Consultations
WAG: Minister for Local Government & Communities, Carl Sargeant, has launched a White Paper for consultation on the Welsh Government’s legislative proposals aimed at ending violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence in Wales. Domestic abuse, alone, is estimated to have a financial cost in Wales of over £800m a year.
The proposals in the White Paper send a clear message that early intervention is necessary to prevent not only the huge financial burden on public services but also reduce the devastating emotional and physical impact on victims. The consultation closes on 22 February 2013.
WAG: Environment Minister, John Griffiths has set out his vision for a Wales that is free from fly-tipping. The Minister was speaking at a joint conference hosted by the Welsh Government and the Fly-tipping Action Wales partnership which explored the actions that can be taken to stamp out fly-tipping in Wales.
During the conference the Minister launched a new consultation that considered how fly–tipping should be dealt with in the future. The Welsh Government’s existing strategy in conjunction with the Fly-tipping Action Wales partnership comes to an end in 2012. The consultation closes on 28 February 2013.
FSA: A call for evidence on EU regulations on animal health & welfare and food safety in the UK has been published by the Defra and the Food Standards Agency. Interested parties from across the UK are asked to provide evidence on how EU powers to act, or competences, affect the UK. Areas covered are animal health, animal welfare, food safety, feed safety, food labelling and compositional standards.
Please send your written evidence by 28 February 2013. A report of the animal health & welfare and food safety review will be published in summer 2013.
WAG: New duties requiring the Welsh Government and bodies like local authorities & the NHS to do more to improve public health could be introduced under new legislation to create a healthier population & reduce health inequalities.
Health Minister, Lesley Griffiths, has launched a Green Paper to gather views about whether the Welsh Government should introduce a Bill to improve the health of the people of Wales. The consultation closes on 20 February 2013.
DECC: Proposals to dramatically reduce electricity demand across the whole UK economy were published by the Government last week. The consultation closes on 31 January 2013.
DfE: Children’s minister Edward Timpson has published consultation proposals to allow Ofsted to share the names & addresses of children’s homes on their register with the police, the Department for Education and the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. The consultation will end on the 10 January 2013.
It is essential that children’s data is fully protected. To support this, a joint protocol will be developed with Ofsted, the Association of Chief Police Officers, CEOP and others setting out the rules around how information will be shared, by whom & when. Details of this will be outlined in due course.
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has opened a public consultation on its preliminary recommendations on the NHS use of the drug, pirfenidone (known commercially as Esbriet). The draft guidance assesses whether it should be recommended for use in people who have the lung condition, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Those wishing to comment on NICE's draft recommendations have until 5pm on Wednesday 19 December 2012 to do so. NICE's independent committee will meet again in January to review the comments received. NICE then expects to publish its final guidance for the NHS in April 2013.
OFT: The OFT is seeking comments on its Annual Plan 2013-14 consultation, published alongside its Strategic Assessment of Risks to UK Consumers and Markets. The consultation closes on 6 February 2013.
LC: In a new consultation opening the Law Commission is asking ‘whether the existing law on contempt of court continues to work effectively in light of the challenges posed by new media and the way these are used by the mainstream press and, increasingly, by citizen journalists’.
The Commission raises questions about the law’s ability to protect the administration of justice by balancing the right to publish with the right of the defendant to a fair trial – See ‘In the News’ section for more information.
The Commission raises questions about the law’s ability to protect the administration of justice by balancing the right to publish with the right of the defendant to a fair trial – See ‘In the News’ section for more information.
FCO: Minister for Europe, David Lidington, has issued a Statement on the Balance of Competencies Review: Foreign Policy Report. The FCO has also published its Call for Evidence on the foreign policy aspects of the Review – See ‘In the News’ section for more information.
HMT: The government has published its Call for Evidence on the Balance of Competencies Review: Taxation – See ‘In the News’ section for more information.
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