Government response to the Committee's eighth report of this session
Government response to the Committee's eighth report of this session

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: Joint Committee on Human Rights

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-05-21

Total Pages: 20

ISBN-13: 9780104010693

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The control orders regime, established under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, gives the Home Secretary the power to place restrictions on the liberty of individuals suspected of involvement in terrorism-related activity, depending on the assessed risk posed by the individual concerned, including requirements as to place of abode, and restrictions on movement, association or communication. This publication sets out the Government's reply to the Committee's report (HLP 60/HCP 365, session 2006-07; ISBN 9780104010310) which examined the Government's intention to extend the control order regime for a second time, for a further year to March 2008, under the draft Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 (continuance in force of sections 1 to 9) Order 2007 (Draft 2007 S.I., ISBN 9780110757278).

The work of the Committee in 2007
The work of the Committee in 2007

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008-01-23

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 9780215038326

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work of the Committee In 2007 : First report of session 2007-08, report, together with formal Minutes

Work of the Committee 2008-09
Work of the Committee 2008-09

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Welsh Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 9780215542991

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Work of the Committee 2008-09 : Third report of session 2009-10, report, together with formal Minutes

British Waterways
British Waterways

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 9780215521330

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In its 7th report of session 2006-07 (HC 345-I, ISBN 9780215521330) on British Waterways (BW), the Committee pressed for adequate funding of the waterways network and expressed concern at the poor relations that existed at the time between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and BW. This further report was prompted by BW's decision in February 2008 to withdraw from the partnership to restore the Cotswold Canals in order to fund urgent repairs to the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. The report focuses on BW's regeneration and restoration work, but also looks at how Defra and BW are working together and the Committee is encouraged by an improvement in the relationship and communication between the two bodies. Restoration of canals produces little if any direct benefit to BW and BW has often carried all the financial risk in such projects. Canal restoration schemes can be of great value to the areas where the canals are restored, producing knock-on benefits such as more jobs and visitor income. The BW Board is charged primarily with maintaining the existing waterways network and cannot be expected to take on substantial risk from restoration projects, especially in present economic conditions. If the public sector wishes to obtain external benefits from canal restoration schemes, the bodies responsible for obtaining those benefits should bear the risk. Defra, with British Waterways and other interested bodies, should develop a mechanism to score and prioritise public investment in canal restoration according to the external benefits that would be created, and should agree how the financial risks of such projects should be borne.

BBC annual report and accounts 2006-07
BBC annual report and accounts 2006-07

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008-01-22

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9780215038289

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A Culture, Media and Sport Committee's oral evidence session on the BBC annual report and accounts 2006-07 was followed up with some written questions. The Committee has concerns about the structure and content of the BBC reply to those questions. In particular it is not clear why the BBC Trust takes different views on transparency of employee costs and on transparency of talent (presenters or actors etc) costs, and why grouping of payments in bands for one but not the other presents data protection or breach of confidence issues. The Committee also questions why viewing figures for BBC3 are given in three-minute reach figures rather than the standard 15-minute reach used throughout the annual report, and why the BBC3 figures excluding repeats of BB1 programmes were not provided. On Freesat, a joint venture to provide a national satellite-based free-to-view digital service, the failure to disclose the contribution of the licence-fee payer is held to be unreasonable. The Committee would like greater clarity about who speaks for the BBC: the Trust or Executive. Future responses should make clear where accountability lies for particular issues, and the BBC should take a more constructive approach to responding to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Globalisation and Its Impact on Wales
Globalisation and Its Impact on Wales

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Welsh Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 9780215526373

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This Welsh Affairs Committee report, "Globalisation and its impact on Wales" (HC 184-I, ISBN 9780215526373), examines the effects of global trade on a variety of economic sectors, including employment and skills, broadcasting, and food supply and production. The Committee found evidence of existing skills gaps in Wales, for example in specialist areas such as science, and recommends that to avoid dependence on low skilled, low paid jobs, the UK and Welsh Assembly Governments work with the higher education sector to raise the skills base. Universities are the drivers of the knowledge economy, which is key to success in the global marketplace. The Committee believes it is imperative that the UK and Welsh Assembly Governments fully integrate the commercial potential of higher education into their policies. Welsh companies can increase their value and stimulate the local economy by exploiting a strong local identity and values, and by making use of higher level and specialist skills to offer premium goods and services that cannot be sourced abroad, particularly in the farming and food production industries, where Wales is developing a global reputation for excellence. Also in the report, the Committee: welcomes the use of innovative methods of broadcasting used by S4C to engage with audiences outside Wales; recommends the commissioning of more programmes reflective of Welsh identity; supports initiatives helping Welsh companies to exploit their global potential in the creative industries.

School Travel
School Travel

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Transport Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 9780215529206

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In a report out today (HCP 352 session 08/09 ISBN 9780215529206), the House of Commons Transport Select Committee tells education and transport ministers they must do far more to produce a modal shift away from cars towards public transport, dedicated school transport including ’Yellow Buses', walking and safer cycling schemes for British school children. The Transport Committee Chairman Louise Ellman MP says: "Young people deserve safe and affordable travel to education, leisure and employment. The journeys people make when young will influence their preferences and habits in adulthood." Also "Both the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Transport urgently need to identify how they are going to ensure children and young adults are not denied opportunities because public transport is either inadequate or too costly. In particular, travel should not present a barrier to accessing the new Diploma courses. For similar reasons much more should be done to identify children eligible for free school transport." The Committee recognise in their report that no single model will suit all situations and that car travel to school can be the most suitable method in some circumstances. However, they call on ministers to: provide high quality guidance and examples of best practice to illustrate when a dedicated school bus system is appropriate; top up the Education Maintenance Allowance for students from low income families and extend similar support for young people engaged in the new 14-19 diplomas; do more to encourage local authorities to identify pupils eligible for free school transport; consider the viability of a concessionary scheme offering reduced fares to young people; ensure that the Department for Transport, Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families work together so that national policy and practical implementation at the local level deliver both value for money and a greater number of joint initiatives that promote walking and cycling; help local authorities address the inherent tension between school choice and travel impact by raising awareness of sustainable school travel issues amongst parents and young people when they are selecting schools; in rural areas, review whether the maximum travel distance under which free transport may be provided allows for sufficient choice of schools; monitor the effectiveness of School Travel Plans. The Committee also calls on local authorities to consider new ways to fund and run innovative schemes that integrate transport, health and educational objectives for school travel.

The Cooksey Review
The Cooksey Review

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-03-15

Total Pages: 70

ISBN-13: 9780215033079

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The Cooksey Review ("A review of UK health research funding", ISBN 9780118404884), published in December 2006, was commissioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to examine the best design and institutional arrangements for a new single funding system for UK health research. The Committee's report supports the decision by Sir David Cooksey to broaden his review beyond its original terms of reference to make wider recommendations for the UK health research framework, for example relating to healthcare treatment priorities, as well as outlining a number of tasks for the Office of Science and Innovation to address. The Review found that although good progress has been made in some areas, further work is needed to ensure that publicly-funded health research is carried out in the most effective and efficient way and to facilitate translation of research findings into health and economic benefits. Amongst its recommendations, the Review proposed that a new body should be established, the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR), as the central co-ordinating body for all health research carried out by the NHS and the Medical Research Council. The Committee raises some concerns that although the pharmaceutical sector is of great importance, allied health research such as medical engineering and technology, preventive and public health research should not be overlooked. It also calls on the OSCHR to operate as a light touch organisation that does not complicate the existing successful administrative mechanisms of the Medical Research Council. More information on the Cooksey Review can be found at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/cooksey_review/cookseyreview_index.cfm

Counter-terrorism Bill
Counter-terrorism Bill

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Justice Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008-03-20

Total Pages: 8

ISBN-13: 9780215514318

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Government response to HC 405, session 2007-08.

Badgers and cattle TB
Badgers and cattle TB

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008-02-27

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 9780215513793

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Cattle TB is one of the most serious animal health problems in Great Britain today, with the number of infected cattle doubling every four and a half years, and nearly 20,000 being slaughtered in 2006. The cost of the disease to the taxpayer (£80-100 million a year) and to the farming industry is unsustainable. The introduction of a new system of valuations for slaughtered cattle has proved inequitable in many cases. The final report from the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB concluded that badger culling could not meaningfully contribute to the future control of cattle TB in Britain. This conclusion was contradicted by Sir David King, the then Government Chief Scientific Adviser (though he had not discussed findings with the ISG). The Committee believes there is no simple solution that will control cattle TB. The Government should adopt a strategy that includes: more frequent cattle testing; the evaluation of post-movement cattle testing; greater communication with farmers on the benefits of biosecurity measures; the deployment of badger and cattle vaccines when they become available in the future; and continued work on the epidemiology of the disease. Under certain well-defined circumstances it is possible that badger culling could make a contribution towards the reduction in incidence of cattle TB in hot spot areas. Any cull should be licensed by English Nature and: be done competently and efficiently; be coordinated; cover as large an area as possible (265km² or more is the minimum needed to be 95% confident of an overall beneficial effect); be sustained for at least four years; and be in areas which have "hard" or "soft" boundaries where possible. Crucial gaps in the knowledge about cattle TB and the way it spreads remain, and more research is needed. Defra needs more funding from the Treasury to pay for the Committee recommendations.