Treasury Committee recommends an investigation into the fairness of credit searches
'Credit Searches (HC 197)' by the Treasury Committee calls on the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to investigate the fairness of a part of the credit market. The Report follows an inquiry sparked by concerns that in shopping around for credit, especially for unsecured credit such as personal loans and credit cards, consumers were building up a record of credit application searches on their credit reference files. Additionally high numbers of recorded applications in fact made it harder for them to obtain credit, or affected the rates charged.
Government must prioritise green skills needed to drive low-carbon economy
The Government has missed a big opportunity to kick start a green industrial revolution with its £3 billion fiscal stimulus. Germany, the US, Japan and China have invested billions in their low-carbon industries. But only one sixth of the UK's Government's fiscal stimulus package was devoted to green industry.
Many of the policies needed to cut carbon emissions will provide good opportunities to increase employment and could give the UK a competitive advantage in the coming decades. The UK has the potential to take a leading global role in a number of low carbon sectors.
Voluntary registration for children in home education recommended
The question of if and how home education should be regulated has been the subject of a series of consultations and research studies commissioned by the Department, which culminated in the Badman review. Debate has centred on the one hand, the absence of prescription in relation to home education and the ability of home educating families to refuse contact with their local authority, and, on the other, the duty on local authorities to ensure that every child in their area is receiving a suitable education.
There is much concern over the Badman report recommendation that registration and monitoring be introduced for home educating families which has been taken forward through the Children, Schools and Families Bill. 'The Review of Elective Home Education' (HC 39-I) supports the proposals to introduce annual registration for home educating families but suggests that registration should, at least initially, be voluntary. Any registration system should be accompanied by better information sharing between local authorities, HM Revenue and Customs and other agencies.
Current defence programme is unaffordable reports NAO
'The Major Projects Report 2009: Ministry of Defence’ (HC 85-I) reports that the current defence programme is unaffordable. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has already reduced the deficit between the defence budget and planned expenditure by £15 billion, but a shortfall of between £6 billion and £36 billion remains.
The financial crisis means a substantial increase in funding is unlikely, and closing the gap will require bold action as part of the Strategic Defence Review which is expected after the General Election.
Government announces the 2009 Pre-Budget Report
The 'Pre-Budget Report 2009 - Securing the Recovery: Growth and Opportunity’ (Cm. 7747) presents updated assessments and forecasts of the economy and public finances. It also reports on how, in the face of the downturn, the Government is delivering support to the economy, businesses and households to secure the recovery and provide a platform for growth and opportunity.
Proposed intercept as evidence regime is rejected by report
'Intercept as Evidence: A Report’ (Cm. 7760)sets out the key findings and conclusions of a test model, set up following the recommendations in 'Privy Council Review of Intercept as Evidence: Report to the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary’ (Cm. 7324) to see whether a regime to allow the use of intercepted material in court could be devised that facilitates bringing cases to trial while meeting the overriding imperative to safeguard national security.
The project looked at the potential evidential benefits of an intercept as evidence regime and whether the model developed to meet them could both be legally viable and meet the Privy Council review's operational requirements. The evidential impact would most likely make trials more complex due to the amount of material generated and challenges from defences.
Home Affairs Committee express concern over the of backlog of asylum applications
The Home Office regularly updates the Home Affairs Committee with information on progress in dealing with the backlog of some 400,000 - 450,000 asylum applications. In 'The Work of the UK Border Agency’ (HC 105-I) the Committee acknowledges the increased resources that have been made available to clear the substantial backlog of asylum applications but says UK Border Agency's (UKBA) self-imposed deadline of 2011 is simply too long.
The Committee says with that with the available resources all cases going back three years or more should be finally decided by September 2010 at the latest.
Public support provided to UK banks by the Treasury was justified
In the report ‘Maintaining Financial Stability Across the United Kingdom's Banking System (HC 91)’ the National Audit Office has concluded that the public support provided to UK banks by the Treasury was justified, given the scale of the economic and social costs if one or more major banks had collapsed. In providing that support, moreover, the Treasury met two of the Government's principal objectives: protecting depositors' money in banks and maintaining the stability of the financial system. The final cost to the taxpayer will not, however, be known for a number of years.
Police spending cuts are announced
'Protecting the Public: Supporting the Police to Succeed’ (Cm 7749) aims to build on reforms laid out in last year's Green Paper, 'From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing our Communities Together ‘(Cm. 7448). Over the next five years the increasing challenges faced by the police will need to be met within the context of a much tighter fiscal environment.
Report reviews use and abuse of official language by politicians and public servants
Politics and government are public activities, and so politicians and public servants should use language that people find clear, accurate and understandable. The Committee undertook this inquiry, 'Bad Language: The Use and Abuse of Official Language’ (HC 17) because it was concerned that too often official language distorts or confuses meaning. This is damaging because it can prevent public understanding of policies and their consequences, and can also deter people from getting access to public services and benefits.
Report evaluates the Department for International Development's HIV and AIDS Strategy
Progress has been made on providing HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries but the 2010 target of universal access to treatment will not be met. 'Progress on the Implementation of the DFID's HIV/AIDS Strategy’ (HC 49-1) reports that the disease remains a significant development and public health challenge in many developing countries.
Concern over European financial regulation reforms
In September 2009 the European Commission published its detailed legislative proposals for European reform. 'The Committee's Opinion on Proposals for European Financial Supervision (HC 1088)' reports on this proposed financial regulation and outlines a number of concerns.
New Bills receive Royal Assent
On 12 November 2009 a total of 13 Bills along with an item of secondary legislation received Royal Assent. These will be the last bills to be enacted in the 2008-09 parliamentary session.
New Bills receive Royal Assent
On 12 November 2009 a total of 13 Bills along with an item of secondary legislation received Royal Assent. These will be the last bills to be enacted in the 2008-09 parliamentary session.