Policy Statements and Initiatives
ScotGov: From April 2009 the Energy Assistance Package will replace the Central Heating and Warm Deal programmes. A network of Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centres throughout Scotland will help deliver the scheme, which acts as a one-stop shop for assistance with reducing fuel poverty.
For the first time, families with children aged under five, or children with a disability aged below 16, are eligible for significant assistance where they are in receipt of benefits. As well as providing central heating & insulation, incomes will be boosted with free benefit and tax credit checks. Tariff checks will also ensure people are paying the correct amounts on their bill.
Press release ~ Energy Assistance Package ~ Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum ~ Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centres
WAG: A new action plan to promote positive behaviour & attendance in Wales has been launched by Children, Education Lifelong Learning and Skills Minister Jane Hutt. Called, Behaving and Attending, the plan is the response to the National Behaviour and Attendance Review (NBAR) which was published in May 2008 by Professor Ken Reid and his independent Review Group.
The Action Plan will shape the direction & pace of Assembly Government policy, impacting on the lives of children & young people by putting in place new approaches & processes promoting positive behaviour and attendance and developing a consistent approach across Wales.
Press release ~ WAG – Children and Young people ~ Behaving and Attending Action plan ~ WAG – Education and Skills ~ National Behaviour and Attendance Review (NBAR)
Defra: Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has given the go-ahead for the South Downs to become England's ninth National Park. The new 627 square mile protected area will be home to an estimated 120,000 people, stretching from Beachy Head to the edge of Winchester, in line with an independent inspector's recommendations following a 19-month public inquiry.
A new South Downs National Park Authority is expected to be established by April 2010 and become fully operational a year later.
Press release ~ Defra: South Downs National Park ~ South Downs National Park Inquiry ~ South Downs Campaign ~ South Downs Online
HO: A new system to crack down on bogus colleges and fraudulent applications from foreign students has so far screened out almost a quarter of applications from independent schools, colleges and universities the Government has claimed.
More than 2,100 universities, independent schools and colleges have applied to accept international students. Each institution has been assessed or visited by UK Border Agency officers as part of the vetting process. Already around 460 institutions that don't make the grade have been rejected.
Last year tuition fees from international students totalled £2.5bn - the Tier 4 rules ensure that institutions who benefit from having international students on their books take responsibility for ensuring students arriving from outside Europe comply with the conditions of their leave to be in the UK.
Press release ~ Sponsoring students ~ Studying in the UK ~ New immigration applicants to get identity cards for foreign nationals
DECC: A new £500,000 fund has been launched to help environmental entrepreneurs and small businesses develop their ideas to generate electricity from the River Severn's tidal power. The Severn Embryonic Technologies Scheme is designed to deliver:
* a support package which will comprise expert advice & grants
* an assessment of potential in terms of technical feasibility and environmental & other impacts
* a route map to deployment for promising technologies
The fund is open to new proposals as well as those submitted to the feasibility study in response to last summer's call for proposals. The closing date for bids is 1 May 2009
ScotGov: More than a thousand proposals from rural businesses & communities have been awarded £67m from Rural Priorities, as much as the previous three funding rounds put together, it has been announced. Successful applicants have included a dairy business in East Lothian, who will use their grant to develop the business and give it a competitive edge, and a renewable energy project for a small company in Orkney.
This latest round of Rural Priorities funding was opened up in response to stakeholder demand and has been marked by an unprecedented number of applications for agri-environment projects.
DCMS: Culture Secretary Andy Burnham has intervened in the public dispute about proposed library closures in the Wirral, calling a local inquiry to test whether the Council's plans are consistent with their statutory duty to provide all residents with a comprehensive public library service.
If the proposed changes to the library service are found to fall short of duties to provide a 'comprehensive & efficient' public library service, the Inquiry will also include practical steps that should be taken by the Wirral to put things right. The Inquiry will be the first of its kind since 1991.
The outcome of this Inquiry should also offer assistance to other library authorities in understanding the Department and Ministers' approach to library authorities' compliance with statutory duties and is expected to form part of the DCMS Library Review, to be published in June 2009.
Defra: Representatives from the farming industry have met with Environment Secretary Hilary Benn to discuss skills training. The Agri-Skills round table was convened by Mr Benn to discuss how to improve access to training for 21st-century farming.
There are a range of options open to farmers for skills & knowledge development including on-the-job training, short courses, in-depth accredited courses, and apprenticeships. The purpose of the round table is to develop a clear & simple system so that farmers know where to go for advice on assessing their skills needs and on the most appropriate form of training.
