Specialist allergy centres needed
Allergy in the United Kingdom has now reached epidemic
proportions.
This Report
‘Allergy’
(HL 166-I) examines the provision of allergy treatment in the UK.
Shareholder Executive reviewed
The Shareholder Executive was established in 2003 to act as
an effective owner of businesses that are owned or part owned by government. It
is now an operational group within the Department of Trade and Industry with a
portfolio covering 27 businesses and a combined turnover of £21 billion.
This Report
'The
Shareholder Executive and Public Sector Businesses’ (HC 409) examines the
status and performance of the agency.
Citizen involvement in fighting climate change
In this Report
‘Climate
Change: The citizen’s agenda’ (HC 88-I), the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs Committee concludes the Government is not doing enough to help
individuals and community groups keen to make an effort to tackle climate
change.
Ministry of Defence project performance
criticised
This Report
‘Ministry
of Defence: Major Projects Report 2006’ (HC 295) provides information on
the time, cost and performance of the twenty largest Ministry of Defence
projects where the main investment decision (known as ‘Main Gate’) had been
taken.
Clinical governance in primary care
Following serious concerns about
clinical and organisational failures in the NHS during the 1990s (such as Alder
Hey, the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Shipman), the Government identified the
need for a more systematic approach to improving quality and safety in
healthcare.
This Report
‘Clinical
Governance in Primary Care’ (HC 302) examines the introduction of the
clinical governance framework in the NHS.
NHS Electronic Patient Records reviewed
One of the main aims of the 10-year National Programme for
Information Technology in England is implementing Electronic Patient Records
(EPR). The NHS Care Records Service creates two separate EPR systems: a
national Summary Care Record, containing basic information, and local Detailed
Care Records, containing more comprehensive clinical information.
This
Report
‘The
Electronic Patient Record’ (HC 422-I) examines the implementation of the
scheme.
Exclusion penalties for parents
Over 9,330 children were permanently excluded from school
in 2005-06: in a move to combat the issue, new ‘parental responsibility’ laws
come in force from September 2007.
Under the
'Education
and Inspections Act 2006', parents in England have a duty to keep children
inside during periods of exclusion from school. Parents whose children are
found in a public place during school hours, without reasonable justification,
can be subject to a £50 fine.
Single Payment Scheme delays examined
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and
the Rural Payments Agency spent £122m implementing the European Union Single
Payment Scheme which replaced Common Agricultural Policy subsidies.
This Report
‘The
Delays in Administering the 2005 Single Payment Scheme in England’ (HC 893)
examines the problems encountered in administering the payments.
Offender Management Act explained
'Explanatory
Notes' to the 'Offender Management Act 2007' have just been published.
The
'Offender
Management Act 2007' received Royal Assent on 26th July 2007 and is
designed to reduce re-offending and better protect the public.