Policy Statements and Initiatives
WAG: Plans to roll-out a system that will enable clinicians in hospital emergency departments and out-of-hours GPs to have access to important patient information to help with diagnosis & treatment have been approved following a successful pilot with the GPs out-of-hours service and medical admissions unit in Gwent.
The £4.7m WAG-funded scheme is intended to allow doctors, nurses and pharmacists to view, with the patient’s permission, a copy of the information on their medical record, held by their GP. Initially, the information will be shared between local GP surgeries and local unscheduled care providers. This Individual Health Record includes details of the patient’s current medication & conditions, major health conditions, allergies, immunisations or vaccinations as well as blood pressure and test results.
Informing Healthcare will now prepare a final business case for the roll out for the Health Minister’s consideration.
ScotGov: Ministers are working to improve the support provided by PACE - Partnership Action for Continuing Employment - the partnership initiative which provides help to employees when an organisation faces potential redundancies.
PACE was set up in 2000 to provide support to employees when an organisation announces redundancies, with one of its key tasks being to identify, early on, ways of helping companies facing financial difficulties to minimise job losses.
Press release ~ PACE - Partnership Action for Continuing Employment ~ Skills Development Scotland ~ Future Skills Scotland
WAG: The Welsh Assembly Government has recently confirmed that it is ready to introduce the draft Affordable Housing Legislative Competence Order with the support of the Westminster Government. The new powers that would be provided by the Order could enable local authorities to preserve their social housing stock, thereby increasing the availability of affordable housing for rent.
The next step will be for the new powers order to be put to the National Assembly for Wales for approval. Subject to the National Assembly agreeing the LCO, the Secretary of State for Wales will put the order before Parliament for agreement. If passed by both legislatures, the Assembly will then be able to legislate, by way of Assembly Measures, in relation to the disposal of land and housing by social landlords.
ScotGov: Financial support for part-time students is to be extended to help more learners develop their skills, retrain and improve job prospects during these tough economic times. Funding for postgraduate students, currently limited to those on full-time courses, will be extended to up to 150 part-time students on a pilot basis during session 2009-10.
This will cover funding for course fees and be targeted on a pilot group of institutions and a small number of subject areas, linked to the Scottish Government's economic priority sectors, including energy, life sciences, tourism, food & drink industries, financial & business services, creative industries and education.
To help widen the choice of learning on offer and help students improve future career prospects the Scottish Government is also extending the availability of Individual Learning Account (ILA) funding for part-time students. The ILA500 Scheme, which currently offers grants of up to £500 a year to part-time higher education students, will be made available for learners on a broader range of courses.
Press release ~ ILA500 Scheme ~ ILA Scotland ~ ScotGov - Education ~ The Scottish Economic Recovery Programme ~ Part-Time Forum Conference ~ Postgraduate Student Allowances Scheme (PSAS)
WAG: The Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery, Andrew Davies, has announced that the Welsh Assembly Government has become one of the first public sector organisations within the UK to undertake a tender exercise that is reserved for supported businesses and supported factories.
These are companies and organisations where 50% or more of the workforce have disabilities and the reserving of contracts for such organisations is encouraged under European law. Contracts when let will allow Welsh public sector organisations to source strategically from supported factories and business’ to ensure these organisations continue to fulfil their vital role in employing those with disabilities.
Press release ~ Wales - Business Procurement Task Force ~ WAG – Business and Economy ~ WAG – Equality and Diversity ~ WAG – Better Value for Wales
DfT: Transport Secretary, Geoff Hoon, has confirmed Government support for a third runway at Heathrow airport, but not for ‘mixed mode’ which would have seen the two existing runways used more intensively. Alongside this the Transport Secretary announced new measures to protect the environment and help ensure that Britain meets its climate change commitments.
In order to give further assurance that environmental limits will be met, Mr Hoon also announced that new capacity at Heathrow would be released only once strict air quality and noise conditions are shown to be met and on the basis of independent assessment & enforcement.
Press release ~ Decision on adding capacity at Heathrow airport ~ 2003 White Paper 'The Future of Air Transport' ~ Britain's transport infrastructure: High Speed Two ~ Britain's Transport Infrastructure: Motorways and Major Trunk Roads
HMT: HM Treasury has responded to the Parliamentary Ombudsman's Report into the prudential regulation of the Equitable Life Assurance Society from 1988 to December 2001. The Government accepts some, but not all of the Ombudsman's report's findingsof maladministration by public bodies during the period under review.
The Government is to set up a scheme to provide ex-gratia payments for those who have been most heavily affected by events at Equitable Life. The Government has also apologised on behalf of public bodies and successive Governments stretching back to 1990 for the maladministration that it believes took place.
