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Policy Statements and Initiatives
DWP: Ministers confirmed recently that the Government would stand by its commitment to protect pensioner incomes and have also ensured that key support for disabled people would go up by 2.2% for next year. The 'triple lock' – a key coalition agreement – will be used for the first time to increase the basic State Pension next year at an above inflation 2.5% to £110.15 a week.
Ministers also confirmed that the main rates of the majority of working age benefits would be increased by 1% for the next 3 years. A new Bill will be introduced as soon as possible to enable the Government to implement the 1% in 2014/15 & 2015/16.
DWP: Ministers have confirmed the final elements of Universal Credit, claiming that 3m families will be better off under the new system by around £168 a month. The majority of these - 75% - will come from the bottom 40% of the income scale.
DfE: Children’s minister Edward Timpson has announced measures to help thousands of children in care in England achieve better grades at school and to help them turn their lives around.
The move comes as the Department publishes its annual statistics on school results achieved by those in care, which show just under 15% of them achieving 5 GCSEs, including English & maths. This is much lower than the 58% of children overall who pass 5 GCSEs, including English & Maths.
The move comes as the Department publishes its annual statistics on school results achieved by those in care, which show just under 15% of them achieving 5 GCSEs, including English & maths. This is much lower than the 58% of children overall who pass 5 GCSEs, including English & Maths.
To prevent this attainment gap from stagnating or widening further, the Government intends to enshrine in law a Virtual School Head for every council. Their primary focus will be to raise the educational attainment of children in care by getting them the support they need to succeed at school and in later life.
Defra: Defra has approved trials of GM vaccines against prostate cancer & HIV. Both applications have been evaluated by the independent expert group the Advisory Committee of Releases to the Environment (ACRE). In line with ACRE’s advice, precautionary conditions have been attached to the statutory consent for the trial to ensure there is no adverse effect on human health and the environment.
DWP: Disabled people receiving care & support to lead independent lives will from 2015 do so under one local streamlined system, Minister for Disabled People Esther McVey announced recently. The Independent Living Fund (ILF), set up over 20 years ago, will be incorporated into local social care arrangements over the next 2 years, to ensure fair, targeted support to those who need it.
DfE: Schools minister David Laws recently said he wanted more pupils to benefit from the Dux awards scheme in 2013. All 24 Russell Group universities will take part in the 2013 scheme, recognising & rewarding top performance & potential in maintained secondary school pupils, and raising their aspirations.
WAG: The Minister with responsibility for Transport, Carl Sargeant, has announced that some people with severe cognitive impairments, for example learning difficulties or autism, are to be entitled to a Blue Badge under plans to extend eligibility for the scheme.
CLG: Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles spelled out 50 sensible savings, a Council Tax freeze and a fair funding deal as the ‘right road’ for councils to protect residents & local services, as a major shake up of local finance was initiated recently.
CO: In the 18 months since its launch, over 300 complaints have been investigated through Mystery Shopper – a Cabinet Office initiative that asks businesses to ‘shop’ bad public procurement practice.
The service which allows businesses to complain about practice both across central government and the wider public sector has helped deliver positive changes in around 4 out of 5 cases Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary Chloe Smith announced recently.
The service which allows businesses to complain about practice both across central government and the wider public sector has helped deliver positive changes in around 4 out of 5 cases Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary Chloe Smith announced recently.
CO: A report published by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, shows the progress on the Government’s quango reform programme (which is now more than half way through) and which departments estimate will reduce the administrative cost of public bodies by at least £2.6bn by 2015. The report also shows that the workforce of public bodies will fall by around a third over the Spending Review period.
CO: Fundamental changes to the way the Government shares its corporate services are set to ‘radically improve efficiency across departments and save taxpayers up to half a billion a year’, the Minister for the Cabinet Office announced recently.
DfT: Councils are invited to apply for a share of the £170m Local Pinch Point Fund to ‘remove bottlenecks on the highway network’.
