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Annual Reports
ScotGov: New measures to tightly control the shooting of seals are 'working well', while scientific research has provided a more accurate picture of the number of grey seals in Scotland. First quarter 2011 information on the Seal Licensing System - in place to ensure tight controls on the removal of specific seals around fisheries or fish farms - shows that no seals were shot for almost three-quarters of licences granted. Overall, from a total annual maximum of 1,298 seals, 80 seals were shot over the 3 month period.
Meanwhile, research by the Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) reveals an increase in grey seal pup production, indicating a population that is stable or slowly growing. New reporting models, revised in light of recent seal surveys, put Scotland's grey seal numbers at 108,000 – 90% of the UK population.
FSCS: In its Annual Report and Accounts 2010/11, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) reports that it has paid more than £535m in compensation to over 47,000 claimants.
NE: Recently, Natural England published a report that presents the main findings from the second year of the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) Survey. MENE collects detailed information on people’s use & enjoyment of the natural environment.
The MENE Second Annual Report including a full Technical Report and updated On-line Cross-Tabulation Data Viewer can be found on the MENE page.
DfE: Experimental statistics published for the first time show how only 1.4% of children in Alternative Provision in 2009/10 achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grade A*-C, or equivalent, including English and mathematics GCSEs or iGCSEs. This compares with 53.4% in all schools in England.
STFC: The Science and Technology Facilities Council has recently released its operating plan & score card for the year 2011-12, detailing its ambitions for the year, new & existing programmes and the metrics by which they will judge success in delivering world class science, innovation and skills.
The Operating Plan covers all areas of STFC business from the running of our facilities such as the ISIS neutron source; managing international subscriptions such as CERN; delivering the grant funded science programme as well as the work of internal teams from Finance to Business Development
Monitor: Progress so far with local accountability at NHS foundation trusts is revealed in 2 reports published last week by Monitor, the independent regulator, which focus on the relationship between foundation trusts & their members, and the role & effectiveness of foundation trust governors.
WAG: Local Government & Communities Minister, Carl Sargeant, has pointed to statistics on crime in Wales that were published last week and said that they clearly show how investing in tackling crime does pay. The bulletin, Statistical Focus on Crime in Wales, shows that since 2003 crime in Wales has been consistently lower than in England with the gap narrowing in recent years.
CQC: The Care Quality Commission has published the next batch of reports from the Dignity & nutrition inspection programme.
FRC: The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the UK's independent regulator responsible for promoting high quality corporate governance and reporting to foster investment, has published its Annual Report for 2010/11.
PC&PE: The Ministry of Defence is unaware of the location of radios worth £184m, and is unable to provide evidence of the existence & condition of assets worth £6.3bn, says the Defence Select Committee in its report on the performance of the Ministry of Defence 2009–10.
This shortfall in accounting is reflected in the decision by the National Audit Office to qualify the MoD accounts for the 4th successive year. The committee finds it wholly unsatisfactory that the MoD expects that their stock control problems will probably continue for another 2 to 4 years.
NAO: Amyas Morse, the Comptroller and Auditor General, has issued his report on the 2010-11 accounts of HM Revenue & Customs. In 2010-11 the Department received total revenues of £468.9bn, £33.1bn (7.6%) greater than in 2009-10.
Newswire – WAO: There have been important improvements in adult mental health services in many parts of Walessince the Auditor General published a baseline review in 2005, although progress has been variable and some service gaps & inequalities remain. In a follow up report published, the Auditor General also says that the Welsh Government, NHS bodies, and councils ‘face some new challenges in further developing services’.
JRF: New Joseph Rowntree Foundation research shows that meeting the Welsh Government’s target of eradicating child poverty by 2020 will mean the ‘rate has to fall four times more quickly over the next ten years than it did over the last decade’. The latest figures also show almost 1 in 4 people in Wales across all age groups - 680,000 - are in poverty.
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