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Policy Statements and Initiatives
WAG: Local Government & Communities Minister, Carl Sargeant, said that a report issued by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) about council tax benefit confirms concerns the Welsh Government has raised with the UK government about the impact of the cuts in Wales.
A new report by IFS researchers says that low-income families in Wales that receive help with their council tax bills will lose an average of £74 per year as cuts in funding from the UK Government are passed onto benefit claimants by the Welsh Government.
Defra: An estimated 2.4m households have difficulties meeting the costs of their water bills. The move to support struggling families is made possible by new government guidance published recently that will pave the way for water companies to introduce the new tariffs, giving them the power to reduce bills for the most vulnerable customers. Further reforms to the water industry will be proposed by the Government later this summer with the publication of a draft Water Bill.
ScotGov: Energy Minister, Fergus Ewing, has recently provided extra money to help householders install new green heating systems in their homes, as part of a strategy to encourage more people to generate clean green energy. The extra £5m will be available from August 2012 to householders as loans of up to £10,000 to fund renewable heat technology projects such as biomass boilers and heat pumps in their own homes.
The loans form part of a wider micro-generation Strategy, launched recently Mr Ewing, which aims to encourage people to install microgeneration technologies own homes, businesses and schools.
WWF: WWF-UK has congratulated the Deputy PM, Nick Clegg, and the UK government for announcing that the UK will accede to the UN Watercourses Convention to ‘help ensure that the world’s 263 international boundary crossing rivers are protected and peacefully shared’.
When ratified the UN Watercourses Convention will help to protect rivers such as the Mekong which, with its tributaries, flows through 6 countries including China, Burma, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, supplying a large proportion of the world's freshwater fish catch.
DfT: A further £15m funding to tackle dangerous junctions for cyclists across the country has been announced. The investment - for use by English local authorities outside London - is in addition to the £15m awarded to Transport for London in March to tackle accident hotspots where cyclists have been killed or seriously injured.
Local authorities will need to submit bids to the DfT for a share of the latest fund which will also be looking to the LAs themselves to contribute further money, in order to maximise the work that can be undertaken. Decisions on how the money will be allocated are likely to be announced in the Autumn.
ScotGov: More Scottish schools are providing pupils with at least 2 hours of physical education (PE) lessons per week in primary school and 2 periods in S1 to S4 according to figures published last week. The Scottish Government’s target is that by 2014, every primary school pupil will receive at least 2 hours per week of PE and S1 to S4 pupils will receive 2 periods of PE.
DECC: In a Written Ministerial Statement (25 June 2012) - Charles Hendry responded to the Dr Weightman Final Report on the events at the Fukushima Nuclear Site.
LGA: A 3 point-action plan for tackling the worst housing shortage in a generation has been launched by councils in England & Wales. At its annual conference last week, the LGA officially launched its 'Housing the Nation' campaign calling on Government to release the potential of local government to provide more housing.
The LGA, which represents more than 350 councils in England & Wales, has identified 3 key steps government needs to take to allow councils to tackle the housing crisis head on.
DWP: The Government is taking steps to promote collaborative parenting in separated families. A fund, worth up to £14m over 2 years, is being established to develop effective & innovative support services for separated & separating families. The new services will help parents to foster collaborative relationships with each other after separation, including agreeing child maintenance.
DWP: The Secretary of State has announced that outdated Jobseeker’s Allowance legislation will ‘not stand in the way of unemployed people who want to serve their country in the reserve forces’. Previously unemployed people who were members of the reserve forces had to stop their claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance to attend their annual 2 week training camp.
As they are paid for this training their benefit payments would be stopped and they would need to make a new claim at the end of their training and wait while it was processed to receive their money. Under the new system reservists will receive a nominal payment of 10p in order to ensure their entitlement remains open.
WAO: Secretary of State for Wales, Cheryl Gillan, has expressed her dismay at the obstructive stance taken by the Official Opposition over the proposed Welsh Grand Committee scheduled for Monday 2 July. The Welsh Grand was due to meet & debate the recently launched Wales Office consultation on the Future Electoral Arrangements for the National Assembly of Wales.
CO: 2 new government IT deals announced recently by Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, will deliver combined savings of approximately £70m.
The agreements, with Microsoft and SAP, are the latest in a series of Government supplier renegotiations to ensure that the public sector gets the best prices for taxpayers – maximising the bulk buying power of government and ending the days where different parts of government pay different prices for the same products. The Government announced similar deals with IT companies, Oracle and Capgemini, earlier this year.
The agreements, with Microsoft and SAP, are the latest in a series of Government supplier renegotiations to ensure that the public sector gets the best prices for taxpayers – maximising the bulk buying power of government and ending the days where different parts of government pay different prices for the same products. The Government announced similar deals with IT companies, Oracle and Capgemini, earlier this year.
HO: Prospective candidates for the role of Police & Crime Commissioner can find out more about the position thanks to the launch of a new dedicated webpage, including candidate briefings, by the Home Office. Members of the public will also be able to find out about the benefits PCCs will bring to policing in their community.
CLG: The families of those killed in the line of duty will be at the front of the queue for social housing, Housing Minister. Grant Shapps. said recently. The Minister outlined how a change to the law will give top priority for homes not just to members of the Armed Forces with pressing housing needs, but also to their loved ones if anything happens to them.
Former servicemen & women, and those members of the Reserve Forces injured in action, will also be placed first in line if they have an urgent need for social housing.
FCO: The UK Government renews & strengthens Britain’s relationship with the Overseas Territories with the publication of its White Paper, The Overseas Territories: Security, Success and Sustainability, which focuses on 3 goals:
* strengthening engagement between the UK and the Territories
* working with the Territories to strengthen good governance, public financial management & economic planning where this is necessary
* improving the quality & range of support available to the Territories.
DCMS: Measures to support a ‘vibrant & sustainable public library service’ have been announced by Culture Minister Ed Vaizey.
