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Policy Statements and Initiatives
Cabinet Office: The Prime Minister has set out the Government's 'fair rules' agenda, outlining a wide range of policy initiatives designed to support strong communities. The 'Fair Rules for Strong Communities' strategy sets out a comprehensive series of reforms covering welfare reform, crime & policing, children & young people, business rules, immigration and communities, which are designed to bring people together and steer the country through the global economic downturn.
Building on the action taken to deliver economic help to families & businesses, the strategy sets out over 50 measures to strengthen the rules that tie communities together, strengthen enforcement and provide for clearer consequences for rule-breakers. This includes a new 'one strike rule' for benefits cheats under which they could lose their benefits for up to 4 weeks.
Press release ~ Fair Rules for Strong Communities ~ The Home Office policy paper Building Communities, Beating Crime: A Better Police Service for the 21st Century ~ Place Matters: The Location Strategy for the United Kingdom ~ CLG – Place matters ~ Places database ~ Neighbourhood Policing & Developing Citizen Focus thematic report ‘serving neighbourhoods & individuals’ ~ Reassurance Policing ~ Spanish BF website ~ International Benchmark of Fraud and Error in Social Security Systems ~ Tackling the Hidden Economy ~ National Fraud Initiative (NFI) report 2006/07 ~ Targeting benefit Fraud website ~ NFI web pages ~ DWP Strategy paper - Reducing fraud in the benefit system
ScotGov: NHSScotland has robust plans in place to cope with extra demand over the winter months, Chief Executive Kevin Woods has claimed, saying that NHS boards were laying on extra staff & beds to deal with the expected increases in GP visits and hospital admissions in their areas.
Meanwhile, special NHS boards like NHS24 and the Scottish Ambulance Service, which cover the whole of Scotland, are prepared for the anticipated rise in calls, particularly over Christmas and New Year when many GP surgeries will shut for two 4-day periods.
WAG: A report which gives a snapshot of how public authorities are taking account of disability equality in their work has been presented to Assembly Members by Social Justice Minister Dr Brian Gibbons. It is the first time a report of this kind has been published by Welsh Ministers who have a legal duty to do so.
The Discrimination Act 1995 states that every three years a report about the progress being made towards improving equality of opportunity for disabled people will be published. The Minister said that this report has identified that public authorities are making good progress in meeting their duties under the act.
Press release ~
DWP: Giving credit unions and other third sector partners direct access to Social Fund money so they can better help those on low income who have difficulty accessing financial services is one of the options unveiled by Kitty Ussher recently as part of a discussion on reforming the Social Fund.
Organisations such as credit unions are experienced in helping people on low incomes and have proved successful in giving them a sound financial basis upon which to progress. The Government will investigate how they might work more closely with credit unions and other external providers to deliver the further financial services that Social Fund customers need.
However, the PCS union has warned that the plans would lead to the privatisation of the Social Fund allowing private companies to profiteer from loaning public money to some of the most disadvantaged in society. Whilst supporting the principles behind credit unions, the union also expressed concern over their capacity to administer the Social Fund’s loan system.
Press release ~ PCS press release ~ Social Fund ~ SB16 – A guide to The Social Fund ~ CAB - SF ~ Thoresen Review ~ Money Guidance pilot service ~ ABCUL ~ Money Made Clear – Credit Unions ~ UKCU ~ NACUW
CLG: Top business men, journalists, servicemen, a fire-fighter, lawyers and media experts are amongst the twenty individuals named in the first-ever national role model programme for Black boys and young Black men by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears.
The REACH role models are from a wide range of occupations and many different parts of the country include an army officer, a barrister, a TV weatherman, a fire fighter, a royal navy engineer, top business consultants and entrepreneurs, a teacher, local council leaders, a probation officer, accountants and finance experts, a civil servant and a TV presenter and were selected because of their outstanding abilities to inspire, lead and connect with young black boys.
Press release ~ Biographical details of the twenty role models ~ CLG - REACH ~ An Independent Report to Government on Raising the Aspirations and Attainment of Black boys and Young Black Men ~ Government response ~ Windsor fellowship
DH: A ban on 'all you can drink' promotions in pubs & bars is among a range of new measures announced by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Health Secretary Alan Johnson, supported by a new £4.5m crackdown on alcohol fuelled crime and disorder.
Following an independent review, which found that many retailers are not abiding by their own voluntary standards for responsible selling & marketing of alcohol, the Government now intends to introduce a new mandatory code of practice to target the most irresponsible retail practices. In a public consultation on a mandatory code in July 2008, over 90% of approximately 2,000 respondents supported a mandatory code.
The Government also commissioned an independent review of the effects of price & promotion on alcohol-related harm, the findings of which suggest that changes to how alcohol is priced & promoted could deliver reductions in health harms, crime and absenteeism from work.
However, the ScHARR review is a very detailed study examining a wide range of policy options. The Government needs to evaluate these before deciding whether or not to act in this area. Details of how this will be done will follow in due course.
Press release ~ National Alcohol Strategy ‘Safe. Sensible. Social’ ~ Safe. Sensible. Social. - Consulation on further action: Consultation Report ~ ScHARR review and other alcohol related publications (scroll down) ~ Alcohol Concern ~ Portman Group ~ Evaluation of six Scottish Arrest Referral Pilot Schemes ~ Home Office – Alcohol related crime
WAG: The Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones, has outlined the response of the Welsh Assembly Government to Phase 2 of OFCOM’s review of Public Service Broadcasting, as set out in the consultation document published in September 2008.
The response outlines the need for OFCOM and the UK Government to provide a financial incentive to ensure the continued provision of Welsh news and current affairs on ITV1.
Press release ~ WAG - Broadcasting ~ WAG response and other related documents ~ Phase 2 of Ofcom’s review of Public Service Broadcasting ~ Advisory Group on Broadcasting
DH: A three-year £12m communications campaign to promote public awareness around stroke (the third leading cause of death in the UK and the single largest cause of adult disability in England) has been announced by Health Minister Ann Keen. The campaign will be launched in February 2009.
The awareness campaign will teach the public and NHS staff to remember FAST - Face Arm Speech Time to call 999 - to help them recognise the symptoms of stroke and understand that prompt emergency treatment can reduce the risk of death and disability. Improving public awareness of the symptoms of stroke is a key element of the National Stroke Strategy, published one year ago.
Press release ~ Act FAST ~ National Stroke Strategy ~ DH - Stroke ~ Stroke Improvement website ~ Royal College of Physicians' Sentinel Audit ~ The Stroke Association ~ Stroke Research Network
CLG: The Government has published legislation - the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill- which is intended to give local people new rights to shape local services and give greater responsibility to local authorities to promote economic development helping communities respond to local challenges.
The Bill is the next step in transforming communities and public services - by implementing policies set out in Communities in Control White Paper and in the Government's Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR).
Press release ~ Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill ~ Communities in Control White Paper ~
Defra: Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has welcomed publication of legislation - the Marine and Coastal Access Bill - intended to provide better protection & development of the seas around Britain. The Government has agreed a UK-wide approach to marine planning with the Devolved Administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with more functions devolved to Scottish and Welsh ministers – See also ‘General News’ item from Natural England.
Press release ~ Defra – Marine and Coastal Access Bill ~ Progress of Bill~ JNCC - UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill
WAG: Providing equality of opportunity and the best possible chances in life for disabled children & young people was the message recently from First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Children’s Minister Jane Hutt, as they launched the Welsh Assembly Government’s first policy agenda for disabled young people in Wales.
