The 2006 Pre-Budget Report presents updated assessments and forecasts of the economy and public finances; the effects of policies on long-term governmental goals; and reforms being considered ahead of the Budget. It is organised under 6 main headings: maintaining macroeconomic stability; meeting the productivity challenge; increasing employment opportunity for all; building a fairer society; delivering high quality public services; protecting the environment. Amongst the measures discussed are: making Child Benefit available from week 29 of pregnancy; increasing enforcement measures for the National Minimum Wage; a target of 3% savings in central and local government; increasing capital investment in education from £8.3 billion in 2007-8 to £10.2 billion in 2010-11; taking forward recommendations of the Leitch Review on skills (ISBN 0118404865); and an increase in air passenger duty.
This inquiry was prompted by the fact that although it is more than twelve months since a referendum rejected the plans for a regional assembly for the North-East, there has been no new direction for the Government's regional policy. The Committee focused on two main questions: how does the current system of regional governance actually work; and what role city-regions play in the future development of regional policy. In conclusion it recommended "the Government should commit itself to a clear city-regions policy, indicating the extent of city-region feasibility, and the powers and resources which will be made available, so that this alternative to regional governance can be properly explored.
The background to this NAO report is a renewed focus on the contribution that office property can make to improving government efficiency. The Government's civil property estate has an estimated worth of £30 billion and costs around £6 billion to run presenting significant opportunities for savings. This NAO report seeks to add impetus to the Office of Government's Commerce (OGC) initiative to save up to £1.5 billion through an annual efficiency saving by 2013. This report presents a consolidated view of the performance of central government departments' UK office property. The assessment is based on 16 Government departments', with a detailed review of departments' office strategies and planning processes. Divided into five parts, it covers the following areas: the importance of office property; an analysis of central government's spending; departmental property asset management; the role of the OGC in improving government's value for money; the potential efficiency savings from improving the performance of office property. Among the recommendations, are: Departments should have better data on the efficiency of individual buildings; Departments should actively engage wit the OGC's benchmarking service for the efficiency performance of buildings; Department's can achieve cost savings by locating in less expensive regions.
The 2001 outbreak of Foot and Mouth was set out in a report published in 2002, providing an analysis of what happened with recommendations (HCP 888, session 2001-02, ISBN 9780102976243). Another FMD outbreak occurred in the Summer of 2007 and the Government again asked Dr Iain Anderson to conduct a review and find out if the lessons of 2001 had been learned and whether new recommendations are needed. This report is built around the findings of 2001, with a particular look at the Pirbright facility, the source of the virus incriminated in this recent outbreak. Dr Anderson's states that he found much to applaud in the handling of the 2007 outbreak along with some deficiencies, but states the positive outweighs the negative. The report commends the strong leadership of the Prime Minister, as well as the contingency planning and better integration of scientific advice and the capabilities at the centre of disease control strategies. External communication was also greatly improved. Less encouraging were the inadequate infrastructure and governance of the Pirbright facility where the Institute for Animal Health is located and the poor regulatory regime in place to licence work with dangerous animal pathogens. Defra's information systems too were found wanting. The report also recommends that the Institute of Animal Health should become the new National Institute of Infectious Diseases, supported by multiple sources of funding from government and elsewhere. Also recommended is the creation of an Independent Advisory Committee on Animal and Emerging Infectious Diseases, combining a high level group of experts along with other stakeholders with a mission to provide independent advice to government and link closely with the Government's and departmental Chief Scientific Advisors and include the Chief Veterinary Office and Chief Medical Officer amongst its members. The publication is divided into five sections: Section 1: Foreword; Section 2: Summary and recommendations; Section 3: Lessons learned, the lessons are - Lesson 1: Maintain vigilance; Lesson 2: Be prepared; Lesson 3: React with speed and certainty; Lesson 4: Explain policies, plans and practices; Lesson 5: Respect local knowledge; Lesson 6: Apply risk assessment and cost benefit analysis; Lesson 7: Use data and information management systems; Lesson 8: Have a legislative framework; Lesson 9: Base policy decisions on the best available science; Section 4: Pirbright; Section 5: Appendices.
This Regional Spatial Strategy replaces the previous Regional Planning Guidance (RPG8) and provides a broad development strategy for the East Midlands up to 2021. The sections of the document are: core strategy, which outlines the 10 core objectives, spatial strategy, which continues the sequential approach to development outlined in RPG8; topic based priorities, which looks at five main topics such as housing; regional priorities for monitoring and review; Milton Keynes and South Midlands sub-regional strategy (which is published as a separate document ISBN 0117539422).
On the basis of the NAO report 'More than a roof' (ISBN 0102932255, HC 286, Session 2004-05), the Committee took evidence from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on levels and causes of homelessness, progress in alleviating its consequences and the development of services to prevent to problem. Among the conclusions were the needs: to improve information and statistics on homelessness; for clearer responsibilities for social landlords; and a longer-term solution to unsatisfactory temporary accommodation.
delivering effective services through personal advisers, fifty-sixth report of session 2006-07, report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence
delivering effective services through personal advisers, fifty-sixth report of session 2006-07, report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence
This report follows on from a earlier NAO report (HCP 24, session 2006-07, ISBN 9780102943795). Personal Advisers assess needs of people looking for work and point them towards the right kind of assistance needed to find a job. In 2005-06, Jobcentre Plus had some 9,300 advisers at a salary cost of £238 million, conducting in total 10.8 million jobseeker interviews. They are also the gateway to various New Deal programmes, which has cost £5 billion since 1997. With the Government's aim of increasing the employment rate to 80%, personal advisers will have an important role. The Committee has set out a number of conclusions and recommendations, including: that the Department for Work and Pensions aim of assisting 1 million people on benefit into work, will require Jobcentre Plus to keep a good knowledge of employers' short and medium term skill needs as well as training opportunities; Jobcentre Plus should take care to protect advisers from unnecessary administrative work, interruptions of interviews to a minimum and allow more discretion and flexibility to advisers on individual cases; in 2005-06 customers failed to attend around 1.8 million scheduled interviews, whilst customers turned up late on average for around one in six interviews, Jobcentre Plus could do more to remind customers of their responsibilities, but also take account of local transport needs and use text messages and phone calls to remind customers of appointment times; improving the amount of time personal advisers spend with customers is a key element in helping Jobcentre Plus in achieving its efficiency targets and in helping it to be effective in achieving organisational objectives of helping people find work.
This issue of the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) is part of a series and updates the figures given in the DUKES 2009. The publication consists of seven chapters; the first chapter deals with overall energy, with the other chapters covering specific fuels, combined heat and power and renewable sources of energy. The statistics presented in this digest will generate widespread interest from anyone working within or with an interest in energy sources, consumption and climate change. Chapters covering specific fuels and renewable sources of energy contain details on the production and consumption of individual fuels, presented using commodity balances. A commodity balance illustrates the flow of a fuel through from production to final consumption. These individual commodity balances are also combined in an energy balance, showing the interaction between different fuels. General energy statistics are presented in a table, revealing energy consumption by final users and an analysis of energy consumption by main industrial groups. Surveys conducted by AEA Energy & Environment on behalf of DECC estimate the contribution made by combined heat and power and renewable energy to energy production and consumption in the UK.
Tackling the Barriers to the Employment of Older People; Tenth Report of Session 2004-05; Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence
Tackling the Barriers to the Employment of Older People; Tenth Report of Session 2004-05; Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence
The Government has spent over £800 million since 1998 on helping over-50s find work. Of the 2.7 million people over 50 and under the state pension age, who are not working, between 700,000 and 1 million would like to work, and, of these, some 200,000 are actively seeking employment. Government initiatives include the New Deal 50 plus, which provides access to a Personal Adviser for over 50s seeking work as well as financial incentives; the Age Positive campaign which encourages an an end to age discrimination; and the PRIME Initiative for over-50s interested in self-employment. The report includes the following recommendations: Jobcentre Plus and the Learning and Skills Council should eliminate duplication by harmonising their contracting with local service providers. Better use should be made of performance targets, for example. Jobcentre Plus should develop performance measures to indicate improvements in employability of those who have participated in programmes but are not yet ready for work. All major employment programmes should be evaluated to determine their net economic effect, and their continuing value for money.
The South East Plan contains an annual target fro new homes that provides a benchmark which can be reviewed. Sub-regions will have their own targets that allow local circumstances to be taken into account, but the regional overview is valuable to ensure consistency and to enable review of the regional target as a whole. It is important that any review of housing targets in the South East takes into account the range of numbers put forward, their underlying reasons, and the consequences of not meeting any decided targets. The economic downturn has meant that fewer homes are being built and there are concerns that the lack of infrastructure provision alongside housing development is stopping schemes from making progress. The Committee recommends that the Government review the funding mechanisms currently available for this infrastructure. It feels it is important that the Homes and Communities Agency is given the resources it needs in future years. The Committee also acknowledges that while focusing development on brownfield land is important to stimulate regeneration there must be care that concentrating development in such areas does not have adverse effects such as using up urban land or valuable urban greenspace. The Committee also recommends that greater attention be paid to alternative models for providing housing land; that the region provides the right mix of homes and that the Government stick to its timetable for the Code for Sustainable Homes ensuring that all housing has a zero carbon rating by 2016.
In this report, from the North East Regional Committee (HCP 169, session 2009-10, ISBN 9780215542731), renewable industries could lead a recovery in the North East's manufacturing industry. The Committee states that the region is well placed to benefit from the growing global market for green technologies, but warns that British innovation and ideas could be lost as other countries benefit from quicker commercial development and implementation. World-class renewable energy companies in the North East - such as the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) at Blyth, the North East Process Industries Cluster (NEPIC) on Teesside, and NETPark, the North East Technology park in County Durham - could put the region at the forefront of the Government's efforts to turn the UK into a low-carbon economy. The Committee warns though, that the UK's cumbersome and slow planning process poses a significant risk to long-term development in the North East as businesses from countries like China seek quicker, guaranteed sites elsewhere in Europe. The report also states that the Government should explore incentives to encourage local development of renewable and clean energy. Also, underinvestment in transport links is proving detrimental to investment in the region.
This annual statistical compendium from the Ministry of Defence contains a wide range of data relating to the armed forces, defence expenditure, service and civilian personnel and defence activities. Findings for the period 2003-04 include: i) defence spending was the Government's fourth highest expenditure, with a provisional outturn against the Departmental Expenditure Limits of £37.2 billion, and a total value of MoD fixed assets of £86.3 billion as of March 2003; ii) the total number of MoD personnel fell by 34 per cent between 1990 to 2004, with service personnel down by 32 per cent; iii) the proportion of serving personnel from the ethnic minorities stood at 4.9 per cent at April 2004, compared with 4.3 per cent the previous year; iv) in 2002-03, MoD net expenditure on R&D activity totalled £2.7 billion; and v) the MoD spent around £1.7 billion on conflict prevention activities worldwide during the year 2003-04.
The term Civil Society covers aspects of society independent of the state and the private sector. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are bodies organised around shared interests and values and include NGOs, trade unions, faith groups and business associations. Since 1997 the Department fro International Development (DFID) has increasingly worked with CSOs to help to reduce world poverty. This report looks at DFID's view of the role of CSOs in international development; how it engages with CSOs; and the achievements of CSOs in reducing poverty. It is based on visits to 4 countries, 19 projects, a file review of 40 projects and Partnership Programme Agreements; and the response of 90 CSOs.
In order to tackle the problem of the shortage of affordable housing, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has been set a Public Service Agreement (PSA) target to achieve a better balance between housing availability and demand in all English regions whilst ensuring sustainable development which recognises environmental concerns. This joint study by the Audit Commission and National Audit Office focuses on one strand of the PSA target, relating to improving the availability of affordable housing in high demand areas. The report also identifies ten areas where efficiencies are likely to be achieved in the social housing funding system, and it makes a number of recommendations for national, regional and local bodies to improve both efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery chain, highlighting the need to increase the speed of delivery and to reduce the unit cost of housing.
This report confirms that BAA will be required to sell Stansted Airport followed by Edinburgh or Glasgow Airport. Following legal challenges to the CC's 2009 decision (ISBN 9780117064836) on the airports market, the Commission considered whether there were possible changes of circumstances that might lead to a different conclusion. The CC has, though, concluded that the sale of the airports is fully justified and that passengers and airlines would still benefit from greater competition with the airports under separate owner-ship, despite the current Government's decision to rule out new runways at any of the London airports. The CC has also concluded that the same timescale should remain for the sale of Stansted followed by sale of one of the Scottish airports. Stansted will be sold first as it serves the larger number of passengers and there will be a small overlap between the two sales periods.
The 30th edition of this annual publication contains a wide range of transport statistics which gives a comprehensive picture of transport use in Britain. It includes data tables relating to: general and cross modal transport; aviation; energy and the environment; freight; maritime transport; public transport, including rail, tube, bus and coaches; roads network and traffic; transport accidents and casualties; motor vehicles and goods vehicles; and international comparisons.
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. This report examines whether central government has laid solid foundations for the scheme, if risks have been properly identified and whether they are being properly managed. The project is assessed against a framework for best practice for successful regeneration based on both NAO research and research by the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment. The Department for Communities and Local Government already recognise the need to strengthen the management of the programme and have recently appointed a Chief Executive to achieve greater cross government influence. This report contains eight key recommendations to help the Department address the key risks, improve management and strengthen the coherence of the overall programme.
Central government office estate comprises over 5 million m2 of space and costs around £1.8 billion a year to run. Rationalisation of the estate therefore offers the public sector the chance to secure significant efficiency savings. From 2004 to 2010, central government departments have made savings of around £100 million each year on the cost of offices however government's use of space is still relatively inefficient. The Government Property Unit was established in 2010 to accelerate efficiency savings from the estate, but it has not provided the leadership necessary to deliver an effective cross-government approach. Until property is seen by departments as a cost as well as an asset, the vast potential savings will not be realised. The Unit needs to make it in the interests of departments to work together and, to do so it needs the support of the Treasury, which so far has been far too passive. Three further areas where the Unit needs to show far greater leadership are also highlighted. First, the bulk of public sector estate belongs to local government and the Unit needs to ensure that central and local government work more collaboratively. Second, the Unit needs to centralise property ownership and start to negotiate terms with major landlords on a more standardised basis. Finally, consolidating the estate will inevitably lead to the mothballing of buildings and current market conditions are making it difficult to re-let surplus space. There is, though, no point in the Government simply holding property in the hope of a future rise in property prices
This report examines the extent to which government departments and executive agencies are meeting targets to make their new buildings and major refurbishments more sustainable. Each year departments and agencies spend in the region of £3 billion on these projects, and if sustainability is handled well, it can and should provide better value for money in the long term. Key findings include: i) government is failing to meet the sustainability standards it has set for the construction and refurbishment of buildings on the government estate, as well as for sustainable operations targets set for carbon emissions, energy and water consumption; and ii) various barriers are hindering progress towards more sustainable buildings, including the fragmentation of policy responsibility among government bodies for improving sustainable construction and refurbishment, the absence of a coherent approach to monitoring progress and ensuring compliance, and the widespread perception of a conflict between sustainability and value for money.
The Treasury Committee has established a practice of holding hearings with persons appointed to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England and reporting on those hearings. This practice enhances the transparency of the appointment process and increases the level of information available to the public and to Parliament about the functioning of the MPC. The Committee has held a hearing with Professor David Blanchflower about his appointment to the MPC, and is satisfied that Professor Blanchflower meets the criteria for appointment.
The Thames Gateway regeneration programme covers the area between Canary Wharf in London and the mouth of the River Thames, one of the most deprived areas in the Greater South East. It aims to create 160,000 new homes and 180,000 new jobs in the area by 2016 and with further development beyond that date. This project is one of 15 mission critical programmes prioritised by the Government and requires broad cross-government working so that new homes are supported by adequate transport, education, health, community, leisure, green space and environmental infrastructure. It is the only large scale regeneration programme managed directly by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Following on from a NAO report (HCP 526, session 2006-07, ISBN 9780102945263) published in May 2007, the Committee's report examines the DCLG's overall management of the programme on four main issues: turning aspirations into plans that are delivered; more integrated and better co-ordinated expenditure; progress on delivering homes and employment opportunities; and achieving high quality and environmentally sustainable development. Conclusions drawn include that the Department's management has been weak and its programme management systems are not commensurate with the programme's size and scale of ambition. Measurable objectives and robust systems to measure progress are lacking, there are concerns over costing and delivery chain issues.and there is a risk that the economic benefits of regeneration will not reach existing residents.
This annual report 2006 provides detailed analyses of road casualties and reports on trends in relation to casualty reduction targets. It presents statistics collected to an agreed national standard about personal injury road accidents and their consequent casualties. These statistics are used to inform public debate on matters of road safety and to provide both a local and national perspective for road safety problems and their remedies. In addition to the detailed statistical tables, the publication also includes six articles: review of progress towards the 2010 casually reduction targets; a valuation of accident, casualty costs and insurance claims data; drinking and driving; contributory factors to road accidents; hit and run accidents; the use of hospital data on road accidents.
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