Consultations

HEFCE: Following publication of the higher education White Paper, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has recently launched the first stage of a consultation on future arrangements for funding higher education teaching & allocating student numbers.  This consultation sets out HEFCE's proposals for implementing changes to funding methods & student numbers for 2012-13.  Responses should be made online by Friday 2 September 2011.
 
A second stage of consultation, in winter 2011-2012, will seek views on proposals for more fundamental changes to HEFCE’s approach to distributing funding for teaching & controlling student numbers from 2013-14 onwards
Press release & links
 
NICENICE, in partnership with the Health Protection Agency (HPA), is currently developing advice on the prevention & control of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) in secondary care settings as part of a pilot project.  
 
Draft advice, which is aimed at commissioners, managers, clinicians and other professionals working in secondary care settings, and published recently for public consultation (closes on 9 August 2011), identifies the organisational characteristics, arrangements & practices that indicate whether a secondary care trust is effectively preventing and controlling HCAIs.
Press release & links
 
HMT: The Government has published a consultation on proposals to encourage investment in small & start-up businesses with high growth potential, through the reform & simplification of the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs).  It is also seeking views on new proposals to support seed investment through the tax system.
 
The consultation period runs to 28 September 2011.  Following this, legislation to implement any proposals to be taken forward in Finance Bill 2012 will be published in draft in the autumn and there will be scope then for further comment on the draft legislation.
Press release & links
 
DfT:  The City of Liverpool Cruise Terminal could be permitted to change the way it operates under proposals put forward for consultation by Shipping Minister, Mike Penning - potentially paving the way for passengers to start & end their voyages in the city.
 
Opened in 2007, the terminal was built with the help of grants from the North West Development Agency and the European Regional Development Fund.  As there was deemed to be potential for unfair competition with other UK ports, operations at the terminal were restricted to cruises calling at the city as part of a longer trip and currently do not allow for cruises to start & end in the city.
 
A targeted consultation of port operators & other interested parties will now take place until 15 September 2011, with a final decision being expected early in the new Parliamentary year.
Press release ~ Consultation letter
 
LC: The Law Commission propose the repeal of a series of statutory provisions relating to taxation law which span the years 1952 to 2010, and which have become obsolete or spent through the passage of time, or because of subsequent statutory intervention.  The consultation (closes 12 October 2011) is open to specialists and the general public.
Press release & links
 
DfE: The Government has launched a consultation on changes to the role of the Children's Commissioner following John Dunford's review.
Press release & links
 
CLG: Housing Minister Grant Shapps has pledged that the Government's package of reforms will lead to the first substantial reduction in social housing waiting lists for 22 years. The Minister said that he wants to return to the central principle of social homes being available to help those who need it most, for as long as they need it - to tackle what he deems the ‘the deepening sense of unfairness’ about how the country's social housing stock is used.
 
This consultation (closes on 29 September 2011) outlines the areas on which the Government proposes to direct the social housing regulator to set standards.
Press release & links
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