General Reports and Other Publications
ESRC: Preparing to act in a particular way can improve the way we process information, and this has potential implications for those with learning disabilities. Researchers funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) have shown that using a grabbing action with our hands can help our processing of visual information.
This might help to improve the communication skills of children with complex physical & mental special needs. The first problem in assisting such children is assessing what they understand about the world, when they have no reliable means of communicating. They may not be able to speak and may have limited physical capabilities.
NICE: The NHS Future Forum wants the NHS to help its workforce of 1.4 million to live healthily and spread healthy messages with family, friends & patients. Last year, the first ever audit within the NHS of NICE's public health guidance for the workplace revealed that not enough is being done to encourage staff to improve their health.
In their second report to the health secretary Andrew Lansley, the Future Forum recommend that NHS organisations, in partnership with their staff, design & implement a strategy for improving staff mental and physical health & wellbeing.
CEBR: New Centre for Economics and Business Research forecasts indicate that the economy is probably already in recession with negative GDP growth in Q4 2011 & Q1 2012. Inflation is forecast to fall to 1.7% by Q4 2012 and to remain around 2% thereafter despite rising commodity prices and a weak pound.
PC&PE: The Treasury Committee has recently published a report into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) containing a number of recommendations for the Government's consideration ahead of the drafting & publication of the Financial Services Bill early in 2012.
TUC: If the UK is to end its over reliance on financial services a renaissance in manufacturing needs to take place, and ministers who want to re-balance the economy could learn much from the German approach to industry, says a new report published by the TUC.
PC&PE: The Commons Public Accounts Committee has published its report on the Preparations for the roll-out of Smart Meters. The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, said: "The idea of smart electricity and gas meters is a good one, but the programme to install 53 million of them in all homes and small businesses in the country by 2019, at an estimated cost of £11.7bn, is both challenging & subject to significant uncertainty.
Consumers will benefit from smart meters only if they understand the opportunity to reduce their energy bills and change their behaviour. So far the evidence on whether they will do so has been inconclusive. Otherwise, the only people who will benefit are the energy suppliers’.
iea: New research released recently shows the government’s strategy of measuring & explicitly promoting happiness over other objectives is counter-productive and a waste of money. The report, ‘…and the Pursuit of Happiness: Wellbeing and the Role of Government’, examines the flaws in attempts to measure happiness. Press release & links
IPPR: IPPR North analysis of ONS employment figures has found that in some areas there are 20 job seekers chasing every job vacancy. IPPR North argues that the Government should extend the new ‘youth contract’ to ensure a ‘jobs guarantee’ for everyone unemployed for more than a year in the areas hardest hit.
The analysis found that the national average of job seekers to job vacancies is 4. Areas with one or fewer job seekers for each vacancy are Crawley, Cambridge, South Bucks, North Warwickshire, Harborough, Daventry, City of London.
WAG: An independent report contains a number of ‘significant & bold’ recommendations for the Welsh Government to support the sustainable growth of micro businesses in Wales. They include a call for the introduction of a network of 'One Stop Shops' for micro-businesses, the creation of a pan-Wales mentoring and coaching scheme and cutting red tape which is overwhelming micro businesses.
CBI: There are a number of challenges the Government must tackle if the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) are to deliver cost-effective emissions reductions and drive private sector growth, the CBI said recently.
In its response to the Government’s consultation on The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation, the UK’s leading business group said making the Green Deal as consumer-friendly as possible will be critical to its success, especially at a time when household budgets are tight.
CSPL: The Committee on Standards in Public Life has published its response to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's review of the expenses scheme for Members of Parliament.
CH: An EU embargo would put the population solidly behind the current regime and cannot succeed on its own, says a new Chatham House paper - An Embargo on Iranian Crude Oil Exports: How Likely and with What Impact?
PC&PE: MPs have called on the insurance industry to abandon sharp practices in the management of car accident claims to curb the runaway cost of motor insurance premiums. The cross party Transport Committee has also called for the Government to impose a higher threshold for the payment of any compensation in whiplash cases.
In a report that follows up the Government’s response to the committee's March 2011 report on the cost of motor insurance, the Transport Committee warns that the spiralling cost of motor insurance is primarily the result of market dysfunction and, in particular, the escalation of uncontested claims for whiplash injury.
RUSI: Both India & the UK will likely make long-term funding commitments in Afghanistan beyond 2014, with the UK alone contributing some US$150m annually for development and a further US$100m for supporting the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) after the NATO drawdown, according to a new report published by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
PC&PE: The Commons Home Affairs Committee has published its report into UK border controls.
WWF: Responding to the new Policy Exchange report (The Full Cost to Households of Renewable Energy Policies) WWF said recently that the think-tank is ignoring the benefits renewables could bring and is advocating a risky reliance on market mechanisms.
WWF: A new report revealing the massive amounts of global coal reserves listed on the London Stock Exchange has been described as the next sub-prime crisis facing the City. The report, by Carbon Tracker (supported by WWF-UK), shows that the London Stock Exchange has accumulated the equivalent of 400 times the UK’s total annual CO2 emissions from coal, or 44.56 GtCO2.
It argues that through pension plans & savings, UK investors are exposed to significant risk as coal, the most carbon-intensive of all fossil fuels, faces tightening emissions regulations around the world.
PC&PE: MPs have warned the Government to ensure that the viability of smaller airports is not put at risk by the costs of new public information requirements & security changes proposed in the draft Civil Aviation Bill.
IPPR: New research from the think tank Institute for Public Policy Research reveals that the Government is planning to use credit rating agencies like Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch to assess public & private providers of NHS services.
IPPR warns of a potential conflict of interest & highlights the poor track record that credit rating agencies have in identifying risk, having rated Lehman Brothers as’ investment-worthy’ on the morning of its collapse.
LGA: Royal street party fever looks set to sweep the nation again this summer as revellers start planning their Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Based on the current groundswell of public interest, it's expected the number of street parties held over the June weekend, which also includes the annual Big Lunch, will surpass last year's total for the Royal Wedding.
The official Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations take place from Saturday 2 June to Tuesday 5 June 2012. The annual Big Lunch is being held on the Sunday 3 June.
CCfE: The Landing in Dover report issued recently by Maggie Atkinson, Children's Commissioner for England uncovered the `Gentleman's Agreement' between the UK & France which conflicted with the UK Border Agency's (UKBA) duty to safeguard children & promote their welfare.
It also uncovered excessive periods of detention prior to release into local authority care due to the number & length of immigration interviews undertaken at the point of arrival. The report has already led to changes in the way UKBA treats children seeking asylum.
PC&PE: The House of Commons Public Administration Committee (PASC) has warned that the new arrangements implemented at the top of the Civil Service on the retirement of Sir Gus O’Donnell "could lead to weaker leadership and disperse power at a critical time of change in government" and that they will not succeed unless ministers, and particularly the Prime Minister, accords the 2 roles equal power & status.
They must both attend Cabinet on equal terms and both must have access to the Prime Minister and the authority "to speak truth unto power". The risk of unequal status & differential access to the Prime Minister under the new arrangements has prompted the Committee to demand a full review of the new structure by July 2012.
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