Policy Statements and Initiatives
DH: The Department of Health (DH) has published initial thinking on how the NHS Commissioning Board should be designed.
DFID: Britain has set out how it plans to tackle poverty in the OccupiedPalestinianTerritories (OPTs) over the next 4 years, International Development Minister, Alan Duncan, announced recently. Under the new plans, British funding will focus on boosting the Palestinian economy and helping the most vulnerable people.
DCMS: A list of approved broadband suppliers will be selected to help simplify the procurement process as part of rolling out broadband to rural areas. The Framework Agreement will be aimed at local authorities & Devolved Administrations allowing them to select suppliers from the pre-qualified list through ‘call-off’ contracts, rather than run independent procurement processes from scratch for their own areas.
Once in place, use of the Framework Agreement will provide significant savings in terms of time & costs compared to multiple independent procurement processes for both the public sector & suppliers. For suppliers this will mean only having to bid once to be selected for the Framework, rather than up to 40 times for individual broadband procurement processes across the UK. A set of draft requirements has been published for suppliers interested in bidding.
MoJ: Vulnerable victims of crime across England & Wales will benefit from £30m of Government funding, over the next 3 years, Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, announced last week. The money has been allocated to local organisations that have a proven track record in supporting victims at their most vulnerable.
Children’s groups are among those that will benefit from the announcement, along with charities supporting victims of rape, domestic violence, hate crime, burglary, anti social behaviour and other violent crime. Those bereaved by murder, manslaughter and fatal road traffic crimes will also get the specialist support that they need.
WAG: Wales could be the first European country to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children, First Minister Carwyn Jones announced last week. Mr Jones said legislation could be considered later in the current 5-year Assembly term if children's exposure to second-hand smoke did not reduce as a result of a mix of stop smoking interventions & campaigns.
The First Minister added that it would be the next logical step following the ban on smoking in enclosed environments such as offices, pubs and restaurants, given the high concentrations of toxic chemicals present when a person smokes in a vehicle.
The First Minister added that it would be the next logical step following the ban on smoking in enclosed environments such as offices, pubs and restaurants, given the high concentrations of toxic chemicals present when a person smokes in a vehicle.
The Health Behaviour in School Aged Children survey suggests that around 20% of 11-16 year old school children in Wales report being exposed to smoke the last time they travelled in a car. Those from the least affluent families were more than twice as likely as those from the most affluent families to report being exposed.
ScotGov: A new financing model will deliver hundreds of new affordable homes, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure & Capital Investment, Alex Neil, has confirmed. The National Housing Trust (NHT) initiative, led by the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust, will see developers & local authorities jointly funding the purchase of newly-built homes so they can be made available for rent at below market rates.
DECC: Coalition measures to keep the UK’s lights on & consumer bills down, and shift the economy away from a high risk, high-carbon future, have been unveiled. With a 25% of the UK’s generating capacity shutting down over the next 10 years (as old coal & nuclear power stations close) more than £110bn in investment is needed to build the equivalent of 20 large power stations and upgrade the grid.
In the longer term, by 2050, electricity demand is set to double, as we shift more transport & heating onto the electricity grid. Business as usual is not therefore an option.
The Electricity Market Reform White Paper sets out key measures to attract investment, reduce the impact on consumer bills, and create a secure mix of electricity sources including gas, new nuclear, renewables and carbon capture & storage.
The Renewables Roadmap published alongside this WP outlines a plan of action to accelerate renewable energy deployment – to meet the target of 15% of all energy by 2020 – while driving down costs.
The Renewables Roadmap published alongside this WP outlines a plan of action to accelerate renewable energy deployment – to meet the target of 15% of all energy by 2020 – while driving down costs.
DWP: The Government has responded to the consultation on the future of child maintenance and is ‘setting out radical changes to the system to make separated parents take full responsibility for their children’s ongoing financial support’. The current Child Support Agency (CSA) scheme is set to close to new customers from 2012. A new & streamlined child maintenance service will be launched.
DH: A life a month could be saved thanks to a £4m investment by the Government in NHS stem cell services, Public Health Minister Anne Milton announced last week.
The project, agreed with partners NHS Blood & Transplant and charity Anthony Nolan, will see stem cell donors & potential recipients matched far more quickly than in the past. It aims to reduce average search times down to 2 weeks, which is estimated will save on average one life per month.
The project, agreed with partners NHS Blood & Transplant and charity Anthony Nolan, will see stem cell donors & potential recipients matched far more quickly than in the past. It aims to reduce average search times down to 2 weeks, which is estimated will save on average one life per month.
WAG: New laws to tackle school underperformance, make councils work together and a new organ donation system were among the new Bills proposed last week by the Welsh Government. Addressing Assembly Members in the Senedd, the First Minister Carwyn Jones set out the legislative priorities of his new government.
DFID: Malawi will no longer receive general budget support from the UK Government, Andrew Mitchell announced last week. The International Development Secretary took the decision after the Government of Malawi repeatedly failed to address UK concerns over economic management & governance.
General budget support, which is used to allow governments to deliver their own national strategies for poverty reduction against an agreed set of targets, has been suspended indefinitely.
General budget support, which is used to allow governments to deliver their own national strategies for poverty reduction against an agreed set of targets, has been suspended indefinitely.
DFID: Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, said he will not fund any further projects under the Development Awareness Fund or the Mini-Grants Scheme, and that existing programmes will be wound down. Following an external review of the links between development awareness projects & reducing global poverty, he has concluded ‘there is insufficient evidence that these projects have a clear impact on the lives of the poorest’.
DfE: The Government has published its response to Professor Eileen Munro’s recommendations to reform the child protection system, set out earlier this year. The response outlines the Government’s intention, working with professionals, to build a system focused on the needs, views & experiences of vulnerable children. The Government will reduce central regulation & prescription and place greater trust & responsibility in skilled professionals & local leaders to bring about long-term reform.
Press release ~ Government response (see also links to right of webpage)
MoD: Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, has published the conclusions of an independent review into the Chinook Mk2 helicopter crash of June 1994 on the Mull of Kintyre which tragically resulted in the deaths of all 29 people on board. The review, led by Lord Philip and assisted by 3 Privy Counsellors, examined the evidence relating to the findings of the Board of Inquiry into the accident.
The review makes 3 key recommendations, the:
* finding that the pilots were negligent to a gross degree should be set aside
* MOD should consider offering an apology to the families of the pilots
* MOD should reconsider its policy & procedures for the transport of personnel whose responsibilities are vital to national security
At the request of the Defence Secretary, the Defence Council was convened and has set aside the findings that the pilots were negligent to a gross degree and has ordered that this action be noted on the pilots' records. On behalf of the MOD, the Defence Secretary has also apologised to the families of the pilots.
DfE: All teachers will be expected to meet new standards of competence & conduct from September 2012, following an independent review of the skills that teachers should possess.
WAG: A Welsh Government initiative to provide support for families affected by substance misuse is being expanded to cover parts of Mid, West & South Wales, Deputy Minister for Children & Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, has announced.
The roll out of Integrated Family Support Services (IFSS) across Wales is a key priority of Sustainable Social Services: A Framework for Action. The expansion of the programme is being backed with an additional £1.4m, bringing the total Welsh Government funding for IFSS to £3.3m.
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