also transfer to NICE with effect from April 2009.
