This report focuses on the work of Yorkshire Forward, its use of resources (forecast to be around £360 million in 2009-10) and how the regional strategies it has developed benefit the region's population of over 5 million, especially in the current economic climate. Yorkshire Forward has led the development of three Regional Economic Strategies (RESs). Although developed by Yorkshire Forward it is felt that it is important that the RES is owned by the region and Yorkshire Forward is commended for its consultative and collaborative approach. It is important that full account is taken of the region's diversity and it will need to be ensured that this is reflected in the new Integrated Regional Strategy, but this should not mean that sub-regional concerns are put ahead of a balanced approach to the interests of the region as a whole and should not detract from Yorkshire Forward's original core economic focus. The Committee is also concerned about the impact of budget cuts and a reduction in funding on the work of Yorkshire Forward and they recommend that Yorkshire Forward's budget not be decreased further
The document contains written evidence submitted to the Committee in relation to its scrutiny of the Government's proposals for the creation of elected regional assemblies in England, as set out in the draft Bill (Cm 6285, ISBN 0101628528) published in July 2004. This draft Bill seeks to implement the policy proposals contained within the Government's White Paper (Cm 5511, ISBN 0101551126) published in May 2002, as part of its overall agenda of constitutional reform and devolution. Written evidence includes memoranda from the Electoral Commission, the Greater London Authority, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Association of Police Authorities; as well as from a number of regional bodies, local councils and local government bodies, charities and regional business organisations.
This report from the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons (HCP 282, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780215521675), focuses on regional accountability. The Governance of Britain Green Paper (Cm. 7170, ISBN 9780101717021) put forward proposals for improved democractic accountability and scrutiny of the delivery of public services in the English regions. The Committee, in this report, has concluded that there is clear evidence of an accountability gap at regional level. Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), although accountable to ministers, still conduct many activities that are not subject to a regular, robust scrutiny, and the Committee believes more should be done to monitor the delivery of services. With this in mind, the Committee recommends the establishment of a system of regional select committees, with one select committee for each of the administrative regions in England, with the exception of London. Further, the Committee recommends that up to two regional grand committee meeting should take place in each session for each of the 8 regions. To avoid an adverse impact on House Members' other commitments, membership of regional committees should consist of 10 Members in total. This report therefore sets out a desirability of establishing new structures within the House of Commons to improve regional accountability and Parliamentary scrutiny.
This report considers the case for Parliament to be able to initiate and conduct inquiries into serious and significant matters of public concern. It takes up the recommendationmade by this committiee's predecessor Committee (in the Government by Inquiry Report) that there should be a parliamentary mechanism for initiating inquiries. These would take the form of Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry, composed of parliamentarians and others. In the Report, the committee examines the justification for creating Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry in particular, that they would enable Parliament to hold the Executive to account more effectively. Then it covers some of the practical issues involved in setting up inquiries of this nature: how Parliament could instigate an inquiry, its composition, and its operation and powers. The committee concludes that it is crucial, in constitutional sense, that Parliament has the necessary powers and abilities to scrutinise the Executive and hold it to account. Proper parliamentary scrutiny should include the ability to establish and undertake inquiries into significant matters of public concern. Parliament has, in the past, conducted investigationsof this kind and as the great forum of the nation, should be expected to do so. The committee's recommendation for Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry would promoteeffective parliamentary accountability by creating a process for Parliament to initiate inquirieswhere it rather than the Executive sees fit.
National Policy Statements (NPS) are a key component of the new planning system for nationally significant infrastructure projects, introduced by the Planning Act 2008. The Act stipulates that a proposal for a National Policy Statement will be subject to public consultation and allows for parliamentary scrutiny before designation as national policy by the Secretary of State. The draft Ports National Policy Statement (Department for Transport, 2009) has been welcomed by many organisations as a good start which can be built upon. The Committee has recommended a number of modifications and expects the Department will improve the draft as a result of the consultation and scrutiny processes. The Committee has reservations regarding the Government's 2007 policy for ports and the lack of guidance on location for port development in the NPS but this, of itself, does not make the NPS unfit for purpose. But the Committee cannot recommend designation at this stage on two counts. Firstly, a key, related policy statement - the National Networks NPS - has yet to be published. Secondly, the organisation likely to be one of the principal decision-makers for port development - the Marine Management Organisation - has yet to be established and so has been unable to comment on guidance that will be of great importance to its role. These are fundamental flaws in the consultation process and the Ports NPS should not be designated until they are rectified.
In this report looking at policy for improving road and rail access to ports, the Transport Committee urges the Department for Transport (DfT) to become a keener advocate for UK ports. The Government should contribute to significant improvements to strategic networks which also deliver wider benefits - rather than simply expect port operators to pick up the entire bill for measures required to mitigate increased traffic due to port expansion. If the Government chooses to apply European Commission state aid rules in this area more strictly than other EU countries it should explain why it does so. Policy in this area should be applied consistently across the country. While some ports have contributed towards transport schemes to improve access, others have not and the differences in approach have not been explained or justified. Ports should also continue to contribute to local transport infrastructure improvements, following discussions with relevant local bodies. The Department for Transport should demonstrate whether port master plans have had any impact, highlighting good examples of such plans and of how they have influenced decision makers. Finally, the Government should devise a more effective successor to the Waterborne Freight Grant, to stimulate coastal shipping.
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.
In this report the Transport Committee calls on the Government to publish a White Paper on its transport strategy, explaining in particular how spending on transport will deliver economic growth and development. Such a strategy must set objectives for all transport spending and explain the criteria Ministers will use to decide between different claims on limited financial resources. The report welcomes the commitment to undertake transport investment that will deliver sustainable growth and enterprise, including 'green' industries, balanced across all sectors and in a manner that will reduce regional disparities. Ministers must however ensure that this vision for transport investment is backed up by a pro-active and fully integrated economic development strategy. This is so far absent. The current Government has swept away the regional tier of planning and many institutions that played a key role in the development of strategic priorities for transport spending in support of economic development. This has created a vacuum that has left regions without the institutions and arrangements they need to plan and prioritise sub-national transport schemes and other significant transport infrastructure. The Coalition also needs a much stronger strategy for developing the UK's major ports and airports. The Government must also do more to correct regional disparities in transport investment. The Department for Transport's 'New Approach To Appraisal' process, which plays such a major role in deciding which transport schemes get Government funding, is highly controversial. Small schemes, including sustainable transport projects, may be cut disproportionately under new transport funding arrangements.
This report from the Health Committee examines Lord Darzi's final report of the NHS Next Stage Review (NSR), "High quality care for all" (2008, Cm. 7432, ISBN 9780101743228). The Committee warns that primary care trusts (PCTs) are not yet capable of carrying out the reforms, and highlights insufficient analytical and planning skills and variable management quality within PCTs. Poor PCT commissioning and the failure of successive reforms to enhance it mean that implementation of the reforms may be slower and more uneven than expected. The Committee calls on the Government to publish and rigorously monitor milestones for each stage of implementation and says greater clarification is required on the role of practice based commissioning, which at present remains opaque. More emphasis needs to be placed on the importance of recruiting and developing better managers and the issue of weak management skills in this area should be tackled. Not enough detail about cost is given in the NSR and the Committee is concerned that neither Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) nor the Department have been clear on where and how much money will be saved. Figures on implementation costs for individual SHAs and PCTs should be published as soon as possible. While the focus in the NSR on improving quality of care is welcome, variations in quality have been known about for a long time and have continued despite increased funding. The Committee is not convinced by the Department's argument that all PCTs should have a GP-led health centre and recommends that their creation should be decided locally on a case-by-case basis.
A report from the Rural Advocate to the Prime Minister in June 2008 estimated the untapped potential from rural business as between GBP 236 billion and GBP 347 billion per annum. This report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee focuses on the potential of England's rural economy.
England's planning system underpins the country's economic growth and development, but there is a significant risk that major Government targets for housebuilding and regeneration will be missed because the system is unable to manage the volume or variety of tasks.
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.
The Committee's report examines the contribution of historic buildings to urban regeneration; the role and effectiveness of public agencies responsible for the built environment; the impact of the planning system and listing of historic buildings on urban regeneration; the role played by government departments to promote the historic environment; and fiscal and legislative reform options. The Committee concludes that regenerating historic buildings can reinforce a sense of local community and act as a catalyst for urban regeneration. However, historic buildings cannot be retained as relics of a bygone age, but new uses and sensitive adaptations allowed where the original use is no longer viable. The report highlights the shortage of conservation officers and the skills deficit in knowledge of regeneration and funding issues. It also call on the DCMS and the ODPM to working more closely together on their cross-cutting responsibilities, in order to boost the potential contributions made by historic buildings to the local economy. The current planning system is also criticised for causing delays and uncertainty, with developers being subject to as many as nine different regimes, including planning controls, listed building consent and conservation area controls.
The Committee decided to take evidence on the steel industry after Corus's and parent company Tata's decision to mothball Teesside Cast Products at Redcar and Lackenby. Evidence outlined the serious economic devastation that would occur if the TCP plant were mothballed. The number of those made unemployed as a consequence will climb above 4,000. The Committee states that the central priority must be to find a way to return the plant to operation as soon as possible and to maintain the jobs of a highly skilled workforce until what may well be a temporary downturn has been worked through. The short-sighted decision by Corus to close the rolling mill at Redcar and Lackenby has left it unable to response flexibly to changes in the world steel market in a way that would guarantee continued production on Teesside as indeed they were warned it would. The proposal of possibly rolling slab produced at Teesside at the mill in Llanwern, South Wales has been put forward and the Committee urges the Government to continue to work with Tata and Corus and the union on both sites to explore fully the potential of this idea
The history of reform of the House of Lords has a long history since the Parliament Act 1911, and since the House of Lords Act 1999 removed the right of all but 92 hereditary peers to sit in the Lords, there has been a number of initiatives to further the debate on reform. The latest proposals are contained in the draft Bill (Cm. 8077, ISBN 9780101807722) published in May 2011, which was referred to the Joint Committee. In this report the Joint Committee acknowledges the controversial aspects of certain of the proposals and the members of the Committee reflect wider differences of opinion, many of the report's recommendations being decided by a majority. The majority supports the need for an electoral mandate, provided the House has commensurate powers. The current functions and role would continue, but the House would probably seek to be more assertive, to an extent that cannot be predicted. The Committee recommends a House of 450 members, 80% elected on a system of Single Transferable Voting (preferably that used in New South Wales, not the one proposed in the Bill) for a 15 year term.The main sections of the report cover: functions, role, primacy of the Commons and conventions; electoral system, size, voting system and constituencies; appointments, bishops and ministers; transition, salaries, IPSA, disqualification. The Committee recommends that, in view of the significance of the constitutional change, the Government should submit the decision to a referendum.
This report focuses on the work of Yorkshire Forward, its use of resources (forecast to be around £360 million in 2009-10) and how the regional strategies it has developed benefit the region's population of over 5 million, especially in the current economic climate. Yorkshire Forward has led the development of three Regional Economic Strategies (RESs). Although developed by Yorkshire Forward it is felt that it is important that the RES is owned by the region and Yorkshire Forward is commended for its consultative and collaborative approach. It is important that full account is taken of the region's diversity and it will need to be ensured that this is reflected in the new Integrated Regional Strategy, but this should not mean that sub-regional concerns are put ahead of a balanced approach to the interests of the region as a whole and should not detract from Yorkshire Forward's original core economic focus. The Committee is also concerned about the impact of budget cuts and a reduction in funding on the work of Yorkshire Forward and they recommend that Yorkshire Forward's budget not be decreased further
In this report the Communities and Local Government Committee says the Government must stick to its long term house building targets, despite the credit crunch, but a greater proportion of the homes built should be social housing. The Committee is concerned that the £975 million borrowed by the Government from its 2010-11 budgets to build social rented housing now is not new money, and that the Government has been unable to say how that borrowing will be replaced. The Committee urges the Department for Communities and Local Government to: put pressure on the Treasury to ensure measures to revive the mortgage markets are implemented immediately; increase construction of new social housing, both to provide for housing need and as a means of maintaining capacity in the homebuilding industry whilst the market recovers; accelerate refurbishment programmes for social housing; acquire further social housing through the purchase of unsold stock and street properties; consider the purchase of unsold family homes which have been on the market for more than a year; encourage public sector bodies to make land available for the development of new homes. The report also urges the Government to do more to help those at risk of repossession by considering sanctions against lenders who repossess too quickly and by doing more to protect tenants and homeowners from unscrupulous landlords. An Office of Fair Trading recommendation for sale-and-rent back schemes should be implemented as a matter of urgency to protect the growing number of households falling behind in mortgage payments. The Committee would like to see more done to support housing associations, including increasing social housing grant where necessary.
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