Planning system shake-up proposed
'Planning
for a Sustainable Future - White Paper (Cm. 7120)' sets out the
Government's detailed proposals for the reform of the planning system, in light
of the recommendations made by the
Barker
Review of Land Use Planning and the
Eddington
Transport Study.
Proposals to reduce landfill waste announced
Each year about 100 million tonnes of waste are generated
by UK households, commerce, and industry; it has been estimated that if every
country consumed natural resources at this rate, we would need three planets to
live on.
Most of this waste ends up in landfill where the biodegradable
part generates potent greenhouse gases, while valuable energy is used in
extracting and processing new raw materials.
Local road pricing proposed
Rising demand for transport is a consequence of a strong
and prosperous economy, as well as increasing globalisation of markets for
goods and services.
'Strengthening
Local Delivery: Draft Local Transport Bill' (Cm. 7043) aims to tackle
congestion and improve public transport.
Nuclear power needed to reduce carbon
emissions
Energy is essential in almost every aspect of our lives and
for the success of the economy.
'Meeting
the Energy Challenge: A White Paper on Energy' (Cm. 7124) sets out the
Government's international and domestic energy strategy to respond to these
changing circumstances addressing the long-term energy challenges and
delivering energy policy goals, such as tackling climate change by reducing
carbon dioxide emissions and ensuring secure, clean and affordable energy as
dependency on imported fuel grows.
Progress in tackling pensioner poverty
This Report from the House of Commons Committee of Public
Accounts
‘Department
for Work and Pensions: progress in tackling pensioner poverty - encouraging
take-up of entitlements’ (HC 169 2006-07) examines efforts by the
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to increase the take-up of benefits by
pensioners and looks at the reasons for unclaimed entitlements, the progress
that has been made in encouraging the take-up of benefits since 2003 and the
scope for further improvement.
Private Finance Initiative experience examined
Government projects funded through Private Finance
Initiative (PFI) deals are generally financed through a mixture of debt finance
and equity finance. Long-term projects may be refinanced during the life of the
project.
The Committee of Public Accounts's Report
'Update
on PFI Debt Refinancing and the PFI Equity Market' (HC 158) examines the
PFI debt refinancing experience, the operation of the PFI equity market and the
availability of financial information about PFI projects.
Home Office performance reviewed
This publication,
Home
Office Departmental Report 2007, reviews the Home Office's performance
against Spending Review 2004 targets and on key objectives in 2006-07.
Digital hearing aid waiting times examined
One in seven people in England suffer from hearing loss of
some kind, and the advent of digital hearing aids has proved of great benefit
to many patients.
This publication from the House of Commons Health
Committee,
‘Audiology
services’ (HC 392)’ examines the Modernising Hearing Aid Services
(MHAS) programme to improve audiology services introduced in 2000.
"More parental choice over maintenance", says
consultation
This document,
'A
New System for Child Maintenance - Summary of Responses to the Consultation'
(Cm 7061), considers key issues that have been raised in response to the
Government's White Paper,
'A
New System of Child Maintenance (Cm. 6979)' published in 2006.
Read
more about the White Paper.
Ofsted performance reviewed
The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) is a
non-ministerial government department accountable to Parliament which seeks to
help improve the quality and standards of education and childcare through
independent inspection and regulation.
This Departmental Report
‘Ofsted
- Departmental Report 2006-07’ (Cm. 7117) covers Ofsted's work during the
year 2006-07, as well as giving information on its organisational structure,
expenditure, and performance against Service Delivery Agreement targets.
Tax credits criticised
The current tax credit system was introduced in April 2003
with the aim of helping families with children and working people on low
incomes. Despite its aims, the tax credit system suffers from the highest rate
of error and fraud in government.
This Report,
'Tax
Credits' (HC 487), is the Public Accounts Committee's fourth report on the
system.
Ofwat “does not understand” consumer water
use
The Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) is the
economic regulator of water services in England and Wales, with responsibility
for setting price limits that allow the 22 main water companies to secure
sustainable supplies at the lowest cost to the consumer.
This Report
from the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts
‘Ofwat:
Meeting the demand for water’ (HC 286) finds that Ofwat needs to make
changes to its regulatory system, in particular on water efficiency, data
quality, and enforcement, given the increasing challenges to water supplies due
to low rainfall and predictions of housing growth.
New employment and support allowance
introduced
'Welfare
Reform Act 2007' makes provision for the employment and support allowance
which will replace incapacity benefit and income support on grounds of
incapacity for work or disability. The replacement benefit will have a new
benefit structure, incorporating both a contributory allowance and an
income-related allowance.
Digital TV switchover scheme to ensure “no one
left behind”
This publication
‘The
Digital Switchover Help Scheme’ (Cm 7118) is an agreement between the
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the BBC regarding the
switchover from analogue to digital, planned for 2012.
MoD investigations into ‘friendly fire’ deaths
reviewed
Combat identification is the way military personnel
distinguish friend from foe and non-combatants during operations, thereby
minimising the risk of deaths and injuries from friendly fire as well as damage
to property and infrastructure, whilst maintaining operational
effectiveness.
Legal aid reforms “too quick”
This Report
‘Implementation
of the Carter Review of Legal Aid’ (HC 223-I) examines the Government's
proposals for radical reform of the Legal Aid system, as set out in the
Government's November 2006 White Paper ‘Legal Aid Reform: The way ahead’ (Cm.
6993)
(Read
more) published in November 2006.
UK should ‘lead the way’ in Bologna Process
The Bologna Process is a non-binding inter-governmental
initiative to develop a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010, which
would enable higher education qualifications to be comparable whilst
maintaining national autonomy and flexibility.
Understanding tax forms
Each year up to 10 million taxpayers contact the HM Revenue
and Customs (HMRC) for help with their tax affairs and the Department spends
£35 million on producing and distributing printed information and £55 million
dealing with contacts.
DEFRA’s Common Agricultural Policy Vision
reviewed
In December 2005, the Government launched a “Vision for the
Common Agricultural Policy”, which was intended to stimulate debate and show
how the Common Agricultural Policy should change in 10-15 years.
This
Report
‘The
UK Government's vision for the Common Agricultural Policy’ (HC 546-I)
examines the proposals and finds them a lost opportunity.
NHS spending on prescription drugs examined
The National Health Service spends £8 billion a year on
prescription drugs in primary care in England. This has grown 60% in real terms
over the last decade and the trend continues to be upward.
Four major policy areas launched
This week saw the publication of four major policy White
Papers.
Thames Gateway regeneration reviewed
The Thames Gateway stretches from Canary Wharf to the mouth
of the Thames Estuary and is the most ambitious regeneration programme in
Western Europe.
By 2016 the Government wants there to be 160,000 new
homes and 180,000 new jobs, all provided in an environmentally sustainable
fashion.