Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
More choice on when to stop working - default retirement age retired More
FTSE 350 companies toast ‘Café Culture’ learning
Skills Minister John Hayes today called on all UK businesses to promote informal learning at work, following pledges from sixty-four innovative companies to increase informal workplace training for their staff. More
Wheel clamping
on private land will be banned in England and
Wales, the Government announced today.
The ban will be introduced in the
Government’s Freedom Bill in November and
will come into force shortly after Royal Assent.
Once in place, anyone who clamps a vehicle or
tows it away on private land will face tough
penalties.
Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone said:
"The Government is committed to ending the menace
of rogue private sector wheel-clampers once and
for all.
"For too long motorists have fallen victim to
unscrupulous tactics by many clamping firms.
Reports of motorists being marched to cash points
or left stranded after their car has been towed
are simply unacceptable.
"A ban on clamping and towing on private land
will end this abuse and companies who decide to
flout new laws will face severe penalties."
Regional and Local Transport Minister Norman
Baker said:
"The rules governing parking on private land
should be proportionate and should not result in
motorists being intimidated or forced to pay
excessive fines.
"Cowboy clampers have had ample opportunity to
mend their ways but the cases of bullying and
extortion persist.
"That is why we are putting an end to these
outrageous practices once and for all to ensure
that drivers no longer have to fear intimidation
from rogue traders, allowing the parking industry
to begin to restore its reputation with the
motoring public."
Currently, any individual undertaking wheel
clamping must hold a frontline licence from the
Security Industry Authority (SIA), with
supervisors or directors holding a non-frontline
licence.
This activity will cease once the ban is in
place.
Top of page
HM Revenue &
Customs (HMRC) is warning taxpayers to be
vigilant following reports that thieves are
making phone calls pretending to be the taxman.
The fraudsters inform taxpayers they are due a
tax rebate, and ask for their bank card details
over the phone. They then attempt to take money
from the account using the details provided.
Victims risk having their bank accounts emptied
and their personal details sold on to other
organised criminal gangs.
The warning comes amid a recent surge in the
number of tax scam “phishing” emails
reported to HMRC. In the last three months, HMRC
has shut down over 180 websites that were
responsible for sending out the fake tax rebate
emails.
Chris Hopson, Director of Customer Contact at
HMRC said:
“We only ever contact customers who are due
a tax refund in writing by post. We never use
telephone calls, emails or external companies in
these circumstances. We strongly urge anyone
receiving such a phone call not to give any
information to the caller, but report it to the
police straightaway.
“If customers receive an email claiming to
be from HMRC, we recommend they send it to us for
investigation before deleting it
permanently.”
HMRC thoroughly investigates phishing attacks and
works with other law enforcement agencies in the
UK and overseas. In the last 18 months, scam
networks have been shut down in a number of
countries, including Austria, Mexico, the UK,
South Korea, the USA, Thailand and Japan.
HMRC strongly advises customers to:
Check the advice published at
www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/index.htm to see if the
email you have received is listed Forward
suspicious emails to HMRC at
phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete it from
your computer/mail account Do not click on
websites, links contained in suspicious emails or
open attachments Follow advice from
www.getsafeonline.co.uk
If you have reason to believe that you have been
the victim of an email scam, report the matter to
your bank/card issuer as soon as possible. If in
doubt please check with HMRC at
www.hmrc.gov.uk/security/fraud-attempts.htm
Top of page
The Default
Retirement Age (DRA) will be consigned to the
history books by October 2011 under proposals
published for consultation by the Government
today.
The new plans allow for a six month transition
from the existing regulations, following the
announcement in the Budget that the DRA would be
phased out from April 2011.
Currently employers can make staff retire at 65
regardless of their circumstances but this is set
to change as people are living longer, healthier
lives.
This measure is one of the steps Government is
taking to help and encourage people to work for
longer against the backdrop of demographic
change. Others include reviewing when the state
pension age should increase to 66 and
re-establishing the link between earnings and the
basic state pension.
The consultation also proposes to help employers
by removing the administrative burden of
statutory retirement procedures. With the DRA
removed there is no reason to keep employees
‘right to request’ working beyond
retirement or for employers to give them a
minimum of six months notice of retirement.
Employment Relations Minister Edward Davey said:
“With more and more people wanting to
extend their working lives we should not stop
them just because they have reached a particular
age. We want to give individuals greater choice
and are moving swiftly to end discrimination of
this kind.
“Older workers bring with them a wealth of
talent and experience as employees and
entrepreneurs. They have a vital contribution to
make to our economic recovery and long term
prosperity.
“We are committed to ensuring employers are
given help and support in adapting to the change
in regulations, and this consultation asks what
kinds of support are required.”
Pensions Minister Steve Webb said:
“Many older people want to work after age
65 and have a wealth of skills and experience
that are not being used. We want to get rid of
the Default Retirement Age so that if they want
to work they can do so. By spending longer in the
workforce they can also have a better pension in
retirement.”
Although the Government is proposing to remove
the DRA, it will still be possible for individual
employers to operate a compulsory retirement age,
provided that they can objectively justify it.
Examples could include air traffic controllers
and police officers.
The consultation asks whether the Government
could provide additional support for individuals
and employers in managing without the DRA or
statutory retirement procedure. This includes the
possibility of future guidance or a more formal
code of practice on handling retirement
discussions.
Views are also being sought on whether removal of
the DRA could have unintended consequences for
insured benefits and employee share plans.
The consultation is open from today until 21
October 2010.
Top of page
Skills Minister
John Hayes today called on all UK businesses to
promote informal learning at work, following
pledges from sixty-four innovative companies to
increase informal workplace training for their
staff.
These companies, including 11 from the FTSE 350,
represent nearly two million employees. They
formed part of a recent ‘Café
Culture’ campaign run by Business in the
Community on behalf of the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to improve
workers’ skills.
They include:
*Barclays Bank *BT *Channel 4 *FirstGroup
*Ginsters *Google *McDonald’s Restaurants
*Microsoft
The central aim of 'Cafe Culture' is to promote
good practice among employers, so BIS and
Business in the Community have today published
'Building the Cafe Culture Movement' to help
other organisations to see the benefits of
informal adult learning at work.
The resource includes case studies showing how
successful companies have seen the business
benefits of informal learning, alongside guidance
on how to follow in their footsteps.
John Hayes said:
“Businesses have a pivotal role in
promoting adult learning, and so have a unique
opportunity to change, and indeed improve,
people’s lives. In turn they can reap the
harvest of a productive and engaged workforce.
"The many household names that have pledged to
push informal workplace learning through the Café
Culture campaign is testament to the value they
place on developing new skills.
"I am delighted to see such positive results and
look forward to seeing adult learning continue to
grow at work."
The 'Cafe Culture' campaign, which has been
running since 2009, has involved a wide range of
sectors, including manufacturing, finance,
construction, utilities and food and drink
companies.
It took its inspiration from the idea of a wider
cafe culture, where people meet informally to
share ideas in a fun and relaxed environment. By
translating this to an office environment, the
intention has been to encourage people to work
together as teams to support creativity and
improve skills.
Top of page
The redesigned
UK passport, now featuring strengthened security
features and iconic images from across the
nation, was unveiled today by Chief Executive of
the Identity and Passport Service Sarah Rapson.
The new 10 year passport will be issued from
October, with pages of the passport containing
well-known UK scenes, including the White Cliffs
of Dover, the Gower Peninsula, Ben Nevis and the
Giant's Causeway.
The use of these images, recreated through
special printing techniques, is just one of a
number of enhanced security features contained in
the passport, which will give UK citizens added
protection from identity theft and fraud and
ensure speedier travel across borders. New
security measures include: * moving the chip
which stores the holder's details to the inside
of the passport cover where it will no longer be
visible. This gives additional physical
protection as well as making it much harder to
replace the chip without damage to the passport
cover being spotted; * a secondary image of the
holder printed onto the observations page; * new
designs now stretching across two pages; and * a
new transparent covering which includes several
holograms to protect the holder's personal
details. Sarah Rapson said: "The new passport
features a host of scenes from across the UK.
"Through its combination of physical and
electronic security features, the UK passport
remains one of the most secure and trusted
documents in the world, meeting rigorous
international standards. "The new design is part
of our strategy to stay ahead of criminals who
look to fraudulently alter or copy passports."
The new passport will replace the current UK
ePassport, which was upgraded in 2006 with the
addition of an electronic chip to hold the
owner's details, and to comply with the US Visa
Waiver Programme. The personal details page of
the passport will be moved to the second page in
the passport booklet, in common with other
passports in Europe and around the world, to help
speed up travellers' passage through border
controls.
Top of page
A
new three-digit number - 111 - that will make it
easier for patients to access non-emergency NHS
healthcare wherever they are, 24 hours a day, was
launched by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley
today.
The new service, launched in part of the North
East of England today, marks the first step
towards a national roll out and is the beginning
of a significant White Paper commitment to make
care more accessible by introducing a single
telephone number for every kind of non-emergency
health care.
The 111 service is free to call and is staffed by
a team of fully trained call advisers, supported
by nurses, who are on hand to assess
callers’ needs and ensure they receive the
right service as quickly as possible. It guides
patients to a locally available service or
provides appropriate advice and information 24
hours a day, 365 days a year.
The number can be used when you need help fast
but it is not life threatening, or when you do
not know who to call. This will be particularly
useful outside of GP surgery hours and for people
who are away from home.
When someone calls 111, they will be assessed
straight away. If it is an emergency, an
ambulance will be despatched immediately without
the need for any further assessment. For any
other health problems, the NHS 111 call advisers
will be able to direct people to the service that
is best able to meet their individual needs. For
minor illnesses and injuries, the 111 service
will be able to provide immediate medical advice.
Visiting the very first operational 111 call
centre in the North East to talk to staff and
patients about how the service is working, Health
Secretary Andrew Lansley said:
“It is essential that we improve access to,
and understanding about, urgent care services,
which includes out-of-hours care. At present, too
many people are confused about who to contact and
how to do so.
“By putting in place one, easily memorable
111 number for all urgent inquiries to run
alongside the emergency ‘999’ number
we will simplify NHS services for patients. 111
will be free to call and available 24/7, putting
patients in touch with the right NHS service,
first time.
“I am delighted that people in County
Durham and Darlington are to be the first to
benefit from this new service. Later this year we
will launch the service in Nottingham City,
Lincolnshire and Luton. Ahead of national
roll-out, this will help us understand what model
works best for patients and delivers value for
money.”
Yasmin Chaudhry, Chief Executive of NHS County
Durham and Darlington said:
“The NHS 111 service will make it easier
for the public to access urgent healthcare and
will drive improvements in the way in which the
NHS delivers that care. We want to make sure the
right care is delivered in the right way for
patients as well as ensuring NHS resources are
used in the best way.
“By better understanding what people really
need from different local services, 111 will help
improve efficiency across the whole health care
system by reducing unnecessary waste and making
sure people get access to the right service,
first time.”
Further pilots are planned for the East Midlands
in Nottingham City and Lincolnshire and the East
of England in Luton. Both regions have been
chosen to test different ways of delivering the
111 service using various NHS providers that
include the Ambulance Trust, an Out-of-Hours
service and NHS Direct.
Top of page
Spending
Challenge enters next phase
The public is today being asked to vote to find
the best ideas from over 44,000 submitted to the
Treasury as part of the public engagement through
the Spending Challenge website. The most
promising ideas will be taken forward as part of
the Spending Review process, which will set
budgets for public services for the next four
years.
Voting will be open until 31 August 2010, in
order to consider ideas before the Spending
Review concludes on 20 October.
Since launching the public phase of the Spending
Challenge, the Government has received an
overwhelming response from the general public,
with over 44,000 ideas on how to reduce spending
submitted. These ideas were published today on
the website:
http://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk/
Visitors to the site will be asked to look
through the ideas we've had and rate the ones
they think have the most potential - helping us
to identify the best ideas to be taken forward
and investigated in further
detail.
Top of page
More than 100
councils are now using a new tool designed to
show the benefits of local regulation to
business, consumers and communities; with numbers
growing as budget constraints demand greater
demonstration of value for money.
Groundbreaking research commissioned by LBRO, the
independent expert in better regulation, has led
to the first ever tool for identifying, measuring
and managing quality of life impacts from local
regulatory services, including anti-social
behaviour, crime and violence.
Historically there has been very little research
around the wider impacts and outcomes of local
regulatory activity - previously only 55 per cent
of services were able to make any measurements of
impacts in any area.
Heads of regulatory services have long known the
benefits their services bring but have found it
difficult to quantify and communicate their value
to their local authorities, their communities and
local businesses. This has contributed to
problems in setting budgets and priorities.
Now there is a solution. The LBRO report,
entitled Impacts and Outcomes of Local Authority
Regulatory Services, and delivered by RAND
Europe, identifies 48 cross-cutting outcomes
showing demonstrable results for the quality of
life in communities from regulatory activities.
And a tool has been created showing how councils
can consider the specific outcomes and impacts of
their own services.
Since its launch at the end of last year, the
Outcomes and Impacts Tool has been picked up by
councils across England and Wales, from Cornwall
to Lincolnshire, to help them in planning budgets
and priorities, and raising their profile.
Kathryn Preece, Head of Environmental Health
Services, North West Leicestershire, said: "The
membership of the North West Leicestershire
Business Engagement Partnership comprises of both
regulators and business support organisations.
The LBRO attended our meeting and delivered a
session using the Impacts and Outcomes toolkit.
This proved extremely useful and has enabled us
to focus on common outcomes and develop an action
plan which all members of the partnership are
happy to own."
Chair of LBRO, Clive Grace, said: "It is our role
to create the right conditions for change.
Regulatory services that can show the impact they
are having on their local communities are in a
much better position to support businesses and
consumers through these challenging economic
times."
Top of page
Commitments to
transparency and sanctions at heart of new
approach
Tens of thousands of patients are still being
placed in mixed sex accommodation every year
without clinical justification, new data released
by the Department of Health suggest.
The figures suggest that data are not being
captured or recorded consistently across the
country. It suggests that NHS
organisations’ estates were compliant with
‘virtual elimination’ of mixed sex
accommodation, whilst they continued to place
patients in mixed sex accommodation for
operational reasons.
Today, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has
announced robust new steps to ensure that NHS
organisations can be held to account for managing
their beds and facilities to eliminate mixed sex
accommodation where there is no clinical
justification.
From January 2011, routine reporting of NHS
organisations’ breaches will be introduced
on the basis of a consistent definition –
that mixed-sex accommodation will be eliminated,
except where it is clearly in the overall best
interests of the patient, or reflects their
personal choice. The data will be published so
that poor performing Trusts have nowhere to hide.
Commissioners will be expected to apply sanctions
to NHS organisations who declare a breach. The
consistency of a defined ‘breach’
will help enforce common standards across the
country, and the existing regime of sanctions
will be strengthened.
The reports will be made publicly available for
the first time so that patients requiring
elective care will be able to choose not to be
treated at the worst performing organisations.
Commenting, Andrew Lansley said:
“Patients should not suffer the indignity
of being cared for in mixed sex accommodation. I
am determined to put an end to this practice,
where it is not clinically justified.
"In the future, NHS organisations will have clear
standards, spelling out when they should report a
breach. Where NHS organisations fail to meet this
standard, we will let the public know that they
have failed and we will strengthen the fines
which may apply.
“Patients and members of the public will be
able to see which services continue to allow
patients to suffer the indignity of mixed sex
accommodation.”
Chief Nursing Officer Christine Beasley said:
“Protecting the privacy and dignity of
patients by eliminating mixed sex accommodation
must be a priority for the NHS.
“Driving this change will be the publishing
of statistics on mixed sex accommodation breaches
by NHS Trusts. This measure will allow patients
to make better informed decisions about their
care.”
Top of page
The Government
wants to work with businesses to help them reduce
their waste and increase recycling through
voluntary responsibility deals, Environment
Minister Lord Henley said today.
Working with businesses to put in place voluntary
responsibility deals on waste will remove the
need for further regulation and will lead to less
waste and more recycling with the added benefits
of businesses saving money and helping to protect
the environment. Visiting the SITA UK plant in
the North East of England to see waste being
converted into energy, Lord Henley said;
“As householders we all spend a lot of time
trying to do the right thing with our waste and
recycling, and rightly so.”
“But it’s equally important that
businesses - both large and small - do the same.
Twice as much waste comes from commerce and
industry as from all households put together, so
it’s critical that they play their
part.”
“As Secretary of State Caroline Spelman
made clear last month when announcing the review
of waste policy, this Government believes that
businesses, like householders, should be
encouraged to do the right thing, rather than
tied down or penalised with excessive rules and
regulations”.
Lord Henley pointed to the good work carried out
under existing voluntary agreements - such as the
Courtauld Commitment on grocery retail packaging
and food waste - as a model for what can be
achieved in the future.
Working with businesses, the voluntary
responsibility deals on waste will look to
deliver change that works for businesses and
their customers. By encouraging competition
between signatories to achieve the outcomes and
stimulate growth and innovation the changes can
be delivered cost effectively.
Lord Henley said that a number of sectors were
under consideration for possible voluntary
responsibility deals in the future, and that
there would be close cooperation and active
partnership with the businesses and sectors
concerned in developing the deals.
“We see responsibility deals as an
important part of drive towards a zero waste
economy, and I hope that businesses will come
forward with ideas and proposals for actions we
can work together
on.”
Top of page
The Highways
Agency today called on drivers to help tackle
roadside litter on England’s motorways and
major A roads.
People responding to the Agency’s Road User
Satisfaction Surveys rate keeping motorways and
trunk roads free of litter as highly important.
However, a recent survey revealed that nearly
three quarters of road users felt it was not
their responsibility to keep roads litter free.
The Highways Agency’s ‘Bag It! Bin
It!’ message reminds road users about the
problems that litter can cause, and asks them to
make sure their rubbish is properly and
responsibly disposed of. Drivers are encouraged
to keep a bag for rubbish in their vehicles,
until it can be disposed of safely in a bin.
The Highways Agency estimates that the equivalent
of at least 700,000 sacks of litter is removed
from the motorways and other strategic roads it
manages in England every year.
Roadside litter is not only unsightly, but it is
a threat to the environment and wildlife and can
block drains and cause flooding. For highway
authorities, clearing litter diverts much needed
resources away from road maintenance and repairs,
while items thrown from moving vehicles can be a
hazard to other road users.
Derek Turner, Highways Agency Network Director,
said:
“The Highways Agency and local authorities
will continue to clear litter from our roads, but
we could put our resources to better use if
rubbish was not carelessly discarded in the first
place. Litter is not only unsightly, but we spend
public money on clearing it, which could be far
better used on keeping our roads safe and in good
condition.
“Our ‘Bag it! Bin it!’ message
is that one easy way for drivers to tackle
roadside litter is by keeping a bag in their
vehicle, and using it to store rubbish until it
can be disposed of safely in a bin. If everyone
took this simple step, it would be a really
positive move towards tackling roadside
litter.”
The Highways Agency’s Road User
Satisfaction Surveys ask respondents to rate the
importance of keeping motorways free from litter.
Results from the most recent survey show that on
a scale of 1 to 10 – with 10 being the most
important – respondents rated it at just
below 9.'
Top of page
Impact assessment tool picked up by 100 councils
More than 100 councils are now using a new tool designed to show the benefits of local regulation to business, consumers and communities; with numbers growing as budget constraints demand greater demonstration of value for money. More
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Tens of thousands of patients still placed in mixed sex accommodation
Responsibility deals the way forward for business waste
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The redesigned UK passport, now featuring strengthened security features and iconic images from across the nation, was unveiled today by Chief Executive of the Identity and Passport Service Sarah Rapson. More
111 - The New Number for the Future of Non-Emergency Health Services
A new three-digit number - 111 - that will make it easier for patients to access non-emergency NHS healthcare wherever they are, 24 hours a day, was launched by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley today. More
Public invited to vote on ideas to make savings
Spending Challenge enters next phase More