.gif)
Consultations
NO: Lack of awareness of the Victims’ Code by people working in the criminal justice system is placing some victims of crime under extreme duress and leading to injustices, says the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman.
The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (the Victims’ Code) places a statutory obligation on criminal justice agencies to provide a standard of service to victims of crime. The Code stipulates what each criminal justice agency must do for victims, and when they must do it by. The current Code has been revised by the Ministry of Justice and a public consultation on the proposed new Code has been launched. Consultation closes on 10 May 2013.
Ofgem: Ofgem’s proposed enforcement vision, published last week, emphasises the energy industry’s duty to put consumers first, and the role of credible deterrence against compliance failures.
It complements Ofgem’s Retail Market Reforms, including the new enforceable standards of conduct, which are driving a cultural change towards a fairer energy market for consumers. Details of these standards have also been published as part of the final retail market review consultation. Consultation closes on 23 May 2013.
LC: In a consultation which opened recently, the Law Commission suggested that a new legal tool is needed to help conservation efforts by private landowners in England & Wales. Conservation covenants enable landowners to guarantee long-term protection to our environment & heritage.
For example, landowners are able to sell or pass on their property safe in the knowledge that its special environmental or heritage features will continue to be protected.
For example, landowners are able to sell or pass on their property safe in the knowledge that its special environmental or heritage features will continue to be protected.
Conservation covenants are already used in various other jurisdictions, including in Scotland, the USA and Australia. The Commission is asking whether conservation covenants should be introduced in England & Wales. The consultation closes on 21 June 2013.
CO: Almost two years since the UK’s initial involvement and the official launch of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in New York, the Cabinet Office is publishing the self-assessment report on the UK National Action Plan, originally published in September 2011.
The first UK Action Plan was drafted in the very early days of the OGP, when the UK and our partners were still clarifying the scope of civil society engagement, implementation periods, reviewing mechanisms and so on. So much has happened since, and this report is an honest account of the UK’s performance to date and how much our agenda has evolved.
The consultation will remain open until 15 April 2013 and a final report will be published on 19 April 2013 with a new national action plan scheduled to be published at the end of October 2013.
