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Legislation / Legal
ScotGov: Plans to extend a pilot scheme which helps tackle the underlying causes of offending have been announced. As well as providing continued funding for the existing Structured Deferred Sentence pilot areas, this approach is to be extended to cover courts across two Community Justice Authorities areas - Glasgow & Tayside.
The SDS is a low-tariff intervention providing structured social work intervention for offenders post-conviction, but prior to final sentencing. It is primarily aimed at offenders with underlying problems such as drug or alcohol dependency, mental health or learning difficulties or unemployment. It is not used for violent, serious or sex offenders.
Ofwat: The Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) has fined Thames Water 0.7% of turnover (£9.7m) for misreporting information and delivering poor service to customers. It is now publishing final notices penalising the company, after proposing to fine the company last September.
Deficient systems and low business priority on reporting non-financial data led to the company misreporting customer service information, which has damaged the regulatory process. Thames Water's shareholders will bear the entire cost of this penalty. It will not be passed on to its customers.
The Consumer Council for Water has responded to the announcement by saying that it ‘is surprised that Ofwat has decided to reduce the fine, and disappointed that the money will go to the Treasury, rather than to benefit consumers’.
Dame Yve Buckland, National Chair of CCWater, said: "Penalties can and should directly benefit consumers, and make it very clear to companies that breaking the rules will not be tolerated. Where penalties occur, consumers should benefit first. They should not be just another source of income for the Treasury”.
WAG: Deputy First Minister and Minister for Economy & Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones has used the National Assembly for Wales’ historic new lawmaking powers to put forward plans to improve school transport in Wales, by laying before the Assembly the draft of the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008. The Measure will allow Local authorities to change school start and finish times in order to make transport arrangements more effective, efficient or environmentally sustainable.
The aim is to have the main provisions in place for the start of the academic year in 2009 and he has made clear his intention to seek fresh legislative power for the National Assembly to take further action on bus regulation and safety issues.
Mr Jones will also issue new guidance to local authorities on Home to School Transport which sets out best practice for the provision of high quality, safe and effective home to school transport for pupils.
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