Newsletter

PCS:  Are government finances based on hope rather than reality? - Responding to the 2007 pre-budget report & comprehensive spending review (CSR), the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) warned that more departmental budget cuts disguised as efficiency savings would further damage frontline services.

Edward Leigh MP, Chairman of the Committee of Public Accounts (CPA), said recently: “The Treasury claimed at the end of last year that, by the mid-point of its Efficiency Programme, it had already achieved an annual £13.3bn of efficiency savings.  This claim does not stand up to close scrutiny.  Our Committee found that there is a question mark over the reliability of nearly £10 billion worth (74%) of the savings claimed”.

Mr Leigh was speaking as the Committee published its Second Review of Progress of the Efficiency Programme which, on the basis of evidence from OGC and the Treasury, examined four main issues:

* the measurement of efficiency gains & headcount reductions

* the effects of efficiency projects on service quality

* the management of the Programme and

* embedding a culture of efficiency into the public sector

The Government’s Efficiency Programme is designed to achieve ongoing efficiency gains across the public sector of £21.5 billion a year by 2007-08 to improve front line services, to reduce Civil Service posts by more than 70,000 and to reallocate a further 13,500 posts to front line services.

Commenting on the CPA report, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "The CPA report rightly recognises what our members have been experiencing all along, that the quality of services is suffering due to the efficiency programme…………. With the government looking to save a further £30bn over the next three years through so called efficiency savings, it is difficult to see how services will not continue to suffer if they continue on the same path.  The government should pay heed to the report's recommendation to give staff more say in efficiency and properly negotiate with unions over the key issues of jobs, pay and privatisation."

PCS press release ~ CPA press release ~ Second PCS press release ~ 2007 Pre-budget spending review ~ Public and Commercial Services Union ~ Committee of Public Accounts - The Efficiency Programme: A Second Review of Progress ~ OGC - The Efficiency Team and What We Do ~ Gershon review ~ NAO - The Efficiency Programme: A Second Review of Progress ~ Previous CPA press release ~ Public Accounts Committee: Ministry of Defence Major Projects Report 2006 ~ National Audit Office: Major Projects Report 2006

HC:  How could this happen? - The Healthcare Commission has published a report detailing significant failings in infection control at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.  Between April 2004 and September 2006, more than 1,170 patients were infected across the trust’s three hospitals.  Based on a sample of patient records, the Commission estimates that about 90 of these patients definitely or probably died as a result of the infection.  

The first of the two outbreaks occurred between October and December 2005, affecting 150 patients.  Despite the fact that the monthly number of new patients with C. difficile doubled, the trust failed to identify the outbreak at the time.  A further 258 patients contracted C. difficile in a second outbreak from April to September 2006.

The Commission’s investigation found that the board was unaware of the high infection rates and did not address problems that were consistently raised by patients & staff, including shortage of nurses, poor care for patients and poor processes for managing the movement of patients from one ward to another. 

Evidence from patients, staff and the trust’s own records show that patients, including those with C. difficile, were often moved between several different wards, increasing the risk of spreading infection.  In some instances this was due to concerns about meeting the government’s target for waiting times for treatment in A&E wards.

Other factors contributing to the outbreaks included old buildings, with few single rooms or side rooms to isolate patients and a high turnover of patients which limited the time available to clean beds between patients. 

The director of infection prevention & control had insufficient understanding of the role. Many of policies adopted for preventing and managing infection were out-of-date or not easily available to staff on the wards.  Only half the clinical staff attended mandatory updates on infection control and it was often difficult for people to attend training due to shortages of staff.

Press release ~ Investigation into outbreaks of Clostridium difficile at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ~ More information about Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ~ Uniforms and Workwear: An evidence base for developing local policy ~ Isolating patients with healthcare-associated infection - A summary of best practice ~ Clean-safe-care.nhs ~ NPSA: Clean your hands campaign ~ Patient Environment Action Teams (PEATs) ~ National Patient Safety Agency ~ HPA - Healthcare-associated Infections ~ DH – Healthcare Associated Infection ~ DH – Healthcare environment ~ NHS Infection Control Training Programme ~ Microbiology and infection control ~ Healthcare associated infection: what else can the NHS do? ~ Infection control links ~ DH cleaner hospitals website ~ Clean Hospitals website ~ Hospital Infection Society ~ The Health Act (2006): Hygiene Code of Practice ~ RCN: Good practice in infection prevention and control Guidance for nursing staff ~ HC national study of healthcare associated infection ~ Changes to the mandatory healthcare associated infection surveillance system for Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea from April 2007 ~ Investigation into outbreaks of Clostridium difficile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust ~ Simple guide to MRSA

DH:  Is this an indication of things to come for the NHS Connecting for Health programme? - There will be a return to locally led, staggered recruitment for specialty training for junior doctors in 2008, doing away with the current national IT system for applications.  Health Minister Ben Bradshaw has announced that agreement has been reached that Deaneries will organise their own recruitment process for specialty training in England in 2008 and junior doctor start dates will be staggered.

Ministers have accepted in full the proposals submitted by the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) Programme Board for specialty training in 2008. These are interim arrangements for 2008. Formal plans for 2009 and beyond will be discussed in light of Sir John Tooke's independent review of MMC.

The Department of Health has also launched a consultation setting out proposals for managing applications for foundation and specialty training programmes from medical graduates from outside the European Economic Area (EEA). In England in 2007, there were nearly 28,000 applicants for around 15,500 training places, a ratio of roughly 2:1. There were more international graduates competing for places than UK graduates.

Press release ~ MMC inquiry - Tooke report ~ Recruiting IMGs consultation ~ Feedback form ~ Modernising Medical Careers ~ BMA ~ Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

Ofsted:  Could have done even better - A report - Reforming and developing the school workforce - by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) reveals that more than three quarters of teachers interviewed believed they have greater control over their work and more time to plan lessons, mark books & collaborate with colleagues thanks to a change in school working practices.

The deal Raising Standards and tackling workload: a national agreement was designed to reduce teachers’ workloads and improve standards over a period of four years using methods such as transferring administrative tasks to support staff.

Teachers felt they had greater control over their work, had time to plan collaboratively, develop resources, keep up with assessment and liaise with colleagues, improving their lessons as a result.  Most schools believed that standards were rising as a result of the reforms, however as most of the schools did not monitor & evaluate the impact on pupils’ learning, they had little firm evidence to show whether standards were rising as a result.

The report found that headteachers and senior managers continue to carry a heavy workload.  But increasingly they are supported by well qualified & experienced managers, allowing them to devote more time to strategic leadership and management.

Unfortunately, most schools interpreted the aims of reducing teachers’ workloads, improving a work/life balance and extending the roles of support staff as outcomes in themselves, rather than as the means to improve the quality of education and raise standards. Ofsted press release ~ TDA Press release ~ Reforming and developing the school workforce ~ Raising Standards and tackling workload: a national agreement ~ TDA – National Agreement ~ TDA - Support staff ~ NASUWT - National Agreement

PHSO: HMRC has a Sub-Prime moment - In her second special report on tax credits - Tax Credits: Getting it wrong? - the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, says that despite the considerable improvements which HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has made in its administration of tax credits since her last report in 2005, it still has a very long way to go.

However, the report also shows the distress which can be caused to some of the most vulnerable families (those on the lowest incomes) when they find themselves with such a debt to repay - often unexpectedly, and sometimes a very long time after the money has been received & spent.  Ms Abraham said that this again raised the question of whether the current tax credit system could truly meet the needs of this particular group.

 

However, Ms Abraham's main criticisms in the report are of the application of the guidance, Code of Practice 26 (COP 26), which HMRC uses when deciding whether to waive overpayments.  Some 91% of the tax credits complaints referred to the Ombudsman relate to this issue and the outcomes of some of the decisions seemed to fly in the face of the aims of the tax credit policy.

Press release ~ Tax Credits: Getting it wrong? ~ Code of Practice 26 (COP 26) ~ Tax Credits: Putting Things Right ~ HM Revenue & Customs: Tax Credits ~ CAB – Overpayment of Tax credits ~ Working Families Tax Credit Estimator

DH: Given the numbers, is it enough? – The government has announced a £170m expansion of psychological therapies to provide better support for people with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

Millions of people suffer from depression & anxiety and mental health problems are the largest single cause of disability and illness in England - accounting for 40% of all disability (physical and mental), nearly 40% of people on Incapacity Benefit (and a secondary factor for 10% more of them) and a third of all GPs' time.

About 1 in 6 UK adults has a common mental health condition (i.e. depression or anxiety disorders) and an estimated 91m working days a year are lost to mental illness. Huge numbers of people suffering from these conditions are not getting the treatment they need to bring them out of the misery these conditions involve. 

Professor Lord Layard of the LSE puts the total economic loss, in sick leave, lost jobs and reduced output, due to depression & chronic anxiety at £12bn a year (1% of our national income) of which £7bn hits the taxpayer in incapacity benefits paid out and income tax not received.

Psychological therapies have proved to be as effective as drugs in tackling these common mental health problems and are often more effective in the longer term. NICE guidelines on treatment for depression and anxiety recommend therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Press release ~ Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) ~ British Psychological Society ~ DH - Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) ~ Choices in Mental Health: Psychological therapies ~ London School of Economics Depression Report ~ Unite/Mental Health Nurses Association ~ World Federation for Mental Health ~ UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-being ~ Mind ~ National review of adult specialist community mental health services in England ~ National Service Framework for mental health ~ DH – Mental Health ~ Care Programme Approach (CPA) ~ Care programme Approach Association ~ Revie wing the Care Programme Approach 2006 – Closed Consultation ~ Mental Health Care - Care programme approach

MoD:  "When you go home tell them of us and say for your tomorrow we gave our today” - HM The Queen has dedicated the Armed Forces Memorial (AFM) in Staffordshire. The memorial contains the names of almost 16,000 service men & women, regular and reserve, killed on duty since the end of WWII. The AFM will open to the public at 0900 on 29 October 2007.

The AFM remembers all those killed on duty and includes members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and the Merchant Navy (MN) killed while serving in direct support of HM Forces. It includes those killed in conflicts or on training exercises, by terrorist action or on peacekeeping missions.

The Memorial is independent. It is not Government funded, nor is it controlled or managed by a veterans' or other organisation. Non-denominational & inclusive, access and use of the Memorial will be administered by the AFM Board of Trustees, who will safeguard equal access to all.

 

The location, chosen to allow easy access from all corners of the UK, is within the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire which is managed by the Royal British Legion. The NMA covers 60 hectares of woodland and it hosts memorials from a range of organisations both military & civilian, charities, local and overseas groups.

Press release ~ Armed Forces Memorial Appeal ~ Commonwealth War Graves Commission ~ Royal British Legion ~ The National Memorial Arboretum ~ Friends of the National Memorial Arboretum

 

MoD: The Prime Minister has announced to Parliament plans to buy 140 additional Mastiff vehicles to enhance the mobility & protection afforded to UK troops on operations in Iraq & Afghanistan. Mastiff is the UK variant of US Force Protection Inc's Cougar vehicle.  NP Aerospace in Coventry integrate & up-armour the Cougars to create the finished Mastiff vehicle.

Press release ~ MASTIFF ~ Force Protection Inc ~ POSTER: The Battle Buses

 

Defra: Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn has announced a package of support, worth £12.5m for farmers in England affected by the current movement restrictions in place to control Foot & Mouth Disease.

 

This package of assistance for farmers includes a contribution of up to £1m to the Arthur Rank Centre for disbursement to farming charities, which provide advice and practical & emotional support to farming families.

Press release ~ Full text of the statement ~ Defra – F&M ~ Nitrate Vulnerable Zones ~ National Fallen Stock Company ~ Arthur Rank Centre

 

DfT: The government has announced that Sir Joseph Pilling will be leading the strategic review of the UK's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The decision to hold a review was set out in March 2007, in the Government's response to the House of Commons Transport Committee inquiry into the CAA's work.

 

The review will consider the structure, scope and organisation of the CAA with a view to ensuring that the UK's arrangements for aviation regulation and policy making are fit for purpose and able to meet current & future challenges.

 

The review will take account of the Eddington Transport Study, the Stern Report, best practice in corporate governance and the regulatory framework which now exists in the EU with the creation of the European Aviation Safety Agency and Single European Sky.

Press release ~ House of Commons Transport Committee – Work of the CAA ~ Government response ~ Terms of reference ~ Civil Aviation Authority ~ Eddington Transport Study ~ Stern Report ~ European Aviation Safety Agency ~ Single European Sky

DIUS: Skills Minister David Lammy has called on major public sector employers to offer more apprenticeships to young people & adults and break down barriers preventing their take up. The move is part of the Government's drive to see 400,000 apprenticeships in England by 2020.  The Prime Minister told the TUC last month that the Public Sector should provide many more placements.

 

Responding to a House of Lords report on apprenticeships David Lammy said: "A web-based clearing service we have been trialling will help potential apprentices search nationally much more easily by job category and area and match them better to suitable employers.  It will also help employers to recruit their apprentices……..

 

Press release ~ House of Lord's Select Committee on Economic Affairs' Fifth Report - Apprenticeship: A key route to skill ~ Learning and Skills Council - Apprenticeships ~ List of Apprenticeships ~ Apprenticeships: Directgov ~ WA: Modern Apprenticeships ~ Careers Scotland - Modern apprenticeships

 

DIUS: Schools Minister Lord Adonis has launched a detailed prospectus urging universities to become engaged directly in schools and academies. It sets out how such joint working can benefit both universities and schools, with universities spearheading efforts to raise the aspirations of pupils, teachers and parents, driving up standards and supporting university applications.

 

The prospectus makes clear that universities will be able to sponsor Academies without needing to provide the usual £2m sponsorship contribution and it sets out three key ways that universities can get involved, by:

* setting up, sponsoring & managing their own academies

* supporting an academy as a co-sponsor, bringing educational expertise and

* partnering a trust school maintained by the local authority to help it expand or enhance its provision

Press release ~ Universities UK ~ Prospectus ~ Specialist Schools and Academies Trust ~ DCSF ~ DIUS

 

MoD: The MoD has completed its review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme's multiple injury rules and additional benefits will now be paid to the most seriously injured whose multiple injury claims have been paid since the start of the scheme in April 2005, which will bring their lump sum awards to the same level as those who will benefit from the proposed changes in future.

 

Under the new proposals, the lump sum compensation payment for the most seriously injured will be based on the full rate for all their injuries in a single incident, up to the highest lump sum of £285,000.  In addition, they will continue to receive the 100% tax-free index-linked Guaranteed Income Payment for life.

 

The changes that are proposed are now subject to a period of consultation (principally with the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions {CAC}), which will take around 4 weeks.  Payments will be processed as quickly as possible after this consultation has concluded and the legislation has been amended, ideally before the end of the year.

Press release ~ Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS)

 

CLG: The full-set of Whitehall performance indicators that will come into force for local councils in April 2008 have been published and the government claims that it has slashed the number from 1,200 to just 198 giving councils major new freedoms to direct their focus & resources at the issues local people care about.

 

In a speech to the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace) in Cardiff, Ms Blears delivered a ‘direct challenge’ to local government saying they must use this ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to deliver better services and make a positive difference in their local community.

Press release ~ New Performance Framework for Local Authorities and LA Partners: Single Set of National Indicators ~ Local Area Agreements ~ LAA – Reward element ~ Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace)

DCSF: Clinical psychologist Dr Tanya Byron has launched a ‘call for evidence’ (closes 30 November 2007) to gather information, advice & views about the risks to children and young people of exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and in video games.

 

Her questions seek views on the benefits & opportunities of these fantastic new technologies, as well as exploring the potential risks and how children, young people & their parents can be supported to manage them.

Press release ~ Byron review website

 

Defra: More packaging would be recovered & recycled under proposals set out in a consultation (closes on 30 November 2007) and new business targets would come into effect in January 2008 to help the UK meet its obligations under the EC Packaging Directive.  Higher targets are proposed for 2009 & beyond to increase the level of recovery and recycling.  The consultation is published in conjunction with the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Government.

 

After 2008 it is at the discretion of Member States to set targets beyond the minimum required by the Packaging.

Press release ~ Consu ltation documents ~ EC Packaging Directive ~ UK Packaging Regulations

HM Treasury: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced, in an oral statement to Parliament, the publication of a discussion paper taking forward his commitment to improve the framework for dealing with banks in distress, including the arrangements for depositor protection.  The paper has been published jointly by HM Treasury, the Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England.

 

The discussion paper seeks views (before 5 December 2007) on the way in which the current framework for dealing with banks in distress may be enhanced, in particular whether:

* there should be further reform to the depositor compensation system and

* if there is a risk of a bank failing, when another solution cannot be arranged sufficiently quickly, there is a case for preserving critical banking functions and if so how best that might be done

 

The Government intends to follow up with a consultation document in early 2008. Before enacting any concrete measure, the Government will want to be reasonably assured that the benefits of the proposed changes exceed the costs.

Press release ~ Banking Reform - Protecting Depositors: a discussion paper ~ FSA ~ Bank of England

DH: The Department of Health has launched a consultation setting out proposals for managing applications for foundation and specialty training programmes from medical graduates from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) – See ‘In The News’ for more details.

DWP: One in four people will personally experience a mental condition in their life, but more than half are too embarrassed to tell their employer, a new survey reveals. Mental illness is increasing in the UK and is the fastest growing cause of sick leave and the economic cost is vast; some 13 million working days are lost every year due to stress, depression and anxiety, costing businesses £3bn.

 

Work and Pensions Minister Lord McKenzie and Health Minister Ivan Lewis have called on businesses to tackle the stigma attached to mental health conditions in the workplace and launched a practical managers' guide containing advice on how to support their staff.

 

The handbook has been developed by Shift, the Government's programme to reduce the stigma & discrimination directed towards people with mental health problems.

Press release ~ Line Managers' Resource ~ Stress: Why tackle work-related stress? ~ Management standards for work-related stress ~ Health Work Wellbeing - Working for Health ~ SHIFT ~ Health Work and Well-being strategy ~ Is Work good for your Patient's Health and Wellbeing?

IfL: To support the effective implementation of the new continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, the Institute for Learning (IfL) will be hosting a series of seminars at regional centres around England during November and December.

 

The seminars, which are free of charge, are for staff development managers, teacher trainers, HR managers and other staff with responsibility for CPD in their organisations.  They have been designed to update participants about IfL's CPD guidelines, the CPD planning cycle, CPD resources & support available and the latest developments on the IfL CPD portal.

OCPA: "More work needs to be done to widen the pool of applicants for posts on public bodies in England."  Public Appointments Commissioner, Janet Gaymer said when publishing her annual report for 2006 - 07.

 

The OCPA annual report contains a range of statistics & information about appointments and re-appointments in 2006-7 to bodies within the Commissioner's remit.

Press release ~ OCPA annual report

 

DH: The latest Better Care, Better Value indicators claim that in the past year, the NHS has released £363m by working more efficiently.  The indicators show trust-by-trust performance across a number of key efficiency & productivity indicators.  They also help the NHS identify & share best practice throughout the health service and improve efficiency and productivity.

HC: The NHS needs to ensure that it consistently acts on & learns from complaints by patients, the Healthcare Commission has reported when publishing its first audit of how well the NHS handles complaints. The watchdog says it has found considerable variation in performance across the countryand that there is little evidence that trusts are systematically learning from complaints to improve their services.

The Commission says trusts should do more to make it easier for people to raise a complaint and they should ensure that the care of those raising complaints is not adversely affected as a result.  They should also strengthen procedures for investigating problems & improving services in the light of the lessons learned.

 

The Commission highlights improvements that trusts can make, which are in part drawn from observations of the best performing trusts.  The Commission will also be working on a toolkit for complaints managers and will make it widely available in the New Year.

Press release ~ NHS Complaints Audit ~ Ombudsman: The six Principles of Good Administration ~ Spotlight on complaints ~ Making Experiences Count: A new approach to responding to complaints - A document for information and comment ~ NHS complaints procedure

 

DCMS: Humanitarian Assistance in the : UK: Current Capability and the Development of Best Practice, has been launched by Tessa Jowell, the Minister responsible for Humanitarian Assistance. The research was undertaken as part of the Humanitarian Assistance Unit's work to better understand local capability in this field.

 

The report distils its evidence into key themes and contains a number of recommendations for central, regional and local government.  It also identifies & outlines areas of good practice and cites 22 cases which demonstrate the sorts of activity taking place across the UK.

 

In addition, the researchers highlight three areas that might benefit from a better understanding of key principles: joint working between police family liaison officers and humanitarian response teams; the provision of psychosocial support services; and planning around exit strategies for those services.

Press release ~ Humanitarian Assistance in the UK: Current Capability and the Development of Best Practice ~ Humanitarian Assistance Unit ~ Local Resilience Forum (LRF)

 

DfT: Personal travel planning (PTP) schemes encourage people to consider alternative transport options to the car and research shows it can reduce the number of car journeys drivers make by 10%, and the overall distance travelled by car by 11%.  It also offers value for money for local authorities, giving an average £30 return on every £1 invested over a 10-year period.

 

Personal travel planning (PTP) techniques involve alerting the public to alternative transport options to the car, either by personal visits to targeted households by travel advisors or through local marketing campaigns.

Press release ~ PTP research, 'Making Personal Travel Planning Work' ~ Essential Guide to Travel Planning (Caution VLF 5Mb) ~ DfT National Business Travel Network ~ DfT - Travel Plans

 

Defra: Defra has published a ‘lessons learned’ report following the outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in Suffolk in February this year, which concludes that the response to the outbreak was effective and highlights the benefits of the contingency planning work over the last six years.

 

The report also makes 34 detailed operational recommendations on the management of an outbreak of avian influenza, or other exotic animal disease.  These recommendations have all been accepted and have already been adopted in our response to the current Foot and Mouth Disease and Bluetongue outbreaks.

Press release ~ Report & related documents ~ Defra – Avian Flu ~ F&M latest situation ~ Bluetongue disease latest situation

DH: Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo has set out the way ahead for the Human Tissue and Embryology (HTE) bill by publishing the Government's response to the Scrutiny Committee report on the bill.  The bill represents a major overhaul of the law on assisted human reproduction and embryo research.

 

Measures contained in the bill include a total ban on sex selection for non-medical reasons, explicit rules for embryo screening and more scope for embryo research.  However a proposed new Regulatory Authority for Tissue and Embryos (RATE) to replace the existing regulators the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), has now been dropped after consultation with stakeholders.

 

The revised bill also rejects the Scrutiny Committee's suggestion of putting "by donor" on birth certificates of children.

Press release ~ Human Tissue and Embryos (draft) Bill ~ Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act ~ Scrutiny Committee’s report and Government Response ~ Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) ~ Human Tissue Authority (HTA)

 

MoJ: New legislation which will hopefully strengthen the protection to the public from sex offenders & hate crime has been set out by Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw in the House of Commons when he ‘signalled’ the Government's intention to introduce amendments to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill.

 

The new legislation will allow police, probation and prison services to notify members of the public if a sex offender poses a risk to children. A further proposal will create a new offence which would extend protection already provided for religious and racial groups to gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

 

The amendment on sex offenders will put a legal duty on the MAPPA (Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements) agencies, which include police, probation and prison services, to consider disclosing information about convicted child sex offenders to members of the public in all cases.  The presumption will be that the authorities will disclose information if they consider that an offender presents a risk of serious harm to a child.

Press release ~ Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill ~ Review of the protection of children from sex offenders ~ Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)

Defra: The government has announced the steps it is taking to enhance the protection of Scotch whisky. It will consult later this year on legislation that delivers tighter definitions of Scotch whisky in UK law, to help to support action against counterfeiting and ‘passing off’, as called for by the Scotch Whisky Association, with the expectation that secondary UK legislation will be possible by Spring 2008.

 

The proposed UK legislation will put enforcement provisions in place to underpin the new EU Spirit Drinks Regulations and will cover the Scotch Whisky Geographical Indication.

Press release ~ Scotch Whisky Association ~ EU Spirit Drinks Regulations ~ New whisky law welcomed ~ Geographical Indication ~ ScotGov