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Policy Announcements, Friday 16 February

Submitted by LP on Fri, 16/02/2007 - 16:43

Government

  • Home Secretary John Reid announced that he has commissioned another two new prisons to manage the growing prison population and protect the public from dangerous and persistent offenders. Speaking at the first prison he has personally commissioned, HMP Kennet in Merseyside, the Home Secretary said that the Home Office was "working flat out to deliver additional capacity within the system".
  • The NHS, patients and industry will benefit from bar coding technology, which will increase patient safety, improve efficiency and save the NHS £millions in extra bed days, announced Lord Hunt. By wearing a bar-coded wristband a bar code reader can be used to verify the patient's identity at any time, and be an extra check that the right patient is about to received the right care. At present errors, many of which are caused by getting the patient identity wrong, cost the NHS around £2 billion in extra bed days.
  • Speaking in Glasgow on the second day of his visit to Scotland, the prime minister urged Labour supporters to step up their campaigning. Tony Balir said Labour would set out how the partnership benefits both Scotland and England, and could "help each other advance" as well as spelling out the negative consequences of separation."I actually want people excited about the prospect of even greater progress and prosperity through a modern union of nations who know they are stronger together than apart," he told the Labour audience.

Review of the Papers, Friday 16 February

Submitted by LP on Fri, 16/02/2007 - 11:18

Government

  • Tony Blair's plan to pave the way for a new generation of nuclear power stations by the time he leaves office was in disarray yesterday after the high court ruled the government had carried out a "misleading" and "seriously flawed" consultation on its energy review. Mr Justice Sullivan's judgment forces the government to canvass public opinion once again and is likely to force a delay of several months in the publication of the energy white paper, which had been expected in March. http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,,2014491,00.html
  • Home secretary John Reid is set to announce that two new prisons will be built by 2010.

Review of the Papers, Thursday 15 February

Submitted by LP on Thu, 15/02/2007 - 12:27
Government
  • Plans to shake up the way the government combats terrorism have been put on ice until Tony Blair leaves Downing Street, senior Whitehall officials said yesterday. The prime minister was sent proposals before Christmas by John Reid, the home secretary. They included a plan to split the Home Office into a ministry for national security and a separate ministry of justice. http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2013423,00.html
  • A national road pricing scheme will not solve Britain's congestion problems and the Department for Transport is incapable of pushing through the policy, a committee of MPs said yesterday.

Policy Announcements, Wednesday 14 February

Submitted by LP on Wed, 14/02/2007 - 17:43
Government
  • A new drive to cut the level of fire-related youth crimes - such as arson, hoax calls and attacks on firefighters - was announced today by Fire Minister Angela Smith. Through its Action Plan, central government will work with the Chief Fire Officers' Association and other bodies to try to further reduce fire-related deaths and incidents caused by young people. Action includes the Fire and Rescue Service working with Sure Start family centres to start fire safety education early.  
  • inister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire, today announced the launch of a public consultation to ask disabled people what equality means to them, and to gain their views on how Government can best monitor progress towards equality for disabled people.

Review of the Papers, Wednesday 14 February

Submitted by LP on Wed, 14/02/2007 - 11:46
Government
  • Plans to mark the 60th birthday of the NHS next year by formalising its core values in a written constitution are to be put to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown by Andy Burnham, the health minister responsible for NHS reform. In an interview in Society Guardian today, he said patients and staff were nervous of change and needed reassurance that reorganisation of the NHS will not erode its enduring values. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2012364,00.html 
  • Congestion in central London is almost as bad as it was before the daily charge was introduced four years ago, according to official figures. Traffic delays have risen sharply in the past two years and will rise further next week when the zone doubles in size with a westwards extension into Kensington and Chelsea, Transport for London said. http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/article1381522.ece
  • A greatly increased role for the private and voluntary sector in delivering welfare-to-work programmes was all but promised yesterday by John Hutton, the work and pensions secretary. His declaration that the government "will need to create opportunities [to run such programmes] on a scale that will be attractive tothe best companies in the world" was made as Ruth Kelly, the communities secretary, acknowledged that social housing was creating barriers to the economically inactive moving into work. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/8bf51726-bbd0-11db-afe4-0000779e2340.html
  • Locking up teenage offenders is largely a waste of money with only a small proportion of the 3,350 currently held needing to be imprisoned to protect the public, according to a leading figure on the government's own Youth Justice Board. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2012362,00.html 
  • More than a third of Scotland's local councillors, mostly from the Labour party, are to receive "golden handshake" payoffs of up to £20,000 from the taxpayer as part of a £7m package to persuade old and long-serving councillors to retire. The unprecedented measure is designed to "refresh" local government in Scotland before May's council elections, the first council elections to be fought there using proportional representation, by removing scores of mainly middle-aged "old Labour" stalwarts who dominate many councils in the central belt. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2012442,00.html 
  • Tony Blair is to write to everyone who has signed the petition against road pricing in an attempt to dispel the “myths” about the proposed charging system. Next week he will send all the signatories an e-mail defending the plan to hold regional trials of the pay-by-the-mile scheme. More than 1.3 million people have now signed the petition on Downing Street’s website and the total could reach two million by next Tuesday, when the petition closes. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1381521.ece
  • Tony Blair last night staked his legacy on achieving a post-Kyoto climate change agreement, saying he would do "as much as I can" in the few remaining months of his leadership to deal with what was a "greater challenge" than solving the crisis in the Middle East. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2012663,00.html
  • The media watchdog Ofcom yesterday launched a review of children's programming amid growing concern that the production line of homegrown shows providing an alternative to the BBC, from Rainbow to Children's Ward, is coming to a juddering halt. ITV has not shown any children's programmes in its traditional afternoon slot since the beginning of this year, preferring instead to screen quiz shows such as Dale's Supermarket Sweep and repeats of classic dramas Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC, and is continuing to lobby Ofcom for a reduction in its regulatory commitment to the genre on its main ITV1 channel. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2012439,00.html
  • Shorelines that people have been barred from for centuries or which are only accessible when landowners choose to allow walkers onto them should be designated as part of a coastal corridor open to all, the government will be advised today. Natural England, the government's statutory adviser on the environment, has spent two years considering the best way to improve access to cliffs, beaches, dunes and shorelines. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,,2012460,00.html 
Liberal Democrats
  • Liberal Democrat Norman Baker published a breakdown of MPs' £5m annual travel bill in what he described as "an important victory in the battle to make parliament and the use of public money more accountable to the people". The figures were released to him after a freedom of information tussle with the Commons authorities. A former Labour minister claimed more than £16,000 in mileage and a Tory backbencher over £5,000 in taxi fares, figures released last night showed, putting MPs' travel expenses under detailed scrutiny for the first time. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/travel/story/0,,2012682,00.html

Conservatives

Review of the Papers, Tuesday 13 February

Submitted by LP on Tue, 13/02/2007 - 11:19

Government

  • Senior Whitehall figures are accusing ministers of creating a "culture of fear" in the Home Office that they claim is directly contributing to the department's catalogue of failures. They say officials have been so bullied by ministers - notably former home secretary David Blunkett and John Reid - that civil servants are now unwilling to give their political masters bad news. One cited example is the row over the failure to register data about Britons who commit offences abroad - only the latest in a series of debacles. One official has been suspended amid claims that ministers were not told what was happening. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/77e48296-bb06-11db-bbf3-0000779e2340.html
  • As few as three uniformed police officers are available to patrol the streets, respond to 999 calls and tackle night-time disorder in some towns and city areas, according to research into the experiences of front-line Pcs. Despite record numbers of police officers overall, many commanders in local divisions in England and Wales - typically based in a station in small and medium towns - can call on just five or fewer uniformed officers per duty shift, the academic study shows. Those who are available are often tied up in bureaucracy for up to half their eight- or 10-hour shifts. The shortages are particularly acute at night, when police are most needed to deal with drunken hooligans. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=G3NYO20B5POFDQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2007/02/13/npolice13.xml
  • Senior judges are strongly opposed to plans by ministers to restrict their power to quash guilty criminals' convictions because there has been a mistake in the trial process. It is the latest of the Home Secretary's plans for rebalancing the criminal justice system to fall foul of the judiciary. Critics say that the highest courts should have a last-resort power to denounce flagrant abuses by the state by striking down improperly secured convictions. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article1377202.ece
  • Proposals aimed at heading off Government plans to penalise employers and recruitment firms by making them liable for tax unpaid by contract workers are to be presented to the Chancellor. The Association of Technology Companies has drawn up alternative plans based on reinforcing due diligence checks carried out by its members when vetting managed service companies used by contract workers. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/02/13/cbatc13.xml
  • Social housing tenants will be given the chance to get a foot on the property ladder even if they can afford only 10% of the value of their home, the communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, will say today. She will argue that Labour should offer a new "right to own" matching the Tory "right to buy" of the 1980s. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2011698,00.html
  • The transport secretary, Douglas Alexander, was under increasing pressure yesterday after he attempted to contain a snowballing campaign against Labour's plans to introduce road pricing. With tens of thousands every day signing an online petition against a mooted pay-as-you-drive congestion tax, Mr Alexander dismissed some of the petitioners' arguments as "myths" and warned motorists the government had no choice but to deal with "the growing problem of congestion". "We don't have the kind of luxury of doing nothing, if we are not going to see the kind of gridlock found in American cities," he said. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2011953,00.html

NHS

Policy Announcements, Monday 12 February

Submitted by LP on Mon, 12/02/2007 - 17:24
Government
  • New measures to strengthen police powers to deal with sex offenders and further protect the public from crime come into force today. The measures, from the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, mean that from today more offenders can be placed on the sex offenders' register for life; the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) can prosecute an offender for a sexual offence, even if the date of the offence is unknown; courts can seize any vehicle used in connection with people trafficking; and anybody found in possession of a knife or blade in a public place or school faces a maximum prison sentence of four years.
  • The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Tessa Jowell today published the Government's official study into the feasibility of hosting a future World Cup, concluding that England is well placed to bid to host the tournament in 2018, and has strong public support for doing so.
  • The UK Government is funding a consortium to help develop 'greener' air-conditioning systems, which are more energy efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly for planes, high-speed and underground trains and buildings. Adoption of aircraft-style 'air cycle' air-conditioning technologies in buildings would eliminate emissions from conventional hydro fluorocarbon, or greenhouse gases. The £800,000 two-year research and technology project, named New Environmental Control System Technology, or NECST, will create the technology needed to develop the air-conditioning systems.
  • The Government is investing in a £17.4m project to provide computer technology to bring the next generation of aircraft into production in the UK. The project, which will also boost the UK's car and boat industries, comes on top of a £34 m DTI-backed wing technology project recently launched by the Secretary of State Alistair Darling at the Airbus factory in Broughton in North Wales. The project announced today will put £8.7m of Government money, through the DTI-led Technology Programme, towards another Airbus-led consortium, to develop computer-based simulation software dramatically improving the design process for future aircraft.
Liberal Democrats
  • The Liberal Democrats are to refer the British Government to the European Commission over the abandonment of the investigation into BAE Systems' dealings in Saudi Arabia. If the Commission finds that its rules have been broken, the Government could face a potentially unlimited fine in the European Court of Justice. 

Conservatives

Review of the Papers, Monday 12 February

Submitted by LP on Mon, 12/02/2007 - 14:44

Government

  • Senior government figures have played down any chance of Labour increasing the taxation of City bonuses after a prominent cabinet minister said they were creating a "grotesque" wealth gap in the UK. Peter Hain, Northern Ireland secretary and a candidate for the Labour deputy leadership, launched an assault on the bonus system, insisting recipients should hand over two-thirds of the money they receive to boost deprived communities.But although Mr Hain's attack was one of the fiercest on this subject from a senior Labour figure in recent years, it will not effect Treasury policy. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/433a5a44-ba3d-11db-89c8-0000779e2340.html
  • A call from Beverley Hughes, children's minister, for the right to request part-time or flexible working to be extended to all workers has been rejected by business leaders. Ms Hughes, writing in a series of essays to be published by the Institute for Public Policy Research, says that extending flexible working rights would help parents balance their working lives around their children. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/60936cd8-ba3e-11db-89c8-0000779e2340.html
  • The school meals tsar Prue Leith admits that she has just three years to convince Britain's seven million schoolchildren to adopt healthy eating habits. Otherwise, she fears that people will "lose faith" in the campaign to improve school meals. If that happens, nutritional standards in school dinners could slip back to the level of neglect that has dogged the service for the past two decades. http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/food_and_drink/news/article2261498.ece 
  • Schools will be required to provide at least four hours of sport for pupils every week under plans outlined by Gordon Brown. His proposals envisage schools being opened during holidays and weekends to allow youngsters and older people to use their facilities. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article1368816.ece
  • A big extension of the use of private companies to help the Government to try to get a million more people off welfare benefits and into work is planned by ministers. Single parents could face tougher conditions and earlier work tests to encourage them to take jobs. At present half the lone parents in Britain work. A range of measures to reduce the stark figure of 4.9 million people of work age who claim benefit will be brought forward in a review for the Work and Pensions Department this month. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1368903.ece
  • Downing Street is backing plans for an overhaul of the welfare state which would force single parents back into work much earlier than at present and make English lessons compulsory for people who cannot get jobs because they struggle with the language. http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2011051,00.html
  • Ten areas in England are considering road pricing schemes as 60,000 London residents brace for an extension of the capital's congestion charge. The pressure on the government over road pricing increased yesterday, with the number of people who have signed an anti-road pricing petition on the Downing Street website passing a million. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/travel/story/0,,2011135,00.html
  • State funding of political parties could rise to £28m a year under one of the proposals being put forward by the former civil servant charged with seeking a cross-party agreement on cleaning up the system. Sir Hayden Phillips has drawn up proposals under which parties would earn 60p for every vote they received in general elections or byelections for Westminster seats. Up to 30p would be earned for each vote in European or Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland assembly elections. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2010997,00.html
  • Tony Blair will hold a mini-summit with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin tomorrow amid growing optimism that he can crown his 10-year premiership with an international breakthrough on climate change in June. Aware that his influence in domestic policy is dwindling, Mr Blair has decided to focus on four foreign policy issues during his remaining months in power in the belief that he can make progress on the environment, global trade talks, the Middle East peace plan and Africa. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2011130,00.html
  • An NHS hospital with an international reputation for medical excellence has been thrown into financial disarray by the government's health service reforms. After overspending by about £900,000 in the first half of the year, Moorfields eye hospital in London got a risk alert from the regulator and had its borrowing limits halved. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2011088,00.html
  • Universities will be encouraged to build up funds of billions of pounds from former students and philanthropists under plans to be unveiled by Tony Blair this week. Drawing on the experience of US institutions that raise huge sums from alumni, the government will give £1 for every £2 donated to English universities in an attempt to embed a "culture of charitable giving" across higher education. http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2011140,00.html
  • Courts in England and Wales are expected to be affected by a two-day work-to-rule by angry criminal law solicitors this week as opposition mounts to government plans to change the way legal aid services are paid for. Lawyers said the proposals, which stem from a government commissioned review of the legal aid system by Lord Carter of Coles, would accelerate the flight of lawyers from legal aid work. The age profile of those doing criminal legal aid shows most are in their late 40s and 50s and few younger solicitors are attracted into a field that pays poorly compared with other legal work. http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/story/0,,2011165,00.html
  • One in three households across Britain is now dependent on the state for at least half its income, it has emerged. Official government figures showed that more than seven million households are getting most of their income from government handouts. The figures also reveal the huge gulf in welfare dependency between single parent and two-parent households. The report is scathing about how New Labour welfare policy has been designed to "create beholden voters rather than independent people". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=J12TIETDSUHHLQFIQMFSFFWAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2007/02/12/nwelfare12.xml 
  • Failing care homes which have been ordered to shut down are able to defy the sector's watchdog by remaining in business following serious allegations of neglect. In the wake of allegations of abuse, homes can exploit a loophole in the law, allowing them to continue to operate by entering a lengthy appeals process. The latest concerns about standards of care for thousands of elderly residents come in advance of a BBC Panorama documentary which will broadcast allegations tonight of abuse and neglect at two homes in Yorkshire. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/12/nold12.xml 
  • A dire shortage of midwives is forcing maternity units to turn away expectant mothers, a survey has found. Figures show that centres across England closed temporarily for a total of 170 days last year, during which time women would have had to go elsewhere for help. The survey, collated by the research organisation Dr Foster, found that 24 of the 39 maternity units forced to close had to do so for periods of 24 hours or more. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/12/nbirth12.xml 

Olympics

Policy Announcements, Friday 9 February

Submitted by LP on Fri, 09/02/2007 - 16:39

Government

  • A streamlined process for applying to Defra for waste PFI credits has been announced. The introduction of Award Rounds, similar to those used by other government departments, means discrete application windows will replace the previous 'first come first served' system. PFI has a key role in helping local authorities to finance the estimated £11bn of infrastructure required for the UK to meet its targets for reducing dependence on landfill. The previous Waste PFI system allowed Local Authorities to apply for credits at any time of the year.

Review of the Papers, Friday 9 February

Submitted by LP on Fri, 09/02/2007 - 16:09
  • More than 60 MPs have backed a campaign to force the Government and regulators to step in to prevent BSkyB, Britain's biggest satellite television company, from taking over its terrestrial rival ITV. The prospect that BSkyB's chairman, Rupert Murdoch, could, in effect, gain control over ITV - including its news channel - has created a political dilemma for the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, as he gets ready to take over 10 Downing Street. A Commons motion, put forward by the Labour MP John Grogan, has called on the Government to use its special powers under the 2002 Enterprise Act to prevent BSkyB from controlling ITV.

Policy Announcements, Thursday 8 February

Submitted by LP on Thu, 08/02/2007 - 17:19

Government

  • The Chancellor Gordon Brown and Education Secretary Alan Johnson called on all employers to sign up to a 'Skills Pledge' to ensure that all their employees reach a skills level equivalent to five good GCSEs. The Skills Pledge, part of a plan to equip Britain's workforce for the future, will share responsibility between the State, employer and employees and will be open to all employers irrespective of size, status or sector. It is designed to stimulate demand for training services and support a new culture where gaining skills is taken as a matter of course.
  • Schools Minister Andrew Adonis launched the new Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in a reception at the House of Lords. The new subject association is aimed to champion the quality of teaching and learning that can have a big impact on the health and well-being of children and young people.
  • The roll-out of an initiative to help tackle robberies at cash machines and a renewed pledge to work with the mobile phone operators to meet their target of blocking stolen phones were announced by the Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker.
  • Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly announced a new Commission to look at how local democracy can be revitalised and made both more representative and more responsive to local people. Praising the contribution councillors make to grassroots democracy Ruth Kelly said the new Councillors Commission will look at ways to better support councillors and encourage more people from a wider range of backgrounds to play a leading role in their communities.
  • A dual energy scheme to be sited off the Cumbrian coast was given the go-ahead by Energy Minister Lord Truscott. The Ormonde project from Eclipse Energy will be sited 10KM from Walney Island near Barrow in Furness.
  • A new unit to provide Ministers and civil servants with independent professional advice on fire and rescue issues is to be set up. The new unit will be headed by a new post, Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, announced Fire Minister Angela Smith. Advising Ministers, COBR, other Government departments and local government during a major emergency will be just one of the responsibilities of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser's Unit. The unit will be set up by Communities and Local Government.
  • Parents are set to benefit from a share of £7.5million being invested in better services for parents by the Government. Families Minister Beverley Hughes has explained that far from telling parents what to do, the Government wants parents to have the information and support that they are asking for. She said that local authorities had a crucial role to play in making sure that parents were listened to and that services met the needs of mothers and fathers. Helping parents in this way not only improves the life chances of children, but can have wider benefits for communities and society as a whole.

Conservatives

Review of the Papers, Thursday 8 February

Submitted by LP on Thu, 08/02/2007 - 11:47

Government

  • The government must rely less on Muslim leadership organisations, Ruth Kelly said as she launched a £5m fund to help councils tackle extremism. Around 50 local authorities are seeking cash to support their work with Muslim communities, under an initiative which Tony Blair this week promised would "confront [extremism] in a more radical and head-on way". Specific local programmes could include working with those excluded from schools, colleges and mosques, who may be vulnerable to extremist messages and promoting greater interfaith understanding, for example through twinning schools. http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,2008096,00.html
  • Gordon Brown's claim to have made £13.3bn a year efficiency savings across Whitehall as part of a drive to cut waste is called into doubt today in a detailed investigation by the National Audit Office. The auditors found that nearly £10bn claimed to have been saved by the Treasury was open to question because it could not be properly measured or was substantially incorrect. Only £3.1bn of the £13.3bn gets a green light. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2007924,00.html
  • Thousands of patients are likely to be refused dental treatment until the start of the new financial year in April due to a cash crisis in the health service. Dentists in England were given new contracts last year which mean they are paid an annual income for an agreed number of check-ups and treatments. Those who were heading to complete their quota ahead of schedule expected to be able to negotiate payment for extra work, but they are now being told that there is no more money in the budget. If they treat any more NHS patients before the end of March, they will not be paid, which means thousands might be turned away. http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,,2008099,00.html
  • The Competition Commission is to launch a full-blown investigation into payment protection insurance, a £5.5bn a year industry dominated by the big banks and insurance companies. The investigation follows an analysis of the business by the Office of Fair Trading which had already concluded that consumers could save £1bn a year if there were more competition. The OFT signalled in October 2006 that it was considering such a referral. The Competition Commission could take up to two years to review PPI, which is often sold with loans and other financial products to enable customers to repay their debts if they fall ill, have an accident or become unemployed. http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2008066,00.html
  • One in three homes built in recent years should not have received planning permission, according to a damning indictment of the industry by the government's architecture watchdog.Only 18 per cent of new homes measure up to design standards, according to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, in its first national survey of the industry.Inspectors from Cabe, who visited more than 300 sites, found 53 per cent of new homes were "mediocre" while another 29 per cent should never have been allowed. The hard-hitting report comes after the government encouraged local authorities to wave through tens of thousands of new homes to meet the country's perceived housing shortage. But ministers' concerns have been growing over the quality of some of these new properties. Ruth Kelly, communities secretary, said recently that many new houses were "just not up to scratch". http://www.ft.com/cms/s/d463c090-b719-11db-8bc2-0000779e2340.html
  • Secondary schools are testing 11-year-old students themselves because they lack confidence in national curriculum test results. Headteachers believe too many pupils are being coached for maths and English tests throughout their last year at primary school to improve the school's league table position. They may reach the required standard in the national curriculum tests but lack the necessary comprehension to improve their standards - and are forced to sit new tests three months later. http://education.independent.co.uk/news/article2248790.ece
  • Plans for road pricing throughout Britain could be blocked by the Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly. A senior official at the Department for Transport has admitted that Scottish MPs would have to debate any proposals to operate the scheme there. Devolution has put the Welsh in a similar position to make their own decisions on how to tackle congestion. The ability of the Scots to stop road pricing is particularly embarrassing for Douglas Alexander, the Transport Secretary, who is also Secretary of State for Scotland. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/08/nroads08.xml

Conservatives

  • The technology industry yesterday lashed out at the Conservatives for pledging to scrap a multi-billion pound identity card scheme, saying the move would undermine business confidence in a Tory government and deter companies from working for the public sector. In a furious response to a Conservative letter to suppliers vowing to cancel the project, the trade body for technology companies said it "was wholly inappropriate for the industry to be used as a mechanism for scoring political points". http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9ed7f9ce-b718-11db-8bc2-0000779e2340.html
  • Manchester’s hopes of opening Britain’s first supercasino were dealt a blow last night after the Conservatives threatened to block the latest phase of the Government’s gambling revolution, The Times has learnt. Amid signs of growing parliamentary revolt, the Tories have written to Tessa Jowell to express deep concern over the emergence of a potential legal loophole that could allow 14,000 high-value slot machines to be installed in casinos across the country. Companies such as Rank, which operate existing casinos, are angry that the 17 new-style casinos will be able to open with ten times more slot machines than current premises, offering significantly higher jackpots. They believe that the new casinos could be in breach of competition rules, and the courts could force the Government to allow the existing industry to install unlimited prize slot machines. Casino companies are desperate for high-value machines because they generate the most money, but experts caution that they are also the most likely to lead to problem gambling. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1350488.ece

Olympics

Policy Announcements, Wednesday 7 February

Submitted by LP on Wed, 07/02/2007 - 17:19

Government 

  • Jack Straw, the leader of the Commons, outlined details of the White Paper which proposes a house where some peers are elected and some still appointed, as they all are now. Mr Straw, who wants 50% of peers to be elected, said MPs would be given the final say on what proportion of peers should be elected in a reformed Lords. He said reform would increase Lords' legitimacy and "strengthen democracy". The plans, an attempt to end long-term deadlock, also propose cutting the number of peers from 746 to 540.
  • For the first time courts will be able to jail people who trade in - or deliberately misuse - the personal data of others, in a move to crack down on the illegal trade in personal information announced by the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The decision follows a public consultation on increasing penalties for deliberate and wilful misuse of personal data and is part of the Government's strategy on data sharing to deliver better public services to individuals.
  • Schools Minister Jim Knight announced seven new Trust School partners. The latest Trust partners announced - representing voluntary sector, business and higher education - are Barnardo's, Dyslexia Action, New College Durham, Northumbria University, the University of Sunderland, City College Plymouth and Tribal Group.
  • Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly today unveiled details of a new international challenge for housebuilders to design and build flagship zero-carbon and low carbon communities. The Carbon Challenge, which will be run by English Partnerships, calls on developers to raise standards of design, construction, energy and water use and waste disposal so that these techniques can be used in the future as a benchmark for mainstream development. It also seeks to meet rising expectations from the public for more sustainable communities which offer them reduced bills and a higher quality of housing design.

Liberal Democrats

Review of the Papers, Wednesday 7 February

Submitted by LP on Wed, 07/02/2007 - 14:26
  • MPs are pressing for a special exemption from new powers that they brought in seven years ago in a popular attempt to open up government to public scrutiny. A private members' Bill introduced by a former Tory whip and considered by a Commons committee today will stop the public from using the Freedom of Information Act to find out how their MPs run their private offices.
  • Microchips in the new electronic passports only carry a 2 year warranty even though they are ment to be valid for 10 years. The Home Office's Identity and Passport Service has issued 4m of the ePassports which store the holder's photo and details that can be then read by a scanner at border control.

Policy Announcements, Tuesday 6 February

Submitted by LP on Wed, 07/02/2007 - 14:18

Government

  • Home Secretary John Reid proposed strengthening the sex offenders register to better protect children using the internet. As part of his Child Sex Offender Review, John Reid is considering extending the notification requirements for offenders on the register to include their on-line identities such as e-mail addresses and names used in chatrooms.
  • Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire, announced the launch of a five point guide that will help public sector organisations to improve the way that they provide information to disabled people.

Benefit chaos

Submitted by LP on Fri, 02/02/2007 - 16:39

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted that two of the government's three targets for reducing billions of pounds of fraud and error in the benefits system have been missed. For example, the housing benefit's rate of overpayment is up 13 per cent since 2002 with customer and official error accounting for the great bulk of the losses.

The huge number of fraud and error is caused by the complex benefit system which Gordon has created over the years.

Fulfilling Gordon's dreams

Submitted by LP on Thu, 01/02/2007 - 11:14

Gordon Brown revealed in a speech at the Government Leaders' Forum yesterday (31 January) that "one of the priorities of his premiership would be legislation to compel all youngsters to remain in full-time education (The Times)."

This is one of the first clear indications what Brown would be like in No10 and it does not make one leap with joy. More and more rules and regulations will pour out of his office and all just to ensure that his abiding citizens will get the same "opportunities he had."

Richmond parking fees

Submitted by LP on Wed, 31/01/2007 - 11:50

The Lib Dem dominated Richmond Council has decided to charge higher parking fees for high polluting vehicles. This means a family with two such cars could pay up to £750 a year - three times the normal parking fees.

The council says it is not about raising tax and their aim is revenue neutral. But the decision will hit hard large families who need such cars to go about their daily business. High parking fees will inevitably force not only 4*4s but larger people carriers out of the borough but less "gas-guzzlers" should not come as a result of extortionate parking fees. A large family doesn't fit into a smaller car and that will lead them to buy more than one car which will cause as much CO2 emissions as a bigger car. Also, a full "gas-guzzler" is better than any other vehicles occupied by one person.