General Reports and Other Publications
NAO: A National Audit Office report has found that scrutiny of proposed legislation by the government is strengthening and that the standard is better than it was, but one fifth of assessments still did not include any quantified data to assess costs or benefits.
The Better Regulation Executive (BRE) has introduced new guidance, templates and training to improve the quality of impact assessments and, as a result, impact assessments have clearer presentation of results, better planning for implementation, and more quantification of costs and benefits.
But wide variation remains between the best & worst impact assessments. Many impact assessments did not pay enough attention to compliance and enforcement issues. For example, only one third of assessments assessed the cost of enforcement for the preferred option.
Press release ~ Delivering High Quality Impact Assessments ~ Evaluation of Regulatory Impact Assessments 2006-07 ~ Better Regulation: Making Good Use of Regulatory Impact Assessments ~ Better Regulation Executive (BRE)
ScotGov: The Inspectorate of Prosecution has published an inspection report on the Highlands and Islands Area of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
The Inspectorate of Prosecution, in accordance with its Business Plan, is conducting inspections of the 11 Areas of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and of Crown Office (headquarters functions). These inspections are wide ranging including reviews of individual cases, considerations of bail, management issues, service to victims and witnesses, disclosure issues and equality issues etc.
Press release ~ Inspection Report on Highlands and Islands Area Procurator Fiscal Offices ~ Inspectorate of Prosecution ~ Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
HEFCE: A new plan to put higher education (HE) at the forefront of society's efforts to achieve sustainability has been published by HEFCE. Its sustainable development strategy and action plan recognises that the HE sector can make a substantial & exemplary contribution to the challenge of sustainable development.
This can be achieved through the skills & knowledge that its graduates learn and put into practice, its research & exchange of knowledge through business, community and public policy engagement and through its own strategies & operations.
Press release ~ 'Sustainable development in higher education: 2008 update to strategic statement and action plan' ~ HEFCE's plans for linking capital funding to carbon performance ~ HEFCE's work on sustainable development
HMIC: A review by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary shows that only half of the 43 forces in England & Wales had sufficiently detailed plans for improvement in major areas of policing, including organised crime and the investigation of complex murders. However, it is claimed that this deficiency in planning does not necessarily reflect the quality of delivery of these key services on the ground.
The report recommends focussed intervention in some forces to bring up their planning and the public account of plans up to standard, with greater collaboration and consistency across the police service as a whole.
CRC: The Commission for Rural Communities have submitted their evidence to the Business and Enterprise Select Committee's 'Post Offices: Securing their future' inquiry. It concentrates on issues of particular concern and relevance to rural areas of England including:
* Financial inclusion
* Rural economies
* Local Authority initiatives
* Outreach services
The Committee have now launched an online forum to listen to the views of individuals & businesses who use post offices. The posts they receive, with the written & oral evidence gathered during their inquiry, will help shape the recommendations the Committee makes to the Government in their report.
Press release ~
NAO: The Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Warm Front Scheme to tackle fuel poverty in England helped to improve the energy efficiency of over 635,000 households between June 2005 and March 2008. According to a report by the National Audit Office there were, however, 1.9m vulnerable households in 2006, so this rate of progress will still leave many in fuel poverty in 2010.
Satisfaction is high, with 86% of assisted households either highly satisfied or satisfied with the work done. The report concludes that delivery of the Scheme has been largely effective and to that extent offers value for money, but it has been impaired by problems in Scheme design.
The Government’s use of proxy measures, such as benefit entitlement, to determine who is eligible for Scheme grants is a pragmatic approach, but it has resulted in inefficient targeting of resources. 57% of vulnerable households in fuel poverty do not claim the relevant benefits to qualify for the Scheme and nearly 75% of households who would qualify are not necessarily in fuel poverty.
Press release ~ NAO – The Warm Front Scheme ~ Home Energy Saving Programme ~ CERT (Carbon Emissions Reduction Target) ~ Warm Front ~ Community Action for Energy ~ Winter Fuel Payment ~ Cold Weather Payments ~ EAGA
IfL: Following a period of consultation with its members, the Council of the Institute for Learning (IfL) has published its first 5-year strategy. As the professional body for teachers, trainers and assessors throughout the further education & skills sector IfL now has over 180,000 members and its strategy sets out how it will work with members to make a difference.
DWP: Most people who save for their future can expect to benefit from saving under the Government's pension reform according to research published by the Department for Work and Pensions, which looked at the impact on those making savings into a defined contribution pension after 2012 with an employer contribution.
The report, ‘Saving for Retirement: Implications of Pensions Reforms on Financial Incentives to Save for Retirement’ shows that, given reasonable assumptions about the future, most people can expect to be better off in retirement by saving, with the majority getting back more than double what they save.
