WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

DH:  Why can’t we insist on ‘eligibility proof’ or payment before access, as happens when we go abroad? - The next step in cross-government plans to make it more difficult for illegal migrants to live in the UK unlawfully and to ‘ensure legal migrants make a fair contribution to our key public services’, has been launched.  

The government is consulting to make sure those who should pay for NHS services do so by working with doctors & others to get their views on a range of new initiatives. Consultation closes on 28 August 2013.

The consultation proposes:
* stopping those visiting for less than 6 months from getting free access to GP surgeries
* a new registration & tracking system for chargeable visitors before they first join a GP surgery

It is unclear how widely migrants use the NHS and the true cost & impact they have.  In order to gain a better understanding the Department of Health has commissioned an independent audit of use by visitors & temporary migrants that will run alongside the consultation and report back in September 2013.

The Home Office is also issuing 2 consultations: ‘Migrant Access to Health Services in the UK’ (closes on 21 August) and ’Tackling illegal migration in privately rented accommodation’. Closes on 28 August 2013.
Press release & links ~ Proposals for landlord checks to tackle illegal migrants renting ~ Migrant access to the NHS ~ NHS Choices: Am I entitled to NHS treatment when I visit England? ~ Social and public service impacts of international migration at the local level ~ Lords call for flexible approach to managing migration ~ NICE: Greater awareness of hepatitis B and C needed ~ Drug resistant TB on the increase ~ HPA welcomes pre-entry TB screening programme ~ NIESR research on impact of non-European economic and student migrants ~ EU: A common set of rights for foreign workers under the new single permit ~ HPA - New online resource launched to help GPs and nurses care for migrant patients ~ New pack will help migrants & refugees understand Wales, says Minister

MoD:  Many people still have reservations about the effectiveness of a ‘Reserve Army’ - The government's plans to sustain & grow the UK's Reserve Forces have been published.  Better benefits, more security, and more support for reservists & their employers are key pillars of the Reserves White Paper, unveiled by the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond.

The new relationship set out in the White Paper ‘Reserves in the Future Force 2020’ is intended to be a significant step forward in the plans to grow the UK’s Reserves to around 35,000 across all 3 Services and create a new, fully integrated Reserve Force that is 'well trained, well equipped & well funded'.  The measures in the White Paper are aimed at giving crucial support & incentives to reservists, their families and employers.
Press release & links ~ Reserves in the Future Force 2020: valuable and valued ~ CBI comments on Future Forces White Paper ~ Welsh Secretary responds to Reservists announcement ~ MoD: New immigration rules for Armed Forces families announced ~ SaBRE - Support for Britain's Reservists and Employers ~ RUSI: The British Army Reserves Judgement ~ MoD: Reserves ~ Special Forces Reserve ~ MoD:  A cut price Armed Forces, or facing financial reality? (4th item)

PC&PE:  School Governance has become much more complex in the last few years -  Too few school governing bodies are taking advantage of new regulations to make them more effective, warns the Education Committee in a report published last week.
Press release & links ~ DfE: Governance ~ WT: A recognised Code of Governance for Schools ~ Chief inspector raises the stakes for school governance ~ Ofsted: Good governance essential to school improvement ~ WAG: School governors at the heart of our improvement agenda – Minister tells conference

PC&PE:  Time for police forces to be ‘policed’ effectively & independently - After a 6 month inquiry, the Home Affairs Committee has published its report; ‘Leadership and standards in the police’. 

Among the Committee’s conclusions were:
* Policing standards should be unified for the first time, at every level from constable to chief constable with all new officers required to obtain a Certificate of Knowledge in Policing
* The College of Policing (CoP) must produce a new Code of Ethics and Integrity for police officers
* Guidance issued by the College should be binding and Chiefs who do not follow them should be subject to fines & disciplinary proceedings
* The CoP must establish a scale of fines which should be docked from officers' pensions in cases of the most grave misconduct
 * Officers who are dismissed by one force, or who retire to avoid disciplinary proceedings, must not be allowed to resume service with another
* Nor should officers be able to see retirement as a ‘get out of jail free card’ for misconduct
Press release & links ~ A small selection of the last 12 month’s (160+) IPCC & HMIC press releases we published: IPCC concludes 9 Hampshire Constabulary officers have a case to answer for misconduct following Jamie Dack investigation ~ Investigation continues as police officers decline to answer IPCC questions during witness interviews ~ IPCC issues findings from investigation into Surrey Police and the knowledge that Milly Dowler’s mobile phone was hacked ~ IPCC finds case to answer for gross misconduct against Sir Norman Bettison ~ Cleveland Police Deputy Chief Constable dismissed following IPCC managed investigation ~ HMIC expresses serious concerns over why so many victims felt unable to approach the police with allegations against Jimmy Savile during his lifetime ~ IPCC finds failings in the working practices of Southwark Sapphire Unit between July 2008 & September 2009

BIS:  Do they want to rebuild Hadrian’s Wall? - The UK’s ‘true single market’ is one of the best reasons for Scotland remaining part of the UK, according to the latest Scotland Analysis paper.  The analysis by the UK government shows that a decision to leave the UK would create barriers that would hamper trade with the rest of the UK - which is by far Scotland’s most important market.  

These could also damage the prospects of the rest of the UK, for whom Scotland is currently the second largest market. Scottish exports to the rest of the UK totalled £45.5bn in 2011 (excluding oil & gas).  This is double the levels exported to the rest of the world and 4 times as much as to the rest of the European Union.
Press release & links ~ Scotland analysis: business & microeconomic framework ~ CBI comments on Scotland analysis paper ~ Foreign Secretary statement on Foreign Policy implications of an independent Scotland

MoJ:  With Dementia sufferers set to double, there are a potential 1m+ customers for this service - Thousands of people will be helped by a new online system which will make it simpler, clearer and faster to apply for Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA).  The new web tool can now be used to fill in applications for an LPA - a legal document which allows the applicant to appoint someone they know & trust to make decisions about their welfare, money or property if they were to lose capacity in the future.

It takes users through each page of the application step-by-step, ensuring they have completed it correctly before it can be printed off & submitted.  The Government has also announced that it intends to launch a consultation shortly on options to make the process fully digital – so that forms can be submitted online.
Press release & links

WAG:  Looking from multi-cultural England, it seems odd that its taken this long - Vaughan Gething has become the Welsh Government’s first black minister.  Last Monday he was sworn in to the newly-created position of Deputy Minister for Tackling Poverty. The Deputy Minister becomes the first black minister in any of the devolved UK governments.
Press release & links

EU News:  So Norway doesn’t always have to do just what it is told by the EC! - MEPs urge the Norwegian Government and Parliament to withdraw the protectionist duties on imports of cheese, lamb, beef and hydrangea flowers.  They say Norway is clearly breaching the letter and the spirit of bilateral EU- Norway arrangements on trade in agricultural products.

According to a study conducted by the Swedish Board of Agriculture, the main EU suppliers likely to be affected by the new rise in duties are Ireland (for beef), the UK (for lamb) and France, Denmark, Italy, the UK, Spain and Sweden (for cheese).
Press release & links ~ Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland finalise working arrangements for their participation in the work of EASO ~ CBI rejects 'half-way house' on the European Union
 
National Prepaid Steering Group: Comprehensive Guide to Prepaid Card Implementation in Local Government - A new and comprehensive guide to the use of Prepaid cards in Local Government is now available.
Selected highlights include:
  • Local Authorities state the single biggest cost saving coming from Prepaid is based on their ability to claw back unspent or mismanaged funds – this saving equates to between 5-10% of their total Direct Payments budget.
  • The London Borough of Brent have already realised 330K in savings within 9 months and Lancashire County Council forecast £4M in savings from a budget of £40M.
  • Local Authorities are also recognising the value of the MI from Prepaid programmes to support evidence based service demand planning.
The guide has been produced by the National Prepaid Cards Steering Group which for the first time brings together councils who are using Prepaid cards, councils who are interested in implementing Prepaid card programmes and representatives from the supply side.

Click here to access and download your free copy of the full guide now.

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