Policy Statements and Initiatives

Defra: Defra has published responses to its consultation on a draft strategy for improving animal welfare in England by building new relationships between Government and its key partners.  The Strategy proposes five key goals:
Press release ~ Consultation on a draft new Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy ~ Consultation on Defra’s response to the Eves Review of the Animal Health and Welfare delivery landscape ~ Great Britain Animal Health and Welfare Strategy 2004 ~ Defra: Introduction to Animal health and welfare ~ Animal Welfare Act 2006 ~ Development of an EU animal health strategy ~ Working with the consumer
 
Cabinet Office: A government strategy to reduce bureaucracy for front line workers so that ‘public services can work more efficiently without compromising on standards’ has been published by Cabinet Office. The strategy sets out how the Government is going to reduce bureaucracy by:
Frontline staff are urged to log on to the Cabinet Office better regulation portal to lodge their ideas.  
Press release ~ Strategy: Cutting bureaucracy for our public services~ Better Regulation Portal ~ Public Sector Reform
 
DWP: DWP Minister Lord McKenzie has announced a new vocational rehabilitation task group to help ill or injured people stay in or return to work and called on employers to do more to support their employees. 175m working days are lost to sickness absence each year, costing businesses & the economy around £13bn.
 
The task group - made up of government, customers, business and insurers - will identify what services are currently available, why businesses do not provide more support, and what needs to be done to increase understanding & ensure wider provision of support services.
Press release ~ Health Work and Well-being strategy ~ Workplace Health Connect ~ HSE – Managing sickness & absence from work ~ HSE – Back pain in workplace ~ HSE – case study ~ Managing sickness absence in the public sector ~ Lone Parents, Health and Work (report series number 214) ~ Seven steps to managing absence in the workplace ~ New approaches to cutting staff absence ~ Rehabilitation: the missing link in workplace safety and sickness absence ~ Wales Centre for Health - Workplace Health
 
Defra: A vision of how England's trees, woods and forests can yield environmental, social and economic benefits for future generations has been set out by Barry Gardiner, Minister for Biodiversity, Landscape and Rural Affairs.
 
From helping to combat climate change to boosting business opportunities, the new Strategy for England Trees, Woods and Forests highlights the potential of these important natural resources to improve life for people & wildlife. It also shows how long-term sustainable management of trees, woods and forests can help people and wildlife adapt to a changing climate and how people can make the most of their local woodlands.
Press release ~ New Strategy for England Trees, Woods and Forests ~ Consultation on a review of the England Forestry Strategy ~ Sherwood Forest Community Rangers Project ~ Forestry Commission England ~ Regional Forestry Frameworks ~ The Woodland Trust~ Guide to Woodland Creation for Wildlife ~ UK Biodiversity Action Plan Website
 
DfES: Employers, adults and young people in post-16, Government-funded training will soon be able to judge more easily for themselves how colleges and other learning providers are performing. Details of a new system for assessing performance on the basis of effectiveness, responsiveness and finance have been published recently.  One hundred providers will be testing 'Framework for Excellence' from his September 2007.
 
Findings from the trial will help shape a full version of the Framework from summer 2008.  The independent & quantitative nature of the Framework will enable the sector to move towards self regulation.
Press release ~ Framework for Excellence: Raising Standards and Informing Choice ~ New Measures of Success – Priorities for Development ~ Ofsted: Common Inspection Framework ~ National Improvement Strategy for FE ~ DfES ~ Quality Improvement Agency  ~ Lifelong Learning UK
 
Defra: The Environment Agency is to oversee management of all flood & erosion risk on the English coast, Defra has announced. The government claims that that the new role will increase accountability & clarity for the public and help ensure that work is properly prioritised & managed so that investment is used to best effect.
 
With its new strategic overview role, the Environment Agency will:
The announcement relates to the Environment Agency's strategic overview role for sea flooding and coastal erosion; development of the Agency's role in relation to inland flooding is being pursued separately.  Sea flooding roles on the coast are currently mixed between the Environment Agency and 92 coastal local authorities.
Press release ~ Defra – Flood management ~ Regional Flood Defence Committee's — National Flood Forum ~ Environment Agency - Flood risk management ~ Environment Agency - Installing flood defences ~ Directive ~ Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) ~ NAO: Environment Agency Report: Building and maintaining river and coastal flood defences in England ~ EU FloodCommand ~ Making Space for Water programme  ~ Atlantis Initiative~ Foresight study on Flood & Coastal Defence ~ UK Climate Impacts Programme – Scenarios Gateway ~ National Appraisal of Assets at Risk of Flooding and Coastal Erosion in England and Wales ~ Flood Ranger
How Lambeth Council undertakes effective know your citizen (KYC) / ID checks to prevent fraud