Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides

CLG: Housing Minister, Iain Wright, has announced that ex-servicemen & women, who are seriously injured, are to be given priority for specially adapted social homes. Councils are being instructed to treat seriously injured service personnel as a priority when allocating modified housing, under new guidance just issued.
 
It will help to ensure better availability of specially adapted housing with features like walk-in bathrooms, wider door frames, lowered light switches, and entry slopes rather than steps, for service personnel as part of the Government's commitment to support those injured in the service of their country.
 
The guidance will also reinforce changes to help make sure all members of the Armed Forces can also apply for social housing in areas in which they were based during their service.  Previously, service personnel were restricted by the need to demonstrate a local connection beyond having served there.
Press release ~ Housing Allocations: Members of the Armed Forces ~ Service Personnel Command Paper - Housing Commitments Fact Sheet
 
FSA: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has confirmed Industry Guidance which will facilitate paper-free electronic transfer of ownership of units held in an authorised investment fund (an authorised unit trust or an open-ended investment company).
 
Investors who sell or transfer units they hold have until now been required to give the necessary authority in writing.  Government regulations & FSA rules which recently came into force allow fund managers to accept the unit holder’s authorisation by electronic means such as e-mail or through the internet site of the fund manager.  
 
The Government estimates that these provisions could bring annual administrative savings for UK fund managers of between £70m and £290m. The guidance explains what fund managers should do to satisfy themselves that instructions given by electronic means are genuine.
Press release ~ IMA guidance on paperless renunciation / transfer of units / shares in authorised funds ~ Investment Management Association ~ FSA – Confirmed Industry guidance ~ HM Treasury’s paper: Consultation on better regulation measures for the asset management sector (May 2007)
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