Download or read book Climate Change Water Security and Flooding Sixteenth Report of Session 2003 2004 Report Together with Formal Minutes Oral and Written Evidence written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committees report examines the actions that will be necessary to adapt to changes in flooding and water availability caused by climate change. There are a number of steps that the Government should take to reduce future flood risk, with a key consideration being the planning of new housing developments to avoid building on flood plains, where possible. Where this is necessary, developments should be designed to be as resilient as possible to flooding, utilising sustainable drainage systems and including areas such as parks in order to contain floodwater. Existing sewer systems will need upgrading and new systems must be built to cope with higher storm flows. Greater attention needs to be paid by the Government to the issue of water shortages due to drier summers, including considering alternative water pricing mechanisms to relate costs more directly to amount used, and ensuring building regulations pay greater attention to water efficiency. Water companies must also do more to reduce water leakages.

Download or read book Traffic Law and Its Enforcement Sixteenth Report of Session written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over 3,500 people are killed on our roads each year, with a further 33,000 seriously injured. The Committee's report focuses on the role of traffic law in making our roads and communities safer, and on the role of the police and other agencies in roads policing. Issues discussed include the adequacy of traffic offences and penalties; whether the police and other enforcement agencies have the right priorities; the needs of pedestrians and cyclists; policy options to deal with dangerous drivers before they cause harm; the impact of uninsured, unlicensed and banned drivers on traffic enforcement; and the effects of administrative changes (such as the transfer of network management duties from the police to the Highways Agency) on road safety and effective law enforcement. Findings of the Committee include the need for a radical overhaul of the way serious traffic offences are dealt with, by the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts system, as well as in public attitudes towards poor driving standards. The Committee praises the work undertaken by the Department for Transport to prioritise road safety issues, and calls on the Home Office to act urgently to establish an appropriate legal framework for dealing with road offenders and ensuring our roads are properly policed.

Download or read book Sixteenth Report of Session 2003 04 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee and published by . This book was released on 2004-04-08 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sixteenth report of Session 2003-04 : Documents considered by the Committee on 31 March 2004, including, Protection of animals during transport, report, together with formal Minutes

Download or read book Dismantling Defunct Ships in the Uk Eighteenth Report of Session 2003 2004 Report Together with Formal Minutes Oral and Written Evidence written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is estimated that, worldwide, about 700 large commercial vessels have to be scrapped each year, as they reach the end of their working life. Much of the material they are made from can be recycled, but many ships also contain hazardous materials, such as asbestos, PCBs and waste oils, which need to be disposed of safely. The Committee's report considers how defunct ships are dismantled and why most are currently dismantled in developing countries, mostly in Asia; health and safety protection for workers, and environmental protection standards; the international regulatory framework, including legislation such as the Basel Convention and EC regulations, IMO guidelines and enforcement problems; the principles of responsible ship recycling; the Government's approach to ship recycling and a UK ship recycling industry. Findings include that the Government has an important role to play in ensuring this issue receives sufficient international priority, particularly during the UK's forthcoming EU Presidency and chairmanship of the G8; as well at home in helping persuade UK-based shipowners to arrange for their vessels to be disposed of responsibly. As a first step, it should ensure that all naval and other publicly-owned vessels are dismantled to the highest health, safety and environmental standards.

Download or read book Model Rules of Professional Conduct written by American Bar Association. House of Delegates and published by American Bar Association. This book was released on 2007 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Download or read book Monitoring Fundamental Rights in the EU written by Philip Alston and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2005-01-26 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coherent laws enforced by a central authority are part of the reason why human rights protection works at the national level in Europe. But when it comes to the EU these dimensions are lacking. The present system for protecting fundamental rights emerged on an ad hoc basis, with measures being improvised to respond to particular problems. In the next couple of years, however, this situation is likely to change very significantly. The proposed European Constitution incorporates the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and a specialized EU Fundamental Rights Agency is likely to be established. As a result, the situation of the EU will more closely resemble that of its Member States. Fundamental rights will occupy a central role, and coherent and systematic arrangements will be in place to protect rights, using both judicial and non-judicial means. The Fundamental Rights Agency, in particular, has immense potential to ensure effective monitoring of fundamental rights in the EU, and to ensure a unified strategy for their promotion in EU law and policy. This volume is the first to critically examine the proposals put forward by the European Commission in October 2004 on the creation of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency. Leading scholars in the field of European and international human rights law analyse the potential significance of this innovative Agency, and seek to locate it in relation to various other human rights mechanisms, both in the EU's constitutional structure and within Member States. They review the tasks which the Agency could be called upon to perform, and make proposals as to how it can function most effectively. The relationship of EU law to the international law of human rights emerging from both the United Nations and the Council of Europe is examined. The authors also address the challenge of ensuring improved coherence between EU law and the other human rights obligations undertaken by the Member States. Taken together, these contributions address urgent questions facing the EU at a time when the central unifying function of fundamental rights has been recognized but the way forward remains largely uncharted.

Download or read book Strategic Rail Authority written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following on from a NAO report (HCP 263, session 2003-04; ISBN 010292712X) published in February 2004, the Committee's report examines the passenger benefits and reliability of new passenger trains introduced into Britain's rail network, the barriers to their successful introduction and the leadership of the industry provided by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). Findings include: the difficulties in bringing reliable new trains into service on time demonstrates the need for clear leadership in a fragmented industry; and that the Department for Transport should equip the SRA with adequate powers, incentives and sanctions necessary to match its responsibility for providing leadership and tackling problems in the industry.

Download or read book Commission for Equality and Human Rights written by Joint Committee On Human Rights and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report responds to the white paper "Fairness for all: a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights" (Cm. 6185, ISBN 0101618522, issued 12 May 2004), which proposed a new single body with responsibility for promoting equality throughout society, building on the strengths of existing Commissions (the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission). There is broad agreement between the white paper's proposals and the Committee's own proposals (11th report, HLP 78 / HCP 536 session 2003-04, ISBN 010400452, issued 5 May 2004). The areas of divergence include the following: the precise nature of the general duty to be placed upon the CEHR in relation to the promotion and protection of human rights; the details of the power of the CEHR to conduct "general inquiries"; the case for giving the Commission power to seek judicial review of the policies, actions and omissions of public authorities; and the institutional and funding arrangements to secure the independence and accountability of the new body.

Download or read book National Offender Management Service written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-06-06 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The prison population in England and Wales has been increasing since the 1990s and by November 2005 it reached a record level of 77,800, resulting in increased levels of overcrowding and stretched resources. Following on from a NAO report (HC 458, session 2005-06 (ISBN 0102935696) published in October 2005, the Committee's report examines how the Home Office, the Prison Service and the National Offender Management Service (which has responsibility for managing and accommodating prisoners) are dealing with the challenges involved in accommodating this record number of prisoners, the construction and use of temporary accommodation and the impact on the delivery of education and other training for prisoners. The Committee makes a number of conclusions and recommendations including in relation to: the deportation of foreign nationals, the use of alternatives to remand such as electronic tagging, contingency planning to ensure greater flexibility in accommodation plans including pilot testing new accommodation to identify possible problems early on, the application of best practice in anti-suicide monitoring measures, and the impact of moving prisoners around the prison estate on their training needs.

Download or read book Inland Revenue Standard Report written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-04-25 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2004-05 HM Revenue and Customs paid £15.8 billion of Tax Credits. The Department recalculates each award annually and has identified that for 2003-04 it overpaid some £2.2 billion to 1.9 million families. It believes that 2004-05 will see a similar level of overpayment. This is partly due to the nature of the scheme where awards are provisionally based on previous income whilst the final award is based on actual income. However the level of overpayment has been higher than was initial estimated and repayments have caused distress to some families. This report looks at measures being taken to reduce overpayments; claimant error and fraud; and the settlement with EDS over problems with the computer system. The Committee attaches great importance to this subject and wish to return to it in the future.

Download or read book The Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 Specification of Particularly Serious Crimes Order 2004 written by Great Britain. Parliament. Joint Committee on Human Rights and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee's report considers concerns over the compatibility of the Order (S.I. 2004/1910, ISBN 0110495802), made under the Nationality, Immigration & Asylum Act 2002, with the UK's international human rights obligations. The Refugee Convention has established a general 'principle of non-refoulement' which prohibits the expulsion or return of a refugee to a country where his/her life might be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality or due to membership of a particular social group or political opinion. The Convention allows an exception to this principle in cases where the person has been convicted of a particularly serious crime and is therefore deemed to be a danger to the general community of the host country. The Order specifies a wide range of offences under the 2002 Act, with the effect that anyone convicted of such an offence will have his asylum claim dismissed unless he/she can establish they are not a danger to the community. The Committee finds that the Order as drafted is 'ultra vires' the order-making power, because the wide range of offences specified go beyond the interpretation of 'particularly serious crimes' intended by the Refugee Convention, and therefore undermines the principle of non-refoulement.

Download or read book Working with the Voluntary Sector written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-03-02 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The term third sector describes a range of voluntary and community sector organisations including small local community groups, registered charities, foundations, trusts and co-operatives. Following on from the NAO report (HCP 75, session 2005-06; ISBN 0102933243) published in June 2005, the Committees report examines the progress made by central government departments and other funders to improve the way they work with the third sector to achieve value for money in the provision of public services. Findings include that voluntary sector funding represents less than one per cent of central government spending and only limited progress has been made to increase the sectors involvement in delivering government programmes. Voluntary sector organisations are often subject to greater scrutiny and monitoring than private sector providers, and fairer funding practices need to be applied by departments. The Public Service Agreement target to achieve a five per cent increase in voluntary sector participation in public service delivery by 2006 is likely to be met, but the Home Office and the Treasury need to set revised targets beyond 2006 to provide a real incentive to departments to increase their engagement with the sector.

Download or read book Department for Education and Skills written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-01-19 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research indicates that children who do not attend school regularly are more likely to leave school with few or no qualifications, and to be drawn into crime and anti-social behaviour. Following on from a NAO report (HCP 212, session 2004-05; ISBN 0102932131) published in February 2005, the Committee's report examines the progress made by the DfES to improve school attendance levels, to identify and tackle absence when it occurs, and to persuade pupils and their parents of the importance of attending school. DfES initiatives intended to address the problem have made progress in reducing total absence levels, although unauthorised absence levels remained static for many years and then increased in 2004-05. The initiatives have also helped reduce the number of permanent exclusions. Conclusions reached include that there is a need for more effective national absence data to inform initiatives, and this can be helped through the introduction of electronic registration systems. The report identifies 10 key practices to help schools manage attendance more effectively and share good practice.

Download or read book The South Eastern Passenger Rail Franchise written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-05-11 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In June 2003 the Strategic Rail Authority announced that it would be terminating the Connex South Eastern franchise for passenger rail services in Kent, parts of Sussex and South East London; the first, and so far only, instance where a train operating company's franchise has been terminated early. Following on from a National Audit Office report (HCP 457, session 2005-06; ISBN 0102936498) published in December 2005, the Committee's report examines why the franchise experienced difficulties; why the contract was terminated, and the impact on the interests of the taxpayer. The report sets out a number of conclusions and recommendations on the lessons to be learned in order to reduce the risk of future franchise failures.

Download or read book The NHS Cancer Plan written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-01-26 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 10 year NHS cancer plan, published in 2000 established 34 cancer networks in England, to lead to the improvement of cancer services in each locality. The National Audit Office investigated the plan's progress (HC 343, session 2004-05, ISBN 0102932379), and the Committee subsequently took evidence on three main issues: improving the provision of cancer services; making cancer networks work; and addressing inequalities. Increased funding is getting through to front line staff, and is being spent on new drugs, staffing and new services. But 30 per cent of the networks have no comprehensive plans for providing cancer services in their locality. Monitoring of performance against targets by the networks is inconsistent, and very necessary when faced with some demanding targets. Relationships between the networks and the primary care trust should be improved. Inequalities persist: cancer mortality rates are higher in areas of greatest deprivation, the highest mortality rates being twice the lowest across strategic health authorities. In addition, patients are diagnosed with cancer at a later stage in the UK than in other European countries, particularly in deprived areas. The networks should make clear how inequalities are to be addressed.

Download or read book The Stationery Office Annual Catalogue written by Stationery Office (Great Britain) and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Tackling the Complexity of the Benefits System written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-04-27 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The complexity of the benefit system is a key factor affecting the performance of the Department for Work and Pensions. Although this complexity is often necessary in order to administer the system cost-effectively and protect public funds against abuse, it can also result in high levels of error by staff, confusion for customers and help create a climate where fraud can more easily take place. The Committee's report finds that although the DWP has taken steps to address this problem (for example, in the design of Pension Credit, simplifying claim processes for several benefits and better sharing of information with local authorities), these are rather piecemeal developments and it is difficult to tell whether the system as a whole has become more or less complex as there is currently no objective way of measuring it. Some of the steps taken to simplify processes for customers are a way of managing complexity, rather than eliminating it. Managing complexity requires well-trained staff supported by accessible guidance and assistance and efficient information technology systems, and the DWP should also improve its written communications with customers.