Policy Statements and Initiatives

HMT: The details of how the Government scheme to make payments to Equitable Life policyholders will work were published by Mark Hoban MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, this week.
Press release & links
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency last week published a Board paper that updates its proposals for charging the meat industry the full cost of delivering official controls in meat plants. The key changes are:
* the proposal to support more small businesses with a low throughput by expanding the number of meat plants in this category
* to begin a phased implementation of full cost recovery in April 2012
Press release & links ~ Places still available at meat control meeting
 
FSA: Following a stakeholder consultation, the Food Standards Agency will be updating the next meeting of the Board on animal cloning and the FSA’s decision to change its advice on the legal status of food from the descendants of cloned cattle & pigs.
Press release & links
 
BIS: Mary Portas has been appointed to lead an independent review into the future of the High Street, The Prime Minister & DPM Minister have announced.  The purpose of the review will be to identify what government, local authorities & businesses can do to promote the development of more prosperous & diverse high streets. Mary Portas will present the review by autumn 2011.
Press release ~ Department for Business Innovation and Skills: High Street Review
 
CLG: Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell, has described the 300,000 long term empty homes in England as a ‘scandal’ with four million people stranded on housing waiting lists.  He said that if the empty properties were occupied by average sized families, around 700,000 more people could have a home of their own.
 
Mr Stunell called on communities to step up work to tackle the problem by making use of help & support from the Government.  Communities stand to benefit by over £2bn if all long-term empty properties were brought back into use, with the New Homes Bonus paying out £7,000 for the average empty property.
 
The Minister also encouraged areas to back what he described as 'win-win' schemes - pioneering projects like the Canopy Housing Project in Leeds where homeless people are given training opportunities and a roof over their heads while they help bring empty properties back into use.  The local area then receives government cash for each refurbished home.
Press release ~ Canopy Housing Project in Leeds
 
DfE: From this week, groups that want to open Free Schools in September 2012 can submit their detailed plans to the Department. And, for the first time, the Department will also consider applications from people who want to set up age 16-19 Free Schools, schools that cater specifically for children with special educational needs, and schools that offer alternative provision (for example Pupil Referral Units).
Press release & links
 
DFID: Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, and the head of UN Women Michelle Bachelet held talks in London this week on the organisation’s progress since it started work in January 2011. They discussed the once in a lifetime opportunity held by UN Women to turn around the lives of women across the developing world who continually carry the largest burden of poverty.
Press release & links
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