General Reports and Other Publications
ESRC: Many people struggle to understand the complexities of genetic problems in pregnancy and find medical language difficult to understand, particularly when faced with major decisions, such as whether to terminate a pregnancy. A recent study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), investigated how Britain’s Bangladeshi community understand the disorders and make decisions about testing & screening in the light of health care and religious opinion.
Problems linked to use of interpreters are compounded by the fact that there may be medical terms for which there is no appropriate translation. Confusion can also occur, for example, over such phrases as ‘a 75% chance of a having a child that is not being affected by a particular condition’, which can be interpreted as ‘having a child that is 75% normal’.
Press release ~ Research project ‘Genetics, Religion and Identity: a study of Bangladeshi Muslims in Britain’ ~ ESRC Society Today ~ Research project Website
MoD: The Public Accounts Committee has published a report into the successful privatisation of QinetiQ. Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Baroness Taylor said: "I welcome the Committee's recognition that the privatisation of QinetiQ succeeded in generating £800M of proceeds for the taxpayer, and created a successful British-based technology business providing a sustainable future for 13,000 staff.
I do not accept the PAC's conclusion that a further £90M could have been achieved from the sale. This is pure speculation, and fails to take into account the realities of what could be achieved in negotiation…………. The rewards earned by senior management have already been the subject of much press comment. But the key point is that the Department and its partner Carlyle agreed a scheme in which the gains made by senior managers were linked directly to achieving growth in the value of the business."
Press release ~ PAC report on the privatisation of QinetiQ ~ MoD Factsheet ~ Previous NAO press release ~ Previous MoD press release ~ Previous PCS press release ~ NAO: The privatisation of QinetiQ ~ QinetiQ
ScotParl: Ballot papers cast in the May 2007 local government elections should be examined, according to a new report published by the Local Government and Communities Committee. The recommended research should establish what the proportion of single ‘X’ ballot papers was and whether this indicates any issue with the first roll out of STV in Scottish local government elections.
Committee Convener Duncan McNeil MSP said: "The committee is concerned that the system of numbering preferences required by the Single Transferable Vote (STV) in the local government elections of 2007 was not the success it has been claimed. While the rate of rejected ballots was lower than that of the Scottish Parliament elections, it was still unnecessarily high. There were also issues around ballot design, electronic counting and the fact that the elections took place on the same day as the Scottish Parliament's 'first past the post,' elections”.
DWP: Migrants coming to the UK from Eastern Europe have not caused unemployment or stopped UK workers from finding jobs, according to new research - 'The impact of migration from the new European Union Member States on native workers' – which concludes that new migrants have not had an impact on the numbers claiming unemployment benefits in the UK, or had a significant impact on wages.
As well as this research paper from the DWP, the Home Office has published the Government's response to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee's report into the economic benefits of migration.
Press release ~ 'The impact of migration from the new European Union Member States on the UK Labour Market' ~ House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee's report into the economic benefits of migration ~ Government response ~ Impact in West Midlands ~ CRC: The benefits and the challenges of migrant workers in rural areas and recommendations for action
NAO: According to a new report from the National Audit Office, the British Council has been flexible in moving its attention and resources to match new UK priorities, particularly in the Islamic World and the Far East. It also continues to implement numerous and extensive internal changes aimed at increasing its effectiveness & efficiency, though delivery of projects and change has been uneven across its global network.
The Council has recognised the importance of good customer service, but it is not yet meeting the standards it sets for itself across the whole network. It also needs to implement a customer database to enable it to track customer contacts and better understand its audiences. In addition, its teaching business has a high cost base, charges premium prices and has limited reach outside overseas capital cities.
Press release ~ The British Council: Achieving Impact ~ Executive Summary ~ The British council: Report on Change Management and Support Services ~ Addendum to National Audit Office online Report on the British Council: Support Services ~ British Council
CRC: The Commission for Rural Communities has responded to the Government’s latest Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics release, which shows poverty levels have stopped declining and, in some cases, have started to increase.
They also highlight the prevalence of poverty in employment. This is particularly prominent in rural areas where the proportion of working poor in significant rural areas was recorded as 16% in 2005/06. Rural analysis of the HBAI figures will be included with other analysis & research in their forthcoming publication 'Rural Financial Poverty', which will be published in July.
Press release ~ Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics ~ CRC response to the new data ~
CRC: The Commission for Rural Communities has welcomed the Government’s intention to publish a Participatory Budgeting National Strategy and its ambition to see all Local Authorities using participatory budgeting by 2012.
They have responded to the Communities and Local Government consultation on Participatory Budgeting - a draft national strategy and believe that participatory budgeting principles have good potential to help local communities and their elected representatives have more influence over how their local taxes are being spent and become more active in local decision making & service delivery.
Press release ~ Participatory Budgeting - a draft national strategy ~ CRC response to consultation ~ CRC national inquiry ~ What is Participatory Budgeting
MoD: The MoD has published the Board of Inquiry (BOI) report into the tragic loss of two Royal Naval Submariners, and the injury of a third, following an explosion onboard HMS Tireless on 21 March 2007. The BOI concluded that the explosion onboard the submarine was caused by a faulty self-contained oxygen generator (SCOG) - part of the back-up oxygen generation system - which was lit during a routine drill.
The BOI has subsequently made 35 recommendations to ensure safety measures are incorporated. Implementation of these recommendations is underway and progress has been made.
HC: NHS system reforms have improved management of the health service, but need more time to deliver significant benefits for patients. This is the main finding of a report Is the treatment working? Progress with the NHS system reform programme published jointly by the Audit Commission and the Healthcare Commission.
The study looks at the programme of market-style reforms that aim to improve efficiency & effectiveness and were first set out in the NHS Plan of 2000. It also reviewed the impact of major changes to employment contracts with NHS staff.
The research found that some of the reforms are beginning to work, particularly those focused on encouraging better financial management and a more business-like approach among NHS organisations providing care, through Payment by Results and setting up foundation trusts. But the report also found that some of the changes, particularly those most noticeable to patients such as choice, need more time to deliver significant results.
The report recommends that further nationally imposed structural changes should be avoided, as progress to date has been hampered by two major reorganisations since the reforms were introduced. Other factors include an under-developed capacity to commission patient services and weaknesses in the systems to support & monitor improvements.
Press release ~ Is the treatment working? - Progress with the NHS system reform programme ~ Healthcare Commission ~ Early Lessons from Payment by Results (Audit Commission, 2005) ~ The right result? Payment by Results 2003-07 (Audit Commission, 2008) ~ Putting commissioning into practice (Audit Commission, 2007) ~ A prescription for partnership: engaging clinicians in financial management (Audit Commission, 2007) ~ Independent Sector Treatment Centres: A review of the quality of care (Healthcare Commission, 2007)
Ofsted: Strong leadership, self-knowledge and a strong school identity are key to a successful journey out of special measures according to a new report published by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted), which draws on the results of visits over the last year by inspectors to 14 formerly inadequate schools which had made particularly successful journeys out of special measures.
‘Sustaining improvement: the journey from special measures’ identifies the most important actions that lead to sustained improvement in such schools. In all the schools developing inclusion was fundamental to raising standards.
Press release ~ ‘Sustaining improvement: the journey from special measures’ ~ Standards Site – School improvement ~ National Challenge documents and case studies ~ Government's School Improvement Strategy ~ Learning Behaviour: The Report of the Practitioners’ Group on School Behaviour and Discipline ~ 2007 Statutory Guidance on Schools Causing Concern
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