Policy Statements and Initiatives
HO: The crime & security minister, James Brokenshire, has commented on a report which looks at how police forces are preparing to make financial savings.
Press release & links ~ MPA comment
DECC: The Department of Energy and Climate Change recently approved an application under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for EDF Energy to construct & operate a Dry Fuel Store at the existing Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station at Leiston in
Press release & links
CO: The 2-week
The scheme is a 2-week residential programme for 16-18 year olds from under-represented backgrounds, including black, asian and minority ethnic communities. The aim of the placement is to provide the interns with a taster of the Civil Service and gain experience of a working environment. The students will also participate in evening activities and will receive skills sessions from Accenture and Clifford Chance.
Press release & links
SFA: Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced Government backing for employer led projects to deliver the skills for growth in sectors ranging from healthcare to nuclear manufacturing. Following the first round of applications to the £50m Growth and Innovation Fund, innovative proposals to deliver world class training in seven leading industries have been selected for further development.
Press release & links
DWP: New statistics published by Department of Work & Pensions ‘show’ that 39% of those who claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are assessed as fit for work. The figures also show that a further 17% can do some work with the right help & support and that 36% of claims were closed before assessment was completed.
People who are found fit for work will now be supported through the new Work Programme, which rolled out across last month, which provides tailored support for people to get into sustained employment. People who are found too sick or disabled will continue to receive unconditional support and a higher rate of benefit.
Press release & links ~ TUC comment
WAG: More than 4,000 young people across North West Wales, who are at risk of falling out of school or further education, are set to benefit from a new £15m scheme to improve their chances of success, First Minister, Carwyn Jones, announced last week.
The Potensial initiative will target 11-16 year olds who are facing difficulties such as under achievement or absenteeism. It will help target 16-19 year olds who are already in college, but are at risk of dropping out. The project will also provide specialist support for young people with disabilities or who are in care as well as young carers to help them achieve their full learning potential.
Press release
BIS: Plans to scrap or simplify more than 160 regulations, freeing the public & retailers from rules that are unnecessarily burdensome, overly bureaucratic or completely redundant have been announced by Business Secretary, Vince Cable. The proposals are the first results from the Red Tape Challenge and will see significant changes to legislation that will make life easier for businesses and promote personal freedoms.
Press release & links ~ Red Tape Challenge
CLG: The Audit Commission will outsource all its in-house local public audit work to the private sector in the next financial year, Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, has announced. The AC has already been asked to begin substantive preparations for outsourcing. The contracts, which start from 2012-13, are expected to run for 3 or 5 years giving local councils & other public bodies the time to plan for appointing their own auditors.
Press release & links
WAG: The Welsh Government has set out its plan on how to support refugees & asylum seekers. Launched by the Finance Minister, the new action plan aims to improve relationships between refugees & communities and help them integrate into Welsh life.
The Refugee Integration Strategy, accompanies the existing Refugee Inclusion Strategy, and sets out actions that the Welsh Government will undertake in conjunction with their partners, and also ways that the actions will be monitored & evaluated.
Press release & links ~ Refugee Inclusion Strategy Action Plan ~ Refugee Inclusion Strategy
HO: The Home Secretary has recently told companies: 'improve your organisation by helping more women to get into top jobs'. In a joint letter to FTSE 350 companies, Theresa May and Business Secretary Vince Cable have set out a strong business case for increasing representation of women in senior positions to at least 25% by 2015. The letter follows Lord Davies' review of women on boards and comes a week after the launch of a code of conduct for companies who help find & recruit individuals to fill senior positions.
Recent figures show that companies with more women on their boards were found to out-perform their rivals with a 42% higher return in sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity.
Press release & links
HO: A new organised crime strategy sets out how law enforcement agencies will work together in the UK & abroad to disrupt international criminal networks, freeze criminal assets and keep communities safe. Serious organised crime is on the increase in the . There are around 38,000 organised criminals in the and around 6,000 organised crime groups. It costs the public between £20bn & £40bn each year.
Press release & links
CLG: The Government's Champion for Active Safer Communities has set out her top 3 priorities to help people make a difference to their neighbourhoods. In a new report, Baroness Newlove pinpoints the availability of easy to access online information, a new drive for public sector volunteering and the tackling of binge and underage drinking, as key to achieving her goals.
Press release & links
ScotGov: A £25,000 grant from Bòrd na Gàidhlig (BnG) and £14,100 direct Scottish Government support will fund skills training for entrants to the 12-to-17-year-old category in this year's FilmG competition. FilmG is MG ALBA's short film competition, which aims to uncover new talent for development on the Gaelic digital channel BBC ALBA and to produce significant new Gaelic content for the web. It was first launched in 2008.
