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Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2005-10-27
Total Pages: 180
ISBN-13: 9780215025999
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFifth report of Session 2005-06 : Documents considered by the Committee on 12 October 2005, including: the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Commission legislative proposals; Marketing of maize genetically modified for resistance to corn rootworm; Declara
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-04-26
Total Pages: 64
ISBN-13: 9780215028495
DOWNLOAD EBOOKTwenty-fifth report of Session 2005-06 : Documents considered by the Committee on 19 April 2006, report, together with formal Minutes
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Science and Technology Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2007-11-07
Total Pages: 74
ISBN-13: 9780215037138
DOWNLOAD EBOOKOn 28 June 2007, the Prime Minister announced changes to the machinery of Government that had an impact upon the select committee system within the House of Commons. As a result, the Science and Technology Select Committee will be dissolved and replaced by a new Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee at the beginning of the next session of Parliament. This Report explains the role that the Science and Technology Committee has played within Parliament and the science community. It outlines the Committee's innovations, its impact and concerns regarding future science scrutiny in the House of Commons. It concludes that, in the long term, a separate Science and Technology Committee is the only way to guarantee a permanent focus on science across Government within the select committee system and recommends that the House be given an opportunity to revisit this issue.
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
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn 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.
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 162
ISBN-13: 9780215515087
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis report is principally about the governance, structure and accountability of the veterinary profession as conferred by the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. The profession must meet modern day standards of quality of service, and have the transparent and accountable disciplinary procedures demanded by the public. There is general agreement that aspects of the Act require modernisation, and that the disciplinary procedure is in urgent need of updating. But the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) does not have the support of the majority of the profession for its proposals on compulsory practice standards and compulsory continuing professional development. The RCVS has not yet formulated a detailed plan for how a new Council might be structured. Nor is there a clear vision of how "para-professionals" and those administering complementary and alternative therapies to animals ought to be regulated under a new Act. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said that there is no funding available for work on a White Paper to update the Act until at least 2011. These next three years must be used by the profession as an opportunity to decide what it wants, and to iron out internal differences. The RCVS should analyse the costs of its proposals both for those practising and for the consumer. Any new Act should not overload the profession with unnecessary legislation, but it must safeguard the health and welfare of animals and also protect them, and their owners, from those who offer potentially dangerous treatments without sufficient knowledge or training.
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Public Administration Select Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 44
ISBN-13: 9780215515063
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe post of Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests was created in March 2006, and extended by the incoming Prime Minister in July 2007. Part of the new Independent Adviser's role is to investigate allegations that the Ministerial Code has been breached. This Report considers the suitability of the new mechanism for investigating alleged breaches of the Code. The creation of an investigatory capacity is welcomed as an important step. However, the Committee identifies limitations on the Independent Adviser's powers which cast doubt over the effective ability of any holder of the post to secure public confidence. The Independent Adviser should be free to instigate investigations rather than, as at present, being dependent on being invited to do so by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister should also undertake that findings of investigations into the conduct of ministers will routinely be published. Constitutional watchdogs such as this new investigator need to be demonstrably independent of those they regulate. The post of Independent Adviser meets none of the criteria associated with independence. The holder of the post, Sir Philip Mawer, has been appointed by the Prime Minister on a non-specific term of office which can be terminated by the Prime Minister at any time and on any grounds. He has no staff of his own, no office and no budget, but relies on the Cabinet Office for all these things. There has been no open advertisement process and no parliamentary involvement in the appointment. Until these defects are remedied, the Committee has difficulty accepting the suggestion that the new investigator can meaningfully be considered to be independent.
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Public Administration Select Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 104
ISBN-13: 9780215521545
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis is the 11th report from the Public Administration Select Committee (HCP 112-I, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780215521545) and focuses on public services and the third sector. Third sector organisations include charities and not-for-profit organisations as well as social enterprises. Government has been commissioning more public service deliveries from such organisations and the Committee, in this report, seeks to assess the impact of that policy approach, looking at the effects both on government and the service users as well as the public at large. The main claim for the use of third sector delivery service is that they can deliver a distinctive service that will improve the outcomes for service users. The Committee could not find evidence to corroborate that claim and believes that the Government's priority ought to be a greater understanding of the needs of the users of particular services and then identifying the organisation best placed to fulfil such services. The Committee believes such appointments should be based on merit as established through the tendering process but that importance lies with the commissioning authorities designing service specifications which play to the strengths of the best placed organisations. The Committee further states that "intelligent commissioning" is key, and that judgements about the use of a contract or grants, the importance of price on who wins the contract and whether there is scope for innovative methods of service delivery are important in getting the best result. The Committee also identified risks, and that it is important users of such services should not be affected whether a service is provided directly by the State or contracted out and that the Human Rights Act (PGA 1998. Chp. 42, ISBN 9780105442981) and the Freedom of Information Act (PGA 2000 Chp. 36, ISBN 9780105436003) should be extended to cover all organisations providing public service. For Volume 2, oral and written evidence, see (HCP 112-II, ISBN 9780215521552).
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Transport Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2010-03-30
Total Pages: 234
ISBN-13: 9780215553256
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIncorporating HC 533, session 2008-09
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2007-10-16
Total Pages: 230
ISBN-13: 9780215036377
DOWNLOAD EBOOKGlobalisation is having an enormous impact on the UK's economy creating significant challenges for policy-making with the shift in economic power from West to East, particularly the rise of China and India in the global economy. The effects will be on felt on highly-skilled jobs as well as some less-skilled employment, and public policy needs to respond to the likely implications for the labour market. The Committee's report considers domestic policy challenges relating to the promotion of innovation and improving the business environment and the skills base in the economy, and issues discussed include: the drivers of globalisation, trade and protectionism, global imbalances, as well as the beneficial and adverse effects of globalisation for the UK economy. The Committee recommends that, in order to promote understanding of the impact of globalisation on jobs and communities, the Government should publish an annual review of new developments affecting the impact of and prospects for globalisation. Given that protectionist sentiment is increasing, posing a threat to the progress of both developed and developing countries, the Committee supports the Government's promotion of a successful conclusion to the Doha trade round. Globalisation is also threatened by the risk of a disorderly unwinding of global imbalances and the success of a reformed International Monetary Fund will be judged by its performance in ensuring global imbalances are properly addressed.
Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Communities and Local Government Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2009
Total Pages: 150
ISBN-13: 9780215526601
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn its report of last year on the Communities and Local Government's Departmental Annual Report 2007 (HC 170, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780215037978) the Committee commented on the particular nature of the Department's work: on its unusual reliance for the achievement of the goals Government has set it on a plethora of other Departments, agencies, non-departmental bodies, local authorities and other stakeholders; on the long, devolved delivery chains by which those goals therefore have to be delivered; and on the skills of influence, brokering and negotiation which are required to achieve them. In this Report the Committee assesses the progress made since last. The most recent Cabinet Office Capability Review concludes that there has been a positive "direction of travel" for CLG in that period, but the Committee concludes that there is still some way to go before CLG can be said to be performing at the highest achievable level of effectiveness. The Department's overall performance against its Public Service Agreement targets is likewise moving in the right direction but still short of full effectiveness. Achievement of efficiency targets is applauded. Finally, the report considers examples of particular policies which highlight some of the Department's strengths and weaknesses, and follow up some issues in earlier inquiries. These issues include: eco-towns; the Decent Homes programme; Home Information Packs; Fire Service response times; Firebuy; the FiReControl programme. The report also considers the Department's response to the serious flooding of summer 2007, and to the reviews which followed; and the mismanagement of European Regional Development Fund monies.
