Policy Statements and Initiatives

HMT: The Government has published details of its Corporate Tax Reform programme consisting of a series of essential reforms designed to improve the UK's tax competitiveness.  Measures include the introduction of new Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules and a commitment to introduce a Patent Box.
Press release ~ Corporate Tax Reform: delivering a more competitive system (and related documents) ~ Patent Box consultation ~ R&D tax credits consultation (both closing on 22 February 2011)
 
BIS: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne and Business Secretary Vince Cable have announced a fundamental review of what all parts of Government are doing to create the best conditions for private sector growth. The growth review will start with an intensive programme of work, based on the evidence provided by business, to report by Budget 2011.  
 
Departments will be required to present Action Plans to a Ministerial Ad hoc Group chaired by the Chancellor and Business Secretary, on what contribution they will make. This Group will meet 6 times between the launch of the growth review & the Budget, and will hold its first meeting before the end of 2010.
Press release ~ BIS: Growth
 
DWP: Ministers last week reaffirmed their determination to drive private sector rents for Housing Benefit recipients down, and ‘stop taxpayers paying over the odds’ by announcing discretionary powers for local authorities to make direct payments to landlords in return for reducing their rents.  The announcement came as Housing Benefit Regulations were laid in Parliament.
 
To avoid families being disrupted twice, first by the Caps in April 2011 and then by the reduction in Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile in October 2011, they will now both come into force in April 2011 for new customers.
 
However, existing customers will be exempt for up to 9 months from the date their claim is reviewed by their local authority.  This will allow them time to adjust to any reduction in Housing Benefit entitlement and in practice means many existing customers will not be affected until after January 2012.
Press release ~ Housing Benefit Regulations ~ Homeless Link response PR
 
HO: Migrants applying to come to the UK to join or marry their settled partner now need a good understanding of the English language. People from outside the European Economic Area will now need to show that they can speak & understand English – and for many this will mean taking test with an approved provider.
 
The mandatory test also applies to people applying from within the UK as well as visa applicants from overseas.
Overseas applicants required to take a test will need to do so before they apply to come to the UK.
Press release ~ English language requirement - article by Damian Green ~ New English language requirements for partners - UK Border Agency
 
HMT:  The Government has announced that the top 15 banks operating in the UK have adopted the Code of Practice on Taxation.
Press release ~ Code of practice on taxation for banks ~ Impact Assessment of the Code of Practice on Taxation for Banks
 
WAG: Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, has outlined Wales’ response to the decision by the UK Government to increase tuition fees in higher education institutions in England. The increase in fees for Welsh domiciled students, whether they study in England or Wales or Scotland or Northern Ireland, will be paid by the Welsh Assembly Government
 
If a student who was born & lives in Wales is going to University in anywhere in the UK in 2012 they will only pay £3,290 a year in fees (plus any inflationary uplift in fee levels) – the same as this year. So, Welsh students who go to university in 2012-13 will be paying the same in real terms as students who go to university in this academic year.
Press release ~ Wag: Higher Education
 
WAG: Education Minister, Leighton Andrews has shown his support for a Welsh language reading scheme especially designed to appeal to boys. The ‘Prosiect X' reading scheme includes reading books at a range of levels in both fiction and non-fiction to engage primary school readers, particularly boys.
 
The publication of the new scheme comes as the Welsh Assembly Government develops its four year National Literacy Plan.  The NLP sets out how literacy standards are to be raised in Wales in the future.  
Press release ~ WAG: Children and young people ~ ‘Prosject X' reading scheme
 
Defra: An anaerobic digestion framework document has been published by the Government that sets out the steps it believes are needed to increase energy from waste in England through anaerobic digestion (AD).  This document is an invitation to work with Government on the strategy and the deadline for expressing interest in participating is 12 December 2010.
Press release ~ Developing an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) framework strategy ~ Accelerating the Uptake of Anaerobic Digestion in England: an Implementation Plan (March 2010)
 
CO: A new approach to supplier relations in Government began last week as, Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, hosted the first in a series of supplier summits with CEOs & senior representatives of 31 of the Government’s key suppliers.
 
As part of the Government's commitment to make it easier to do business with the state, a new online feedback facility has been launched to enable SMEs to share their experiences of public procurement. 
Press release ~ Terms of a new partnership between the Government and its suppliers ~ Online feedback facility
 
Defra: A new partnership that will plant 1m extra trees across England in the next 4 years, was launched by Defra Minister, Jim Paice, last week. The Big Tree Plant is the first government tree planting campaign since the 1970s and will plant trees in urban areas that need them most, harnessing the Big Society to deliver benefits to local communities.
Press release ~ Big Tree Plant
 
CLG: A single 'address book' for England & Wales is to be created, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles announced last week. For years business & essential services have had to pay for the 2 different national address lists maintained by councils and Ordnance Survey, creating a costly & inefficient system.
 
An agreement has been reached to set up a joint venture between Ordnance Survey and the Local Government Group to create a new single source of address data. The new National Address Gazetteer will be free to all public services including the emergency services that rely on it to get to people in distress quickly.
Press release
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