Consultations
WAG: People from across Wales with an interest in the Welsh language are being asked to take action on its future in a national online conversation. People can express their views, share their ideas & experiences and make a difference to future policy on the Welsh language by using a number of online tools, including an online forum, completing an online survey or through social networking on Facebook & Twitter using the #iaithfyw.
The online campaign is part of a wider national conversation on the Welsh language, A Living Language: Have your say, which was launched by the First Minister at the Urdd Eisteddfod at the end of May and involves a number of community group discussions across Wales, culminating in a one-day conference, Y Gynhadledd Fawr, to be held in Aberystwyth on the 4 July 2013.
DWP: The Department of Work & Pensions has announced a further consultation on the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to be launched late June 2013.
The new PIP assessment has been designed to target support on those who need it most – those individuals who face the greatest barriers to participating in society. However, the department has received significant feedback from disabled people and their organisations that they want a further opportunity to comment on the finalised assessment criteria rules around the mobility component.
Ofsted: Ofsted has recently launched a consultation on the way it inspects services for vulnerable children. Inspection of services for children in need of help & protection, children looked after & care leavers proposes a single framework for inspecting local authority child protection & services for looked after children, including those leaving or who have left care.
The single framework replaces previous plans to implement separate inspections for child protection and services for children looked after. It proposes an evaluation of help, protection & care for children including the arrangements for local authority fostering & adoption services.
Two other consultations, also launched last week, are Good voluntary adoption provision and Good independent fostering provision. The frameworks evaluate adoption & fostering services provided by voluntary & independent providers respectively. All 3 consultations close on 12 July 2013.
MoJ: New national standards to raise the quality of experts used in family courts and ‘get rid of time-consuming evidence which adds little value in helping judges reach a decision’ were announced by the Government recently.
This consultation is being jointly led by the Family Justice Council and follows the independent Family Justice Review by David Norgrove which identified weaknesses in the quality of evidence being put forward by experts at family proceedings involving children. The consultation closes on 18 July 2013.
WAG: The Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery (the Commission) has recently launched a programme of activities to gather views on public services in Wales and how they may be improved. The Commission will report to the Welsh Government by December 2013.
People will be able to contribute to the consultation, which is open until the end of August 2013, in writing, online or face to face with the Commissioners at several events throughout the summer. Details of these sessions will be available on the Commission’s website and will be publicised locally. Separate questionnaires for the public and for organisations who provide services have also been published on the Commission’s website.
Ofgem: Ofgem has published detailed rule changes to deliver a simpler, clearer & fairer energy market. The proposals are grounded in 2 years of extensive engagement with consumers & industry. Suppliers will be required to give all their customers personalised information on the cheapest tariff they offer for them. Ofgem is also looking at ways in which the stickiest and most vulnerable consumers can be given better information on the cheapest deal across the market. Consultation closes on 23 July 2013.
OFT: The OFT has announced a market study on competition in banking for SMEs and is seeking views on its scope. The study is part of the OFT's continuing planned programme of work in retail banking, of which the first stage was a review of personal current accounts, concluded this January. The OFT is now bringing forward its review of banking for SMEs. It also coincides with the final report of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards and continuing public interest in this area.
CQC: Plans to change the way health & social care is regulated have been published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It is inviting people to give their views on its plan to ensure health & social care providers give people safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care. This consultation focuses on hospital care with a further consultation on adult social care & general practice going out later this year - See ‘In the News’ section for more information.
Additional Consultations: Readers should be aware that many consultations are never publicised with a press release, so do not appear in either the email alerts or Wired - GOV Plus. Many of these consultations can be found at the following links:
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