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General Reports and Other Publications
BERR: According to the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, small firms using the Government's Business Link service grow their businesses, increase their employee numbers and add £750m to the economy each year, a new report shows.
The study of more than 3,000 small businesses found that for every £1 spent in government funding, Business Link achieved £2.26 of additional value to the economy as a result of better business performance.
Press release ~ The Early Stage evaluation of the Economic impact of business link Local Services’ ~ Business Link ~ Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)
MoJ: There are many strengths at HMP Leyhill, but resettlement work needs to be strengthened so that it is the core activity of the whole prison, said Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, publishing the report of an announced inspection into the open prison in Gloucestershire.
Inspectors found that residential staff were not sufficiently involved in supporting prisoners & preparing them for release, so consequently, prisoners' concerns & frustrations about resettlement were not dealt with.
The prison's resettlement difficulties were partly due to a mismatch between what the prison can reasonably provide and what prisoners expect in an open prison, or need in order to be eligible for parole or prepared for work. Elsewhere, inspectors found improvements and good work.
Defra: The Government has published a new report that combines a range of information on antimicrobial resistance in bacteria in farmed animals, humans, and food. Antimicrobials are chemicals such as antibiotics, used in veterinary and human medicine. Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of organisms to resist treatment with antimicrobials.
Concern about increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance has been growing for several years and the findings of the report will be used to monitor trends in patterns of resistance, identify new resistant organisms, and identify the risk factors that can lead to the development of resistance.
Press release ~ Report ~ APUA: Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics ~ Antibiotic Resistance ~ HPA | Antibiotic Resistance: Factsheet for Schools
DIUS: There has been a dramatic increase in international scientific collaboration by the UK according to a report commissioned by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, which shows that nearly 40% of UK scientific output over the last five years involved international collaboration - a 50% increase compared with the previous five years.
The report, by Evidence Ltd, assesses the growth & impact of international scientific collaboration and quantifies the benefits to the UK and other countries (notably the US, Germany and France) from such partnerships.
The report, by Evidence Ltd, assesses the growth & impact of international scientific collaboration and quantifies the benefits to the UK and other countries (notably the US, Germany and France) from such partnerships.
A new brochure, also launched by the DIUS, showcases to the rest of the world the UK's strengths in science and innovation. The brochure (being rolled out through the Science and Innovation Network of UK embassies across the world) gives help & advice for potential international collaborators and outlines the support available for developing partnerships and exchanges with the UK.
Press release ~ UK's International Engagement - DTI ~ Department of Innovation, Universites and Skills (DIUS) Evidence Ltd ~ Science and Innovation Network ~ UK India Education and Research Initiative ~ Global Science and Innovation Forum (GSIF) ~ Global Science and Innovation Forum strategy
Monitor: Speaking at the launch of the report, Healthcare for London: A Framework for Action, Chairman of Monitor, William Moyes said:
“Foundation trusts will have a key part to play in securing successful implementation of these ambitious plans. Their good management and financial strength will be crucial in order to meet the challenge of improving and reorganising hospital services.
In the new world painted by this report, the growing number of foundation trusts are perfectly equipped to play a critical role in delivering improvements. Their new freedoms give them the control needed over their budgets and clinical investments to be agile and responsive, with accountability to the communities they serve, not Ministers.”
NAO: Government has made progress in making a wide range of information available to the public through the internet, but a National Audit Office report has found that although internet users rate government websites reasonably well, the quality of those websites has improved only slightly since 2002, despite those organisations spending some £208m on websites each year.
The report found that many government websites tend to be text heavy & off-putting to the user, with Internet users complaining that some government websites are complex to understand & navigate and information useful to them is often hard to find amongst large amounts of policy material not relevant to them.
Government is seeking to improve this situation through reducing the number of central government websites. This will be carried out by moving customer-facing online information into two main ‘supersites’ – Directgov and businesslink.gov.uk to provide the public and businesses with a simple & clear route to accessing information and performing transactions
Press release ~Better Public Services through e-government ~ Executive Summary ~ LSE and Oxford Internet Institute Research Report ~ Better marketed: achieving success with online services ~ direct.gov.uk ~ UK online centres: Supporting delivery of e-government services - Research summary ~ T he Digital Divide in 2025 ~ Enabling a digitally United Kingdom ~ Inclusion Through innovation: Tackling Social Exclusion Through New Technologies ~ Alliance for Digital Inclusion ~ e-Government unit ~ Local e-Gov ~ Connecting the UK: Digital Strategy
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