Policy Statements and Initiatives

WAG: A new programme to widen access to Further Mathematics at GCE AS/A2 Levels in Wales has been supported by Education, Minister Leighton Andrews. Students completing Further Maths at AS & A Levels are seen as better prepared for mathematics-related courses in higher education and generally more able mathematicians thanks to Further Maths. The programme is being delivered by the Wales Institute of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (WIMCS), based at Swansea University.  
Press release and related links
 
WAG: Environment & Sustainability Minister, Jane Davidson, has launched a Supporting Sustainable Living Grant Scheme to ‘provide funds & advice for projects to help people move to a more sustainable & lower carbon lifestyle’. Grants of up to £15,000 are available to organisations from all sectors and can fund up to 50% of a project’s costs. The scheme aims to bring about long-term changes in lifestyles that will help reduce Wales’ greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the impact of climate change.
Press release ~ Local groups invited to apply for Tidy Towns grants for community-led projects to improve communities
 
DECC: A cross-Government action plan on climate change backed by the PM & Deputy PM was launched last week setting strict actions & deadlines for Whitehall. The new Carbon Plan sets out what has to happen & by when if the Government is to live up to its green ambitions, meet tough domestic carbon targets and encourage greater action internationally.
 
The Carbon Plan is published in draft with the Government inviting the public & organisations to give their views on the contents.  A final version will be published in the Autumn and then updated annually.
Press release ~ The Carbon Plan ~ CBI comment
 
ScotGov: National voluntary organisations are being invited to bid for a share of a new £6.8m fund, designed to help improve children's lives. The Early Years Early Action Fund will be open to national voluntary organisations to enable them to:
* Improve early years services covering parenting, play, childcare, child and maternal health & family support
* Provide earlier support for families to prevent problems escalating into costly, difficult crisis situations, as well as supporting health improvement and helping looked after children
Press release ~ More about Go Play Programme ~ Economic benefits of early years support
 
DH: The Government has published Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England which sets out how tobacco control will be delivered over the next 5 years.  Local communities will take a leading role in reducing smoking rates.  The plan confirms action to end eye catching tobacco displays in shops which encourage young people to start smoking.
Press release ~ Healthy lives, healthy people: a tobacco control plan for England ~ DH: Healthy Lives, Healthy People ~ Impact of smokefree legislation: evidence review, March 2011
 
ScotGov: Proposals to establish the Scottish Digital Network (SDN) to deliver local television services in Scotland have been put forward by the ScotGov. A formal expression of interest has been submitted to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in response to its Local Media Action Plan consultation.
Press release ~ The Scottish Digital Network Panel's report ~ Local Media Action Plan information ~ Platform for Success report
 
ScotGov: Access to high speed broadband is vital to unlocking the next stage of Scotland's economic development, Rural Affairs Secretary, Richard Lochhead told delegates at a specially convened rural broadband summit last week. It followed the launch recently of the Scottish Government's Digital Strategy and marks the publication of Our Rural Future - the Scottish Government's response to the recent 'Speak Up for Rural Scotland' consultation - which identifies the provision of broadband in rural areas as a major priority.
Press release and related links
 
DFID: Young adults from across the country and from all walks of life will be given the chance to make a real difference in the poorest parts of the world – by volunteering overseas. PM David Cameron and Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, have officially opened International Citizen Service (ICS) for applications.
 
The scheme will enable 18 to 22 year-olds to work as volunteers for 10 - 12 weeks in a developing country on projects to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. The scheme aims to contribute to helping reduce poverty overseas as well as to broaden the horizons of the young volunteers and develop skills such as team working & communications.
Press release and related links ~ Directgov press release
 
CO: The Government has opened the application process for organisations that want to help run the second set of National Citizen Service pilots in summer 2012. NCS is a flagship policy at the heart of the coalition Government’s vision for building a Big Society. It will bring together 16 year olds from different backgrounds in a summer programme of challenge, service & learning, enabling them to develop the confidence, skills & attitudes they need to become more engaged with their communities and to become active & responsible citizens.
Press release and related links
 
Defra: Funding to support hill farmers and help some of England’s rural communities to thrive was unveiled last week by Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman.  A new Rural Community Broadband Fund expected to be worth up to £20m will be set up to help end the digital & social divide suffered by rural areas and up to £6m a year more will be available to hill farmers for environmental stewardship schemes.
Press release
 
DECC: The world’s first financial incentive of its kind to revolutionise the way heat is generated & used in buildings has been launched by Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne. The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will support emerging technologies & businesses in the UK, strengthening security of supply by reducing dependence on fossil fuel heating and emissions.
 
Currently around half of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the energy used to produce heat – more than from generating electricity.  The new financial incentive will encourage installation of equipment like renewable heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal panels to reduce emissions & support the existing 150,000 jobs in the heating industry.
Press release and related links ~ PWC comment – Renewable Heat incentive ~ CBI: RHI
 
DfE: An independent review of the key skills that teachers need to improve students' performance was launched last week. Every new teacher must meet a series of standards to stay in the classroom - but the current standards aren't rigorous, clear or effective enough.
 
Instead of focussing on the essential skills of great teaching, the current standards are a vague list of woolly aspirations. For example, an experienced teacher must ‘contribute significantly, where appropriate, to implementing workplace policies and practice and to promoting collective responsibility for their implementation’.
Press release and related links
 
ScotGov: A new national training & support service - to provide better help & guidance to Scotland's estimated 20,000 kinship carers - was launched last week. Kinship carers are friends or relatives who look after a child because they cannot be looked after by their parents. Children 1st will be given around £75,000 in 20010-11 and around £245,000 for each of the next 3 financial years to run the new service.
Press release and related links
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