Annual Reports

SGC: The Sentencing Guidelines Council and the Sentencing Advisory Panel have published their third joint annual report.  The Panel has submitted advice to the Council on assaults and other offences against the person, Bail Act offences and a review of the guideline on Reduction in Sentence for a Guilty Plea.

 

In addition, the Panel has consulted on theft from a shop, offences of theft & dishonesty, causing death by driving offences and offences taken into consideration and has overseen a comprehensive review of the Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines.  In the past year the Panel commissioned independent research to supplement its consultation on death by driving offences and the Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines.


The Council issued four definitive guidelines over the past year covering robbery, domestic violence, breach of a protective order and the Sexual Offences Act 2003.  The Council also published two draft guidelines for consultation, one of which proposed revisions to the Council’s existing guideline on Reduction in Sentence for a Guilty Plea.

Press release ~ 2006 Annual Report ~ Sentencing Guidelines Council ~ Sentencing Advisory Panel ~ Guidelines ~ Magistrates' Association guidelines ~ Closed consultations

DefraDefra has published - Biodiversity indicators in your pocket 2007 - a free pocket-sized booklet which contains 18 indicators (grouped under six focal areas) covering aspects of biodiversity including populations of selected species, extent of protected areas, river quality and expenditure on biodiversity protection.  

The indicators will be used as part of the evidence to assess progress towards two biodiversity targets to which the UK government is committed:

The aim of this publication is to make the indicators easily accessible to a wide audience and to enable everyone to judge where progress is being made and where the challenges lie.  The booklet is intended to act as a useful reference to experts and also a guide for those less familiar with the concept of biodiversity.  
Press release ~ Biodiversity Indicators in Your Pocket - BIYP  ~ The indicators ~ MONARCH (Modelling Natural Resource Responses to Climate Change) ~ Monarch report ~ Conserving Biodiversity in a changing climate ~ Millennium Ecosystem Assessment ~ Parliamentary report: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment ~ Natural England ~ Defra - Biodiversity

Monitor: Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, has issued its latest report for quarter four 2006/07.  Of the 59 NHS foundation trusts, 56 reported a surplus for the year.  Only one, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, delivered a deficit in excess of £1m, which was a significant improvement, reducing its deficit (before exceptional items) to £6.6m from £36m in the previous year.

21 trusts achieved a green governance rating in the quarter to 31 March 2007, indicating that they are well managed, offer a high standard of services and meet all of the priority healthcare targets.  Monitor has identified issues where further action is needed to meet service performance targets in 38 NHS foundation trusts.

Compliance with the annual MRSA reduction target was the main challenge with 33 NHS foundation trusts failing to achieve the required levels of year on year reduction.  In addition, four NHS foundation trusts were red rated for governance.  All NHS foundation trusts have, however, achieved a green rating for mandatory services.
Press release ~ NHS Foundation Trusts: Report for Year Ended 31 March 2007
 

CEOP: 76 children from across the UK have been rescued from sexual abuse environments by officers working with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre during its first 12 months of operation. Add to that the arrests of 83 child sex offenders and the dismantlement & disruption of 3 major international paedophile rings - all with UK connections - as the battle against child sex abuse gathers pace.

 

The UK, the CEOP Centre has also delivered ThinkUKnow education training to over 750,000 UK school children with sessions looking at online internet safety (1m will have attended by the end of the academic year).

The CEOP Centre's approach is now being studied by a number of countries with international visitors from law enforcement, government, child protection and industry from as far away as South East Asia, Australia and other parts of Europe.
Press release ~ Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre ~ CEOP Annual Review 2006-2007(2.8Mb) ~ CEOP Strategic Overview 2006-2007 (1.9Mb) ~ ThinkUKnow ~ National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) ~ CEOP Most wanted ~ Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) ~ Report Abuse ~ Understanding Online Social Network Services and Risks to Youth ~ Internet Watch Foundation - Annual Report 2006 ~ SOCA -| Serious Organised Crime Agency


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