CO: Is it a lack of ‘training & accountability / clear lines of responsibility’, or just ‘laziness & incompetence’ that results in £bns STILL being wasted? - The Government has consistently failed to make the most of its scale, buying power and credit rating. That is the key finding of Sir Philip Green’s review into Government efficiency, which focused on the procurement of goods & services like IT, travel, print & office supplies, and the management of the Government’s property portfolio.
For the review, Sir Philip and his team were given access to departments’ resource accounts & information on government contracts and leases. Their work has revealed the poor quality of much of the data relating to where & how Government spends its money. In addition, a lack of a centralised approach to buying goods & services has allowed departments to pay hugely different prices for the same items.
BR: Unfortunately we cannot afford the same financing model as when only 10% of the population went to University - Lord Browne of Madingley has published his Independent Review into Higher Education Funding and Student Finance. Under a new system, to be called the Student Finance Plan, no student will pay anything until they graduate and are in work.
After leaving university, graduates will only begin repaying when they reach annual earnings of over £21,000 a year, up from £15,000 under the current system. The other key recommendations from Lord Browne’s report include:
* The current cap on fees of £3,290 p.a. will be removed
* A 10% increase in student places will be factored into the system over the next 4 years
* Those who wish to pursue part-time study should have equal entitlement to tuition support
* Any balance remaining after 30 years is written off
* Support for living costs available to all through an annual loan of £3,750, with no means testing
JRF: Part of the problem is that the ‘less capable’ inexperienced jobseekers are now competing with ‘newly unemployed’ experienced workers - To help inform the debate on public spending cuts in the lead up to the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a briefing about the 5 main benefits that make up, or add to, the income of the approximately 5m out-of-work working-age adults: Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Income Support (IS), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Incapacity Benefit (IB) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
Working-Age Welfare: Who Gets It, Why and What it Costs commissioned by JRF and written by Dr Peter Kenway (New Policy Institute), Professor Steve Fothergill (Sheffield Hallam University) and Goretti Horgan (University of Ulster) underlines the vulnerability of working-age benefit recipients.
The paper highlights:
* Low benefit levels for jobless adults
* The difficult & complex circumstances many jobless adults experience
* The challenges of finding work
* The growth of mental ill-health as an obstacle to paid employment
CRC: Part of the problem is that they are ‘unseen & unheard’ - Last week ‘Child in the countryside: challenging reality’ was published by the Commission for Rural Communities. The information sheet is intended to extend & develop understanding of the picture for children & young people in rural England. The statistics highlighted in the document are set in context and bought to life through evidence from service providers, parents & children.
The evidence will be of importance to a wide range of policy makers & organisations commissioning & delivering to children & young people in rural communities. The information provided will prompt & assist decision-makers to engage positively with rural communities to ensure equitable access to important services.
BIS: The danger is that ‘efficiently delivered online services’ don’t necessarily reach those who need them most - Plans to improve public websites, upgrade IT equipment and provide better online content to suit the needs of disabled people were unveiled by Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey last week. Launching the eAccessibility Plan, the Minister announced a package of measures that will ‘contribute to a more inclusive digital economy for people with specific needs’.
The plan will be implemented by the eAccessibility Forum, a group of over 60 experts from Government, industry and the voluntary sector who will work to explore issues surrounding e-accessibility so that better & more inclusive services can be developed for both business and consumer benefit. The aim is to reach a step-change in eAccessibility by the time of the Olympics & Paralympics in summer 2012.
Forthcoming event:
Gartner Business Intelligence Summit 2011: ReBIrth — Adjust, Evaluate and Organize
31 January – 01 February |
Park
Plaza
Westminster
Bridge ,
London - The
Gartner Business Intelligence Summit will provide you with the knowledge to ensure that BI and PM meet these new requirements in your organization. It will also show you how to leverage BI and PM to enable business users to capitalize on 'reborn' BI to get broader adoption, more ROI from your BI tools, and better decisions.
The
Summit will provide a unique mix of
Gartner Research presentations, practitioner case studies, peer-to-peer roundtables, and hands-on workshops which closely engage
Gartner analysts with the attendees.
Agenda Tracks:
1. Evaluation — Services, Technology and Tools
2. Execution — Best Practices and Approaches
3. Evolution — Business Value
4. Emergence — Trends and Futures
Visit www.europe.gartner.com/bi for further information and to register your place!