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Legislation / Legal
ScotGov: Following the announcement that Glasgow will host the 2014 Games, the Scottish Parliament will now consider the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill, which aims to protect the Games from ‘ambush marketing' and ticket touts, while putting powers in place to address matters such as transport and land purchase.
Under terms set out by the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Scottish Government gave a commitment that, when Glasgow won, legislation covering these areas would be in place by 2010. Ambush marketing is regarded as a major threat to large sporting events like the Commonwealth Games. Businesses pay significant sums of money to become official sponsors of such events, thereby helping to offset overall costs.
Press release ~ Glasgow Commonwealth Games Bill ~ Commonwealth Games Federation ~ 2014 Games ~ The Commonwealth Games Council for England
DCSF: The Children and Young Persons Bill published last week in Parliament, aims to improve the lives of the 60,000 children in care. Children in care are still five times less likely to achieve five good GCSEs and a quarter of people in prison have been in care.
Among its elements are:
* Young people up to the age of 18 will not be required to leave their care placement before they are ready to live independently and will get support as long as they need it through a personal adviser up to the age of 25
* A £2,000 bursary will be given to children in care who go on to university
* There will be an increased focus on the quality of care planning and ensuring that the child's voice is heard when important decisions that affect their future are taken.
* Local Authorities will see that children do not move schools as a result of care placement decisions, particularly in GCSE years, except in exceptional circumstances.
Press release ~ Children and Young Persons Bill ~ Looked-after children - Every Child Matters ~ Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care Green Paper ~ Care Matters: Time for Change ~ Educational achievement of looked-after children - ECM ~ DfES: Looked-after children – the struggle for stability ~ Prince's Trust - Care ~ Looked After Children and Young People: We Can and Must Do Better ~ Outcome Indicators for Looked after Children ~ Education Protects - Collecting & Using Data to Improve Education Outcomes for Children in Public Care
CLG: New measures in the Housing and Regeneration Bill include legislation to remove barriers to councils building their own social housing, stronger action where tenants are unhappy with the management of their estates and new rules for councils to tackle anti-social tenants.
The Bill will also establish a new watchdog for social tenants - Oftenant - and give this watchdog a duty to reduce red tape for good Housing Associations, with less paperwork and no routine inspections, allowing them to concentrate on building new housing.
The Bill will establish the Homes and Communities Agency which is intended to bring together responsibility for land and money to deliver new housing, community facilities and infrastructure. It will also work with local councils on some of the 10 new eco towns the Prime Minister has pledged by 2020.
The Bill will also rewrite the rules on financing new council housing, helping councils to build new social homes in their areas where it offers value for money.
Press release ~ Housing and Regeneration Bill ~ Homes and Communities Agency ~ Housing Green Paper ~ Cave Review: Every Tenant Matters: a review of social housing regulation ~ Eco-towns Prospectus ~ CLG – Eco Towns
DH: The government has published the Health and Social Care Bill, which they claim will ‘enhance patient safety and improve public health’. Among other things, it will establish the Care Quality Commission, a new health & adult social care regulator with powers to inspect, investigate & intervene where hospitals are failing to meet safety and quality requirements, including hygiene standards. The Care Quality Commission will bring together the expertise of the Healthcare Commission, Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission.
It will also update existing public health protection legislation to provide a comprehensive set of public health measures to help prevent and control the spread of serious diseases caused by infection and contamination.
The Bill also has a key role in helping families tackle childhood obesity, as it includes new plans to provide all parents whose children take part in the National Child Measurement Programme with the results and healthy living advice - helping them make decisions about lifestyle.
