Download or read book Government responses to the Committee s eighth and ninth reports of session 2009 10 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Public Administration Select Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-10-21 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Responses to 8th report HC 330 (ISBN 9780215544612) and 9th report HC 457 (ISBN 9780215544872)

Download or read book The Committee s Response to Government s Consultation on Permitted Development Rights for Homeowners written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Communities and Local Government Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Government's plans to extend planning permission exemptions are based on an inadequate impact assessment, warns the CLG Committee in a report published today. By failing to take account of the social and environmental effects, the same proposals also ignore two essential requirements of the sustainable development policy set out in the National Policy Planning Framework, say the MPs. The report responds to the Government's consultation on permitted development rights for homeowners, published on 12 November (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11188/permitted.pdf). The Government's proposals would double the exemption from planning permission for extensions to certain kinds of housing - for a period of three years the size limits for the depth of single-storey extensions for detached houses would increase from 4m to 8m and from 3m to 6m for all other houses in non-protected areas. The Committee found the Government's rationale for these changes unconvincing and asked it to reconsider. The Committee also has concerns that the relaxation in the planning rules would be far from temporary.

Download or read book Work of the Committee in 2008 09 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Justice Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-01-22 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Work of the Committee In 2008-09 : Second report of session 2009-10, report, together with formal Minutes

Download or read book Public Trust in Government Statistics written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Public Administration Select Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-02-25 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this report the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) concludes that, despite the positive steps implemented by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (the Act), there remain issues and concerns about the way government statistics are produced and disseminated which remain a genuine risk to public confidence in the statistical system and must be addressed. The Act was intended to ensure that statistics are produced to the highest professional standards and that effective governance structures are in place to protect transparency and accountability and the Committee found the Act had helped to improve the operation of the statistical system. However, the Act needs to have greater clarity and transparency in the way it operates and in the functioning of the UK Statistics Authority (the Statistics Authority). Those who regulate the quality of National Statistics are in the same organisation as those officials who produce data: the two groups should have a clear separation in practice, but this is hard to demonstrate when they work in the same building and share support services. It is also not appropriate that ministers should have lengthy prior access to certain statistics but other interested parties do not. The Statistics Authority does not seem to have sufficient control over the quality and integrity of the different data sets and statistical products produced by departments and their agencies. Planning and improving data access both within Government and for users outside Government should be given greater attention by the Statistics Authority, as well as by Government departments.

Download or read book Change in Government written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Public Administration Select Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-09-22 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Coalition Government has set a sizeable challenge for the Civil Service: to transfer power out of Whitehall and into communities and as a result fundamentally change the way it works. The Committee found that while the Government seeks to embrace change, they have failed to recognise the scale of reform required or to set out the change programme required to achieve this reform. The lack of coordination from the centre and strong political leadership will result in the failure of key policies like the 'Big Society' agenda. The Committee recommended a comprehensive change programme articulating clearly what the Government believes the Civil Services is for, how it must change and with a timetable of clear milestones. This change programme must also include proposals for the Civil Service to retain and develop the new skill sets required to meet the demands of the Big Society policy agenda, and address long-running concerns about the decline in specialist expertise in Whitehall, the failure to innovate and take risks, and the failure to work across departmental silos. The reflect the changing role of the Civil Service, the Committee has also recommended that the Government should consider the development of a new Haldane model of accountability or they must explain how the model remains relevant. The new realities of devolving power out of Whitehall to local government and elsewhere should be codified in the Civil Service governance structure.

Download or read book The administration of examinations for 15 19 year olds in England written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Education Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-07-03 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report from the Education Committee looks at the administration of examinations for 15-19 year olds in England. The Committee expresses serious concerns about incentives in the exam system and about competition on syllabus content. Incentives in the system should be changed so the downward pressure through the competition of exam boards is mitigated. The Committee considers a number of options to change incentives, including: (i) A single board. This offers a simpler system, with no risk of competition, but the Committee believes the cost, risk and disruption outweigh the benefits; (ii) Franchising of subjects to exam boards. This removes syllabus competition, but again has downsides; (3) Or the current system of multiple boards. The Committee sees no benefit in competition on syllabus content, but the setting and marking of exams and associated administration, if properly regulated, could generate incentives and drive quality up, offering value for money to schools and colleges.The Committee also recommends the development of national syllabuses, accredited by Ofqual. The syllabuses would be developed by exam boards in conjunction with learned bodies and employer organisations and could therefore retain the benefits of competition on quality and the incentive for exam boards to innovate.

Download or read book HC 428 Security on the Railway written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-09-05 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crime on Britain's railways decreased year-on-year over the past decade. That trend shows the effectiveness of the specialist rail policing provided by the British Transport Police (BTP). The Committee were impressed by the BTP's commitment to tackling crime while minimising delays for the travelling public. Despite the welcome decline in overall crime, we identified areas where the BTP could improve its performance. The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) is the body with responsibility for setting the BTP challenging but achievable targets to tackle crime on the railway. The BTPA must fulfil its remit and avoid any perception that it is too close to the people whom it should be holding to account. The Committee concluded that the BTP model of developing specialist policing skills and securing funding from transport providers might usefully be applied to other transport modes, such as aviation. Such an approach could minimise delays, maximise security and reduce the cost of policing to taxpayers. In the course of the inquiry, the Committee heard that vulnerable children and young people are often found in and around railway stations and were surprised to learn that the BTP currently has no targets in relation to child protection. The Department for Transport, the BTPA, the BTP and the charity sector should work together to tackle this emerging issue by examining the available data and reviewing current practice.

Download or read book Operations in Libya written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-02-08 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Defence Committee believes that the Government will need to make some difficult decisions on prioritisation if it embarks on a future mission similar to the Libya operation now that the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) is taking effect. Although the UK was able to satisfy both operations in Libya and Afghanistan and its other standing tasks and commitments, the Libya operation was conducted before the implementation of many of the SDSR decisions on capability reductions. The Committee commends UK Armed Forces for their significant contribution to the successful conclusion of the Libya operation and comments on particular aspects and equipment used in the operation. It notes that at times the Royal Navy was unable to carry out several other important tasks owing to meeting the Libya commitment. Given the high levels of standing maritime commitments it is likely that this type of risk taking will occur more frequently as the outcomes of the SDSR are implemented. For the time being, there will continue to be a heavy reliance on US command and control functions for future NATO operations. The Committee also concerned that future NATO operations will not be possible if the US is not willing or able to provide capabilities such as unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence and refuelling aircraft. It should be a priority for NATO to examine this over-reliance on US capabilities and assets. This challenge will be heightened by the US stated intention to shift its military, geographic and strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region.

Download or read book Implementation of Welfare Reform by Local Authorities written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Communities and Local Government Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-04-03 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The significance, timetable and volume of the proposed welfare reforms should not be underestimated. The changes will see Housing Benefit, currently administered by local authorities, transferring into Universal Credit (UC), to be administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Moving in the other direction, Council Tax Benefit and parts of the Social Fund will be replaced with schemes designed and administered by local authorities. This report focuses on implementation and the part that local authorities are playing. It identifies four key areas that will be crucial to the successful implementation of the changes. First, these reforms require close interdepartmental working, particularly between the Department for Communities and Local Government and DWP. Second, the Government needs to work with the Local Government Association to assess the cumulative impact of the entire programme on local authorities' resources. Third, for the simplification of benefits, the Government is switching the payment of housing support from the landlord directly to the claimant. Housing associations may therefore face increased rent arrears and collection costs, though the Government has agreed that this may be offset by excluding "vulnerable" tenants and an automatic switchback mechanism (paying rent to the landlord when a tenant's arrears hit a threshold level). In addition, it is vital that DWP makes good on its assurances that the financial viability of housing associations will not be damaged by the welfare reforms. Fourth, there are concerns about the readiness of ICT systems, specifically that the systems for fraud detection within UC were still at early development even though implementation is now advanced

Download or read book Regulatory Crisis written by Bridget M. Hutter and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-05-11 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents the concept of 'regulatory crisis', reframing practical and theoretical questions about how disasters and crises challenge regulators and regulation.

Download or read book Parliament and the Ombudsman written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Public Administration Select Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-25 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A further report following, and Government response to, HC 107 (9780215542519)

Download or read book Outside and insiders written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Public Administration Select Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-25 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Outside and Insiders : External appointments to the Senior Civil Service, further report, with the Governments response to the Committees seventh report of session 2009-10, twelfth report of session 2009-10, report and appendix, together with formal Min

Download or read book Top pay in the public sector written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Public Administration Select Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-24 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Government response is to HC 172-I (ISBN 9780215542847)

Download or read book Communities and Local Government s departmental annual report 2009 and the performance of the Department in 2008 09 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Communities and Local Government Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2010-03-05 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Incorporating HC 1038-i-ii, session 2008-09. The DCLG departmental annual report 2009 was published as Cm. 7598 (ISBN 9780101759823)

Download or read book Putting Passengers First Disruption at Gatwick Christmas Eve 2013 HC 956 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014-04-11 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Far better contingency planning and preparedness must be put in place by UK airports, and by the airlines that use them, to prevent the kind of chaos that unfolded at Gatwick Airport on Christmas Eve 2013. The problems that unfolded were not new and the whole event should be a wake-up call for airports across the UK to improve their operational resilience. Airports must ensure that their contingency planning is good enough to ensure that future disruption will be met with well-drilled arrangements that are familiar to airport operators, airlines, and other contractors, and which put passenger interests first. If our largest airports cannot demonstrate they can do this then the Civil Aviation Authority must act. Passengers must also be promptly reimbursed for the extra costs they face as a consequence of disruption. The Committee welcomed a key conclusion from Gatwick's own review of the events on Christmas Eve that the airport should appoint passenger champions at each of its terminals. Similar arrangements should also be put in place at other major UK airports. Further recommendations include that airports should: develop (in consultation with airlines) much clearer operational protocols and guidance on the threshold conditions that will trigger the cancellation or postponement of flights; negotiate robust agreements with airlines (which carry formal responsibility for passenger welfare) for reclaiming the costs of looking after passengers during periods of disruption. Government should also push for amendments to a proposed new EU regulation on passenger compensation to include electronic means of alert and information dissemination

Download or read book HC 714 Strategic River Crossings written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2015 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee examined a number of case studies during its inquiry including the Mersey Gateway Project, the Tyne Tunnels and proposals for new crossings in East London and the Lower Thames. The Transport Committee says a short-term approach to planning key infrastructure projects has left many estuary areas in the UK with inadequate transport capacity and poor connectivity: "A lack of cross-river capacity limits local and national economic growth so we call upon the Government to take a far more long-term approach when planning new bridges and tunnels. The Government must rectify that weakness as soon as possible. Important infrastructure projects, such as the Mersey Gateway Bridge, have the potential to generate economic growth by linking workers to jobs and consumers to retailers." The Committee welcomes proposals to build a package of new river crossings in east London and believes these developments are "long overdue."

Download or read book Air Travel Organisers Licensing ATOL reform written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2012-04-30 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Changes to ATOL that come into effect today (April 30, 2012) do not go far enough say MPs on the Commons Transport Committee in this new report. Fundamental reform of ATOL - the consumer protection scheme for holidaymakers - is needed. The Committee calls on the Government to clarify its objectives for ATOL reform, to ensure that all passengers and holidaymakers are properly informed of the potential consequences of airline insolvency and the options available to them to obtain financial protection. MPs also recommend that: (i) The Civil Aviation Authority should work with the airlines to develop a code of practice covering information for all consumers making overseas holiday or travel bookings. This must be designed to ensure that passengers understand the risks of being stranded abroad as a result of airline insolvency and are aware of the insurance options available; (ii) The Government undertake research into consumers' views on whether, and in what ways, the ATOL scheme should be extended; (iii) The Government must distinguish between issues related to consumer protection and repatriation cover; (iv) Future reforms should be funded by the travel industry and must provide consumers with informed choices on protection options; (v) ATOL Protection Contributions should be linked to the value of the holiday booking, instead of the current flat rate of £2.50 per passenger.