General Reports and Other Publications
IISS: Last week saw the launch of the new IISS & ICD report 'Towards a NATO–Russia Strategic Concept: Ending Cold War Legacies; Facing New Threats Together'. The report provides key recommendations for how the forthcoming NATO summit and NATO–Russia Council Summit in Lisbon on 19–20 November can contribute to the transformation of NATO–Russia relations.
IPPR: Investment in clean energy, such as wind & solar, in developing countries – seen as critical by their governments if they are to maintain economic growth and bring power to poor communities – must double on average between now & 2020, a new report claims. But, the report argues, governments of richer countries must come forward with some up-front cash to help give the private sector confidence to make the transformational investments needed.
The new study, by the Global Climate Network (an alliance of think tanks) called Investing in Clean Energy, examines in detail the costs of large increases in clean energy projects in 4 developing countries. The GCN urges governments to set aside a proportion of the finance pledged at the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit to help attract private investment in this way.
Press release ~ Investing in Clean Energy: How can developed countries best help developing countries finance climate-friendly energy investments? ~ ippr
EHRC: To coincide with Equal Pay Day, the day of the year ‘when women in effect stop getting paid because of the gender pay gap of 16.4%’, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published - Equal Pay - Where Next? - in partnership with the Fawcett Society, UNISON and the TUC.
The report contains the main discussions & recommendations from the Equal Pay – Where Next? conference held earlier this year to mark the 40th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act.
It explores 4 key aspects of tackling the gender pay gap: making the business case for equal pay; how the structure and organisation of the workplace plays a part in the equal pay debate; the adequacy or inadequacy of the legislative framework underpinning equal pay; and attitudes & culture surrounding equal pay.
It explores 4 key aspects of tackling the gender pay gap: making the business case for equal pay; how the structure and organisation of the workplace plays a part in the equal pay debate; the adequacy or inadequacy of the legislative framework underpinning equal pay; and attitudes & culture surrounding equal pay.
Newswire – CPA: The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, spoke last week as the Committee published its 3rd Report of this Session which, on the basis of evidence from the Department of Health, examined:
*why the NHS had failed to meet its health inequalities target
* the role of GPs
* and the lessons of this for the new NHS.
ScotGov: The final report of the Pack Inquiry into Future Support for Agriculture in Scotland was published last week. The Inquiry was commissioned by Rural Affairs Secretary, Richard Lochhead, in June 2009 to examine agricultural subsidy and consider how best future support should be tailored to deliver a sustainable sector. The inquiry report contains 40 specific recommendations.
Press release ~ Brian Pack Inquiry ~ The Road Ahead For Scotland - Final Report of the Brian Pack Inquiry
Ofsted: Strong partnership working across agencies, led by highly effective leaders with commitment & drive, can bring real change & improvement for children & young people in their area, finds Ofsted in its latest report.
Improving outcomes for children & young people through partnership in Children’s Trusts is a small-scale survey of 6 local authorities evaluating the impact of Children’s Trusts on improving the lives of children & young people, particularly those whose circumstances made them potentially vulnerable. The report identifies best practice and provides detailed case studies of effective partnership work within the 6 Children’s Trusts.
Press release ~ Improving outcomes for children and young people through partnership in Children’s Trusts
KF: 57% of GPs & other practice-based professionals surveyed by The King’s Fund said that providing continuity of care should be the main priority for improving the quality of general practice in England.
The King’s Fund commissioned the survey earlier this year among GPs & practice-based professionals to provide a snapshot of views from the front line to complement its Inquiry into the Quality of General Practice in England. The survey sought to gain the opinions of GPs & practice-based professionals on the extent to which general practice is currently providing high-quality patient care.
HoL: The House of Lords Leader’s Group on Members Leaving the House has this week published an interim report setting out some of the options available for introducing mechanisms to allow Members to permanently leave the House of Lords.
The Group does not at this stage take a view on any of the suggestions they received. Instead they call on the Leader of the House, Lord Strathclyde to publish their report and allow a debate in the House to give all Members a chance to air their views and to provide a forum for the suggestions to be debated. The debate will take place on Tuesday 16 November 2010.
Press release ~ Report: Consultation on Members Leaving the House ~ Leader’s Group on Members Leaving the House
IfG: The Institute for Government Director, Andrew Adonis, has written to the Chair of the House of Lords Working Group on Procedures setting out his proposals for reforming the House. Lord Adonis was invited to set out his thoughts by Lord Goodlad, who chairs the working group, following an article in The House magazine on 25 October.
In the article, he argued it was urgent to debate how the House can do its job better, as it "performs its functions haphazardly at best, not least because it makes such poor use of its members. I know of no institution which possesses so much talent, and makes so little use of it."
Press release ~ Lord Adonis' letter to Lord Goodlad ~ Lord Adonis' article in The House magazine: Function before form ~ Baroness D'Souza's response in The House magazine: A House with firm foundations ~ the Institute's work on the evolving role of select committees
CHAC: Over 80% of long-term immigrants entering the UK would not be affected by the Government’s proposed annual cap on immigration, says a new report by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee.
Consequently, the Committee argues, to achieve anything approaching the reduction in overall immigration sought by the Government, other immigration routes - such as international students and those joining family members in the UK - will also have to be examined. And it is possible that in the long term the right to settle in this country may have to be removed from some immigrants.
Consequently, the Committee argues, to achieve anything approaching the reduction in overall immigration sought by the Government, other immigration routes - such as international students and those joining family members in the UK - will also have to be examined. And it is possible that in the long term the right to settle in this country may have to be removed from some immigrants.
Press release ~ Home Affair Committee Report: Immigration Cap ~ Home Affairs Committee Report: Immigration Cap - unprinted written evidence
BIS/GOS: Government Office for Science - A new report, published by Foresight, the Government’s Futures think tank, highlights scientific & technological areas that could transform the UK economy over the next 20 years. Press release ~ Technology and Innovation Futures (scroll down) ~ Foresight Horizon Scanning Centre ~ BIS: Foresight
OFT: New entrants to the retail banking sector face significant challenges in attracting customers and expanding their market shares, an OFT review has found. A copy of the review will be submitted to the Independent Commission on Banking.
Press release ~ OFT review of barriers to entry, exit and expansion in retail banking ~ OFT Review page ~ IBC
MoJ: Louise Casey, the independent Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses, has published a new report on improving support for victims in the criminal justice system. ‘Ending the Justice Waiting Game’ proposes measures to speed up the justice system, including ending the right to jury trial in certain cases.
PAC: The Public Accounts Committee has published (without a press release) its report on;
iea: A new research paper released by the Institute of Economic Affairsargues that claims by the Fair Trade movement are seriously exaggerated. Fair Trade’s selling point to customers is that, by paying a premium and buying certified products, they will help producers in developing countries.
Although at the margins this may be true, research shows that fair trade is not a strategy for long-term development – conventional trade is often more effective. Even analysts sympathetic to the movement have suggested that only 25% of the premium reaches producers. No study ever produced has shown that the benefit to producers anything like matches the price premium paid.
IISS: The International Institute for Strategic Studies comments on how the UK cost-cutting review has shrunk military capacity.
Press release ~ UK cost-cutting review shrinks military capacity ~ Future Character of Conflict ~ Future Force 2020 ~ 1998 Strategic Defence Review
CRC: Ofcom has published research on the causes of ‘not-spots’ – areas where there is insufficient mobile signal to make a call or send a text message. The Commission for Rural Communities have investigated the specific impacts of poor mobile coverage in rural communities and developed a series of recommendations. Their findings are due to be published later this month.
ScotGov: Fisheries Secretary, Richard Lochhead has welcomed the report from the Inquiry into the Future of Fisheries Management (IFFM): "In reaching the 24 recommendations contained in the document, this independent panel sought and considered submissions from more than 80 experts representing the industry, science, academia, NGOs, government, EU Commission, and individuals”.
JRF: Meeting the Government's zero carbon housing targets by 2016 will be extremely difficult unless major changes are made within the house-building industry, according to a new report out recently. Low Carbon Housing: Lessons from Elm Tree Mews (ETM) looked at the features & performance of a low carbon housing scheme in York, developed by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust.
ETM was built with the aim of providing affordable, high-quality housing to meet proposed energy & carbon standards for 2013. Researchers found the actual performance of the properties was not as good as intended. Heat loss was much higher than predicted (54%) the solar systems provided hot water, but suffered numerous operational problems and the ground source heat pump system underperformed.
