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18.05 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clegg spoof video to be released

20 September 2012 Last updated at 07:48 ET

A spoof video where Nick Clegg appears to sing an apology about his party's tuition fees u-turn is to be released as a single on iTunes.

The deputy prime minister has given his permission for the film to be issued by satirical website thepoke after it received thousands of views.

Aides said that he had requested all profits be given to Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Clegg's wife Miriam is a patron of the hospital.

An "auto-tune" version of Mr Clegg's statement - in which he repeatedly sings sorry - emerged on Thursday.

The official version, in which Mr Clegg apologises for the Lib Dems breaking their pre-election pledge not to raise tuition fees, is to be officially broadcast on Monday - the third day of the party's autumn conference.

Asked about the spoof video's release, Lib Dem pensions minister Steve Webb joked that the party would be hiring the website to produce its next party political broadcast.

He told the BBC's Daily Politics that it "took guts" for Mr Clegg to make such a public apology and that political parties did not get anywhere without "taking chances".

"He knew this was going to be on You Tube," he said. "He knew it was going to be out there but he thought it was the right thing to do and I agree with him."

20 Sep, 2012

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Fewer civil servants get top pay

20 September 2012 Last updated at 07:03 ET

There are 57 fewer senior civil servants earning £150,000 or more a year than there were twelve months ago.

Newly published government figures show there are 234 people working in Whitehall earning £150,000 or more, down from 291 in 2011 and 372 in 2010.

The Cabinet Office said the salary bill for top-earners had been cut by 18% in the past year.

The highest-paid official was Dennis Hone, Olympic Delivery Authority boss, earning between £310,000 and £314,999.

He is the only government employee to earn more than £300,000.

However, 32 civil servants earned between £200,000 and £300,000, while 181 were paid between £150,000 and £200,000.

The Department of Health had the highest number of top-earning staff, with 42 on salaries in excess of £150,000.

This compared with 22 in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 16 in the Ministry of Defence, 13 each at the Cabinet Office and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and 11 at the Home Office.

Among the top earners across Whitehall last year were:

• General Sir David Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff, on £240,000-£244,999
• Sir David Nicholson, the NHS chief executive, on £265,000-£269,999
• Andrew Haines, chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority, on £260,000-£269,999
• Alan Langlands, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council, £230,000-£234,999

The country's most senior civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, was paid between £190,000 and £194,999.

BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said four civil servants at the rank of permanent secretary or chief executive got pay rises - two in the Department of Transport, and the bosses of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Serious Fraud Office.

In contrast, 20 of those earning more than £150,000 have had pay cuts.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said that since the coalition came to power there had been a 37% fall in the number of people working in central government earning £150,000 or more.

About £8.7m had been saved by cutting the bill for top earners between March 2011 and 2012, he added.

Thursday's figures cover those working in central government and public quangos but not local authorities.

Government adviser Lord Browne warned earlier this year that the coalition's crackdown on pay at the top echelons of the civil service was making it difficult to recruit "talented" staff.

While the calibre of civil servants was "generally very high", the former BP boss said there was a lack of staff with commercial skills or expertise in handling major projects.

20 Sep, 2012

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First minister risk register row

20 September 2012 Last updated at 02:28 ET By Toby Mason Political reporter, BBC Wales

The Welsh government has been criticised for refusing to publish its assessment of the risks it faces, despite making health boards do so.

The first minister personally turned down a BBC Wales request under the Freedom of Information Act to see the government's corporate risk register.

Carwyn Jones said its disclosure would cause "substantial harm".

The registers are a list of all risks an organisation faces - including financial, security and IT.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

It's important that people have access to this sort of information, and if they're trying to force health boards to publish, then they ought to do it themselves"

End Quote Darren Millar AM Assembly public accounts committee chair

Darren Millar AM, chair of the assembly's public accounts committee, said: "It smacks of double standards".

In June, Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said she would be instructing all seven local health boards (LHBs) in Wales to publish their own corporate risk registers on their websites.

The registers assess the likelihood of each risk happening, the impact each would have if they did, and counter-measures that could be put into effect.

The government describes its corporate risk register as laying out "the key risks to the overall delivery of the Welsh government's strategic priorities".

Many of the LHB risk registers, now in the public domain, contain highly sensitive concerns about risks to patient care.

Back in May, the Hywel Dda health board register warned of serious risks at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli.

Public alarm

Mr Millar called on the Welsh government to reconsider its position.

"It's important that people have access to this sort of information, and if they're trying to force health boards to publish, then they ought to do it themselves," he said.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The public interest in avoiding substantial harm to the matters protected by the exemptions cited above outweighs the public interest "

End Quote Welsh government

Asked whether the Welsh government was merely trying to avoid causing public alarm or protect sensitive security details, Mr Millar said he accepted that some information should not necessarily be published.

"I can only assume there are some things which understandably they do not want to publicise, such as detailed legal advice on a whole range of issues which might be inappropriate to place into the public domain," he said.

"But there are certainly pieces of information they could publish to bring them into line with what they are asking the health boards to do."

Alexandra Runswick, of the Unlock Democracy pressure group, backed the Welsh government's decision to get the health service risk registers published, but said it made the refusal to disclose its own difficult to understand.

She said the Welsh government needed to consider the implications of its decision on the culture of open government it was trying to foster.

BBC Wales has appealed against the first minister's decision not to publish the risk register.

The Welsh government has accepted there is a public interest in its disclosure.

'Prejudice and distort'

It added: "Release of the register may enable members of the public to understand better some of the issues facing the Welsh government when implementing its strategic programme."

But it also said that publication would make it harder for civil servants to give "free and frank advice" to ministers.

It warned: "Publishing risk registers may also appear to legitimise possible but unlikely risks.

"This could prejudice and distort informed public debate about important issues which in turn could have an impact on the conduct of public affairs.

"In addition the effective conduct of public affairs could be prejudiced if publication led to officials becoming less inclined to contemplate all possible risks and being less candid in advice offered."

It concluded: "We have weighed the competing public interest arguments and have concluded in this case that the public interest in avoiding substantial harm to the matters protected by the exemptions cited above outweighs the public interest in the disclosure of this information."

20 Sep, 2012

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Poor pupils 'lose out on funding'

20 September 2012 Last updated at 04:29 ET

More than half of schools given money to support poor pupils say it is having little or no impact on the way they provide for disadvantaged students.

Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw said it was a "real worry" if cash set aside in a government scheme was being diverted for "tarmacking playgrounds".

But schools minister David Laws said an "accountability mechanism" would help schools in England target the money.

The pupil premium is a key coalition policy, initiated by the Lib Dems.

Continue reading the main story

• The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011 for pupils in England from low-income families
• In 2011-12 it was set at £488 per pupil - £625m in total and in 2012/13 it rose to £600 - £1.25bn in total
• The premium is available for children eligible for free school meals and pupils in care
• It has been extended from 2012-13 to pupils who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the past six years
• Schools are free to spend the extra funding as they see fit but from September 2012, the government requires schools to publish information about how they use it
• There is also a service premium for children whose parents serve in the armed forces; this was £200 in 2011-12 and rose to £250 for 2012-13

Under the scheme, schools in disadvantaged areas in England are allotted £600 per head to help give extra support to poorer children.

The Ofsted report, which surveyed and inspected nearly 300 schools, found that half the schools thought the pupil premium was having a positive impact on raising achievement, but few could provide evidence to back this up.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Michael said: "We found that over 50% said that it was having either little or no impact on the way they organise and manage their schools in relation to the use of money on poor children.

"We find that surprising - this is a large chunk of public money."

Mr Laws said the government would not wish to "micro-manage" schools.

But he added: "Critically, while we're giving those schools freedom to use the money as they think best, we are also putting in place an accountability mechanism which will ensure that they use the money in the right way."

He said this meant that during visits to schools, Ofsted inspectors would "look at whether the schools are closing the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils".

Then inspectors would "look at the ways they are using the money" and be "critical" where this was not effective.

The report comes as other Liberal Democrat policies come under scrutiny, with leader Nick Clegg and Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable apologising for breaking their party's pledge to oppose increasing student tuition fees.

20 Sep, 2012

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Electric car money 'only for few'

19 September 2012 Last updated at 22:47 ET

Government spending of £11m to encourage people to drive electric cars has benefited only a "handful of motorists", MPs have said.

They also warned the scheme was being used to subsidise second cars for more affluent households.

In a report, the Transport Select Committee questioned whether this represented a good use of public money.

The government offers grants of up to £5,000 towards the cost of plug-in cars in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.

And a network of more than 1,600 public charging points has been set up across the country to encourage drivers to switch.

Chair of the cross-party committee, Louise Ellman MP said: "The government must do more to show that its plug-in vehicle strategy is a good use of public money.

'Far more work'

"Carbon emissions from transport must be reduced if the UK is to meet its climate change targets, but public money must be targeted on effective policies.

"So far, Department for Transport expenditure on plug-in cars - some £11m - has benefited just a handful of motorists.

"We were warned of the risk that the government is subsidising second cars for affluent households; currently plug-in cars are mostly being purchased as second cars for town driving."

The committee said it was unclear whether the government scheme, which was part of the coalition agreement, actually encouraged demand for plug-in cars.

The government had said it expects there to be tens of thousands of these cars on Britain's roads by 2015, with the number reaching six figures by 2020.

But the committee found that following the introduction of the grants in January 2011 only 1,052 eligible cars had been registered - up from 111 in 2010.

Ms Ellman said: "Ministers should not sit back and hope that the Government's policy on plug-in cars will reduce transport carbon emissions.

"Far more work is required to ensure that this programme is a good use of public funds."

In future, the government should set targets for the number of electric cars they expect to see on the roads and establish a national registry of vehicle charge points, the committee said.

20 Sep, 2012

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UK cities get fast broadband cash

20 September 2012 Last updated at 00:06

The government has announced how it will share the money promised to 10 UK cities to allow them to create superfast broadband networks.

London gets the largest share of the £114m pot with £25m, followed by Leeds and Bradford, which will divide £14.4m.

The money will be used to build city-wide networks, offering homes and businesses speeds of up to 100Mbps (megabits per second).

The government wants to make the UK the fastest place in Europe by 2015.

A further £50m is to be awarded to ten smaller cities.

Continue reading the main story

• London - £25m
• Leeds and Bradford - £14.4m
• Belfast - £13.7m
• Manchester - £12m
• Bristol - £11.3m
• Cardiff - £11m
• Edinburgh - £10.7m
• Birmingham - £10m
• Newcastle - £6m

Digital leaders

New culture secretary Maria Miller promised last week to cut the red tape associated with broadband rollouts.

She hopes that the city networks can be built soon.

"These 10 cities have produced ambitious and comprehensive plans, which will turn them into digital leaders, and give their local economies a real boost," she said.

The new investment will help put these cities at the centre of the digital stage, competing for jobs and investment with the best in the world," she added.

Alongside the government money, each city is expected to invest some of its own funds in the broadband projects.

The 10 cities' plans are expected to bring superfast broadband access (offering speeds between 80 and 100 megabits per second) to around an extra 230,000 residential and 55,000 business premises as well as high speed wireless to even more.

All the networks are due to be completed by 2015.

20 Sep, 2012

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Council opposes easier extensions

19 September 2012 Last updated at 22:57 ET

A Conservative council is set to defy the government over a relaxation of planning rules for building extensions.

The proposals, covering England and intended to boost the economy, will allow larger home and business extensions without planning permission.

But, amid fears of a rash of ugly extensions, Richmond council officials, in south-west London, are considering ways to circumvent the policy.

The government said councils still had powers to block developments.

A month-long consultation is currently under way on the proposal to ease rules, for a three-year period, on developments including home extensions of up to 8m - compared with the current 3-4m limit on extensions without planning permission.

Unveiling the proposals earlier this month, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "This government means business in delivering plans to help people build new homes and kick-start the economy.

"We're determined to cut through the bureaucracy that holds us back. That starts with getting the planners off our backs, getting behind the businesses that have the ambition to expand and meeting the aspirations of families that want to buy or improve a home."

But, according to BBC deputy political editor James Landale, the plan "has angered many Conservative MPs and councillors who think the policy would alienate many of the party's suburban supporters if unattractive extensions sprang up across the country".

'Foolish proposals'

The BBC has learned that Richmond council has formally agreed a motion to "oppose the government's proposals to significantly extend permitted development rights".

On Tuesday evening, council leader Nick True told colleagues: "I have already asked the chief executive with officers to consider what this council might be able to do if we are not successful in getting these, in my view, very foolish proposals changed."

Council officials said they were "reading through the proposals with legal advisers with a fine tooth-comb to identify any flexibility".

Conservative sources in Westminster said it was right for the party to support aspiration and people who wanted to improve their homes.

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "The government has eased the planning restrictions and costly bureaucracy that prevents families and businesses from making improvements to their properties because it will help thousands of people move up the property ladder or expand their business without having to relocate.

"However, if there are genuine local concerns councils can withdraw permitted development rights locally using existing powers - known as article four directions - if the exercise of those planning freedoms resulted in unacceptable impacts on their community."

20 Sep, 2012

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Nudge unit to advise in Australia

19 September 2012 Last updated at 22:50 ET

An "innovative" government unit set up by one of David Cameron's closest aides is to start exporting knowledge to Australia.

The "Nudge Unit" advises government on ways to encourage people to change behaviour, without using compulsion.

It claims to have helped increase court fine payments and late tax payments by employing its unusual techniques.

Ministers said the unit had saved taxpayers money and showed the UK was a world leader in behavioural change.

The approach is based on a school of thought that "nudging" people in a certain direction is more productive and cost-effective than trying to change behaviour by banning things or passing regulation.

It was championed by Steve Hilton, a former close aide to Prime Minister David Cameron, who helped establish the Behavioural Insights Team at No 10 after the 2010 general election.

'Global scale'

The government says the unit has identified at least £300m in savings since its launch, which has sparked the interest of the New South Wales government in Australia.

The unit claims to have helped the UK Court Service save £30m a year and reduce bailiff interventions by 150,000 by sending personalised text messages to those with outstanding court fines.

Telling late tax payers that other people in their town have already paid up has boosted payment rates by 15%, the unit said, generating another £30m in extra revenue.

Grants Shapps, a minister at the Cabinet Office, said: "As a government, we've led the way in this innovative field.

"Behavioural insight is about giving power back to the individual, encouraging them to think about their choices and how those choices will affect them in the long term.

"The work of the unit has improved public services and saved taxpayers' money - so I'm proud that it will be recognised on a global scale."

The Cabinet Office refused to reveal how much the deal with New South Wales is worth.

Chris Eccles, director general of the New South Wales Department for Premier and Cabinet, said: "We're delighted to be working in partnership with the Behavioural Insights Team to promote the greater application of behavioural insights in New South Wales.

"We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to improve service delivery and reduce the impact of regulation by enabling people to make better choices for themselves."

The unit was originally set up for a period of two years. However, it is set to continue after a recent review found it had met its objectives.

The prime minister said the unit should be allowed "greater freedom and flexibilities" to apply its approach within and outside government.

20 Sep, 2012

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Swinney budget to focus on growth

19 September 2012 Last updated at 19:50 ET

Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney has promised that his 2013/14 spending plans will be a "relentless pursuit of economic growth".

It is understood that the minister, who will present his budget to Holyrood later, will signal an end to the public sector pay freeze.

Mr Swinney has said that despite UK government cuts his budget will focus on growth.

Opposition MSPs have warned the economy must be at the heart of the plans.

The freeze on public sector pay for those earning more than £21,000 was implemented in the 2011/12 financial year and was due to come to an end in March 2013.

Mr Swinney has direct control over pay when it comes to Scottish government workers and staff at quangos, but local authority employees negotiate directly with council bosses.

The minister will tell MSPs how much money will be allocated to schools, the NHS, housing and other devolved areas from a total cash budget of £28.4bn.

Ahead of his budget address, he said: "At a time when we face significant economic challenges this government is focussed on jobs, economic growth, protecting public services and supporting Scotland's household budgets.

"The government has argued consistently that we need to have a strong programme of capital investment to support investment in the Scottish economy, in particular the construction sector."

Scottish Conservative finance spokesman, Gavin Brown, warned though that the budget had to put the economy centre stage and not just pay "lip service" to it.

Growth and fairness

He said: "In the past the SNP has simply talked about prioritising the economy without actually doing it. It is time for them to stop harming areas that help economic growth such as housing and colleges, and stop introducing Scotland-only taxes such as the damaging retail levy."

Labour's finance spokesman Ken Macintosh said he wanted to see a budget for jobs, growth and fairness.

He added: "It is scandalous that rather than putting in place a substantial employment programme, the SNP have now laid off more than 30,000 public sector workers in little more than a year.

"John Swinney needs to stop hiding behind Westminster or trying to blame our local authorities and start taking responsibility for his own budget decisions."

20 Sep, 2012

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MPs' call to halt Arctic drilling

19 September 2012 Last updated at 21:21 ET By Roger Harrabin Environment analyst

A committee of MPs has called for a moratorium on drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic until safety is improved.

They say current techniques for dealing with any spill do not inspire confidence.

The Environmental Audit Committee fears that a spill could have caused unprecedented environmental damage.

The MPs want to see a standard pan-Arctic spill response standard, unlimited liability for firms and an Arctic environmental sanctuary.

But the UK has no power over the Arctic - and Arctic states are under pressure to cash in on oil and gas.

The British government has observer status on the Arctic Council - the grouping of Arctic states that discusses Arctic issues.

The committee wants the UK to try to use its influence to improve environmental safeguards but in evidence the MPs heard, that governance of the region was fragmented and weak.

The BBC understands that relations between Russia and the other Arctic nations were particularly problematic.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office, which deals with Arctic issues for the UK, told BBC News: "The Arctic is changing rapidly, primarily as a result of climate change. It is not the Arctic of 20 years ago and it will likely be different again 20 years from now.

"The Government therefore welcomes the useful and timely Environmental Audit Committee's report into protecting the Arctic that explored many of the challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic.

"The Government is carefully considering the findings and recommendations made by the Committee and will formally respond in due course."

Sweden, currently in the chair of the Arctic Council, declined to comment on the moratorium proposal.

Put on ice

Arctic drilling has been happening since the 1920s, but it has become much more contentious as BP's Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico dominated the headlines whilst firms were scrambling to expand production in the far North.

BP's Arctic ambitions are temporarily on hold, but Shell has reputedly invested almost $5bn in its Arctic projects. It suffered a major setback at the weekend after a huge containment dome designed to corral any Arctic spill broke down under trials. Shell abandoned drilling for the winter.

The cost of extra safety investment may slow Arctic drilling for a while, especially as we are in a glut of cheap shale gas. But the committee heard that Lloyds estimated that investment in the Arctic could potentially reach $100bn or more over the next 10 years.

The committee heard from several witnesses that safety standards were inadequate. Prof Peter Wadhams, an Arctic ice expert from Cambridge University told them: "If they can't cap the blowout off, or drill a relief well before the winter, the blowout will operate right through the winter months, with oil and gas coming up under the ice.

"The oil coats the bottom of the ice, and if the ice is moving, which is often at about 10km a day, it acts like a great sheet of moving blotting paper, absorbing the oil coming up under it, and carrying it away downstream.

"You will have a trail of oiled ice floes 1,000 kilometres or more in length covering a whole swathe of the Arctic. The oil disappears into the interior of each floe, because new ice grows underneath it, so you have an 'oil sandwich' which lasts all through the winter.

"Then the oil rises to the top surface of the ice in the spring and summer and retains its toxicity. By now it is spread thinly around such a huge area that it is very, very difficult to … get rid of."

BP wouldn't give evidence to the MPs but Shell told them the spill response was adequate.

Coming clean

In fact, the company said that, in some circumstances, Arctic conditions would make it easier to recover oil. It said independent tests in Arctic conditions have shown that ice can slow oil weathering, dampen waves, prevent oil from spreading over large distances, and allow more time to respond.

Shell told MPs that in Alaska available mechanical recovery assets had "a combined capacity that exceeds the worst-case discharge potential of the well we are drilling".

A Scottish-based firm, Cairn Energy, suggested that "sections of oiled ice can be cut out and allow the ice to thaw in a heated warehouse and then separating the oil from its water".

The chair of the Committee, Joan Walley MP, said: "The oil companies should come clean and admit that dealing with an oil spill in the icy extremes of the Arctic would be exceptionally difficult."

"The infrastructure to mount a big clean-up operation is simply not in place and conventional oil spill response techniques have not been proven to work in such severe conditions."

Vicky Wyatt, head of Greenpeace's Arctic campaign, said: "Oil giants like Shell shouldn't be drilling in the fragile and pristine Arctic. By calling for a halt, these MPs have hit the nail on the head. An oil spill in this unique place would be catastrophic for the Arctic."

The committee also highlighted the irony that drilling was eased because the Arctic was already warming much faster than anywhere else on the planet.

Chris Barton, head of international energy security at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), told MPs that "we will still need more and new oil and gas production, and the likelihood is that some of that will come from the Arctic", even "if we hit our 2C (climate change) target".

He acknowledged that "ultimately we are going to need to reduce - if not very largely eliminate -our use of oil but it is not going to happen overnight".

The MPs said: "There appears to be a lack of strategic thinking and policy coherence within Government on this issue, illustrated by its failure to demonstrate how future oil and gas extraction from the Arctic can be reconciled to commitments to limit temperature rises to 2°C. The Government should seek to resolve this matter."

Follow Roger Harrabin on Twitter: @rogerharrabin

20 Sep, 2012

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Former MP in TV 'ecstasy trial'

19 September 2012 Last updated at 06:11 ET

An ex-Lib Dem MP has taken ecstasy as part of a televised experiment into the drug's effects, saying there should be "no, no-go areas" for medical research.

Evan Harris is among those taking part in a Channel 4 programme examining the effects of the Class A drug.

He said the show, criticised by some experts, was a "valuable opportunity" to discuss issues surrounding the drug.

And he said he wanted to help find a dose that might help treat depression without giving patients a high.

Dr Harris, a qualified doctor who lost his seat at the last election, is among a group of public figures who have taken MDMA, the pure form of ecstasy, or a placebo for a programme entitled Drugs Live: The Ecstasy Trial.

The programme, to be broadcast later this month, is part of a wider study into ecstasy and its effects on the brain led by Professor David Nutt, the government's former chief drugs adviser.

'Not raving'

After being given the drug, Dr Harris and the other volunteers were placed inside a brain scanner and their neurological activity monitored.

Continue reading the main story

If it is deemed ethical and useful by the experts, there should be no 'no-go areas' for research"

End Quote Evan Harris Former Lib Dem MP

He told Radio Times he had not agreed to take part "to get a free high" but because he wanted to help the study.

"In order to be allowed to take part in the trial, I needed to have taken ecstasy at least once before without any ill effects. Without going over 'my ecstasy history', I qualified."

He added: "It was not obvious to me when I was taking the MDMA (ecstasy) and when I was taking the placebo. But it was clear I was not raving."

In a separate statement, Dr Harris said he had long been an admirer of the work of Prof Nutt, who was sacked in 2009 after clashing with the then Labour home secretary Alan Johnson over drugs policy.

Prof Nutt was removed after saying cannabis was less harmful than alcohol or nicotine.

Dr Harris said the new study had been subject to an "ethical approval process for research involving healthy volunteers".

"We were all screened by medics and psychiatrists before giving our fully-informed consent to take part."

He added: "The trial could also pave the way to further research into potential therapeutic uses of MDMA, such as in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"If it is deemed ethical and useful by the experts, there should be no 'no-go areas' for research."

'Balanced information'

The TV programme, he added, offered a "a valuable opportunity" to discuss the issues surrounding ecstasy and a chance to give the public "balanced, evidence based information" about the drug.

Channel 4 has said the "brave and radical" programme would not glamorise drug use and would address the side-effects and dangers of taking the drug as well as any possible medical benefits.

But Julia Manning, chief executive of the think tank 2020 Health, has described it as "reckless and pointless".

Dr Harris is a former Lib Dem science spokesman.

He lost his Oxford West and Abingdon seat at the last election but has maintained a high profile within the party.

He is also a spokesman for Hacked Off - the campaign group seeking justice for victims of phone hacking.

19 Sep, 2012

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Youth jobs plan is 'insufficient'

19 September 2012 Last updated at 10:59 ET

The government's youth contract is not enough to tackle the scale of youth unemployment, a group of MPs has said.

The youth contract provides £1bn for a range of schemes aimed at getting young people into work.

The Work and Pensions Select Committee said the contract was "a good start" but alone would not be enough to tackle the high level of youth unemployment.

Ministers said thousands of young people had already benefited from the contract and many more would in future.

Labour said the report showed the government should "change course fast".

The government's youth contract brings together £1bn of funding for a number of schemes, up until 2015, to help get young people into work.

'Black hole'

Measures include providing 160,000 employers with a "wage incentive" of £2,275 to take on an unemployed 18-24 year-olds, 250,000 work experience placements and additional support from Jobcentre Plus.

If all targets are met, the contract is expected to create an additional 430,000 work opportunities over the next three years.

Dame Anne Begg, chair of the committee, said she welcomed the contract, particularly the increased support from Jobcentre Plus advisers and the widening of work experience opportunities.

The committee also praised the creation of a scheme targeted at 16 and 17 year-olds who are not in education, employment or training - the majority of whom do not receive support from Jobcentre Plus because they are not eligible to claim Jobseekers Allowance.

Dame Anne told BBC Radio 4's The World at One the number of people the government was expecting to help through the contract was "very, very ambitious".

She said: "There's no doubt that the government is making real attempts to get young people into work and they've realised the importance of young people getting work as soon as possible.

Continue reading the main story

It's a bit of everything so I can see what stuff I enjoy and I can get little qualifications just to add on to my CV. After college I want to do an apprenticeship in body piercing"

End Quote Chloe Taylor Student at Chichester College

"The part of the scheme that concentrates on 16 to 18 year olds is very welcome, because that's the group that very often are completely ignored. They fall into a black hole after they leave school.

"The difficulties are perhaps the volumes that they're expecting. It is very difficult to identify some of the people that might be helped on this."

'Wake-up call'

The committee said the government needed to widen its criteria for the scheme for 16 and 17 year-olds - which is currently only open to those with no GCSEs.

Dame Anne said: "There are lots of youngsters who might have one or two (GCSEs) but still have major barriers to work."

On wage incentives, the committee said their impact would be "only at the margins" and the government should keep under review the amount it pays employers.

More money may be needed in areas where youth unemployment is particularly high and to encourage the recruitment of disabled people and ethnic minorities.

The committee called for the government to simplify access for employers to the numerous schemes by setting up a dedicated telephone helpline for those who want to offer a job, training or work experience to young people.

Stephen Lloyd, a Lib Dem member of the committee, said: "The committee realises the youth contract is a serious attempt to deal with the current issues surrounding youth unemployment.

"During the committee's investigations we have highlighted some areas where improvements could be made and I am confident the coalition government will take our recommendations on board."

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: "Thousands of young people have already benefited from measures in the Youth Contract and over the next three years the package will give hundreds of thousands more the chance to earn or learn.

"But we know the Youth Contract alone won't tackle youth unemployment. That's why the government is working tirelessly to create the conditions for businesses to grow and create more jobs, we're reforming the education system to make sure pupils are equipped to take up new jobs and we also need employers to take up the help we are offering and give young people a chance."

Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said the report showed the government's plan for youth jobs "is failing and we need to change course fast".

He added: "This is now a very loud wake-up call, at a time when the country is in a double-dip recession made in Downing Street."

Ronan Dunne, chief executive of O2, said: "Today's report shows that the youth contract hasn't yet had the impact needed to tackle the level of UK youth unemployment.

"I believe that it's not only the businesses that have signed up to the youth contract who can act to help the one million unemployed young people, rather all businesses, big and small, have a role to play in supporting young people on their journey to work.

"This can be anything from offering quality work experience and apprenticeships through to mentoring."

19 Sep, 2012

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Welfare claims dubbed 'offensive'

19 September 2012 Last updated at 07:45 ET

Alex Salmond dismissed Iain Duncan Smith's claims as "nonsensical"

First Minister Alex Salmond has slammed as rubbish a UK welfare minister's claims that an independent Scotland could not finance a welfare system.

He said Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith's comment was totally "offensive and nonsensical".

On a visit to Glasgow, Mr Duncan Smith said services would have to be cut and taxes raised in a go-alone Scotland.

But Mr Salmond, who is in London meeting Prime Minister David Cameron, said Scotland could finance welfare.

The Scottish National Party-run Scottish government is planning to hold a referendum on independence in autumn 2014.

In an interview with the BBC outside Number 10 Downing Street, Mr Salmond said: "Yesterday in the Scottish Parliament we had in evidence somebody with disability, blindness, who is detailing how Iain Duncan Smith's changes to welfare had reduced him to penury in front of a Scottish Parliament committee and the man responsible for that has got the audacity to come to Scotland and tell us that we couldn't afford to have a compassionate and proper welfare protection."

He added: "We contribute 9.6% of the UK's taxation with 9.3% of the spending and just over 8% of the population - that is a relative surplus of £2.7bn in 2010/11, but £500 a head for every man, woman and child in the country.

"We could have less borrowing, more spending, we would certainly be able to sustain a position where we didn't reduce people with blindness to penury as Iain Duncan Smith is currently doing in Scotland."

Mr Duncan Smith is due to deliver a speech on the UK government's controversial welfare reform plans later at the Welfare to Work Scotland conference organised by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion.

Continue reading the main story

What they said

"Start Quote

If the unthinkable were to happen, a Scottish government would face a very stark choice of raising taxes or cutting services. "

End Quote Iain Duncan Smith Work and Pensions Secretary

"Start Quote

We would certainly be able to sustain a position where we didn't reduce people with blindness to penury as Iain Duncan Smith is currently doing in Scotland"

End Quote Alex Salmond Scotland's First Minister

Ahead of his address he said if Scotland leaves the Union it would be unable to meet the cost of getting people into employment or adequately supporting those who cannot work.

At the conference he is set to discuss the impact of the proposed universal credit system and is expected to touch on the independence debate.

Welfare spending is 6% higher north of the border, according to Mr Duncan Smith and he warned that North Sea oil and gas revenues would not meet the costs.

He said: "Due to the reliance on the old heavy industries in many parts of the country, it makes perfect sense that we need to spend more money per head of population on welfare support in Scotland.

"I have no problem with that.

"Thankfully, due to the United Kingdom and the commitment of the Westminster government, we are able to ensure that money brought in, whether it be from the City of London or from North Sea oil, can be pooled and directed to wherever it is needed most.

"If the unthinkable were to happen, a Scottish government would face a very stark choice of raising taxes or cutting services.

"This is not scaremongering, it's reality."

Mr Duncan Smith said universal credit would make a "radical" difference to getting people back into the workplace in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Under the scheme there would be a single monthly benefit payment, rather than weekly or fortnightly as at present, for people looking for work or on a low income.

Launched next year, it will replace income-based jobseeker's allowance, housing payments and other benefits.

In the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, members of the Welfare Reform Committee heard from MSPs have been told how a blind former health worker, Henry Sherlock, who said he had been reduced to begging as a result of the UK government's welfare reforms.

He told the politicians: "I thought the days of the blind man begging with a cup on street corners were gone. Sadly, that is not the case."

19 Sep, 2012

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Lib Dems' mood 'has transformed'

18 September 2012 Last updated at 10:06 ET By Justin Parkinson Political reporter, BBC News

Nick Clegg has "transformed the mood" of the Liberal Democrats through his "robust" dealings with the Conservatives over the summer, deputy leader Simon Hughes has said.

The Lib Dems' annual conference, which begins in Brighton this weekend, follows recent disappointment on the key policy of House of Lords reform.

But Mr Hughes said Mr Clegg was now determined to push a "fair tax" agenda.

He added that the deputy prime minister was under no threat as party leader.

The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition has been in place since May 2010, meaning it is almost halfway through its intended life, with the next general election due in 2015.

The Lib Dems' long-cherished desire to bring in an elected House of Lords ended in disappointment over the summer, amid widespread opposition from Conservative MPs.

'Huge cloud'

In return, Mr Clegg has refused to support a redrawing of boundaries for parliamentary seats, a policy backed by the Tories.

Mr Hughes told a pre-conference briefing: "When the Tories decided to pull the plug on Lords reform, Nick robustly made clear that boundary changes would not go ahead. That lifted a huge cloud from many members around the country."

He added: "It's transformed the mood of [parliamentary] colleagues and of the party."

The Lib Dem conference will still include a debate on how Lords reform can be revisited, as well as others on subjects including a wealth tax, benefit reforms and the creation of more housing.

Mr Hughes said: "It's fair to say it's about positioning ourselves, making sure people understand what we stand for, and what should be our priority as we end the first half of the coalition and go into the second half."

Opinion polls have suggested a fall in support for the Liberal Democrats since the 2010 General Election, but Mr Hughes insisted this was a normal part of being a mid-term government and that this year's local elections had "not been good for the Tories either".

He argued that recent internal polling had shown the Lib Dems were becoming known among voters as the "fair tax party", a theme the leadership is keen to develop at the conference.

Mr Clegg and his colleagues have frequently stated the case for a "wealth tax", to go with the "mansion tax" on large houses which remains policy.

A working party has been established to look at coming up with specific policies, which Mr Hughes said would be unveiled "in about a year".

The Lib Dem conference, the first of the autumn season, runs from Saturday to Wednesday.

18 Sep, 2012

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Business bank will 'need £40bn'

18 September 2012 Last updated at 19:07 ET

The government-backed "business bank" planned by Business Secretary Vince Cable will need £40bn to successfully boost lending to UK firms, says the think tank IPPR.

It says the bank must also be able to tap bond markets for up to £100bn.

The IPPR also suggests the government allow the bank to invest in infrastructure projects such as road building to help reflate the economy.

Mr Cable announced plans for the business bank last week.

He hopes such a bank will "shake up the market" and help boost overall lending to firms.

How the bank will be structured and funded is still being worked out.

Sketchy

Details on what form the business bank will take have yet to be revealed. Nor have any details been released about what firms it will aim to lend to, or the length in years of any loan agreements.

Continue reading the main story

Banks lend primarily on assets. Clearly that has failed"

End Quote Federation of Small Businesses

Mr Cable, a Liberal Democrat member of the coalition government, has said the details are still in "gestation" but "may" involve some state lending, although the Treasury, with Conservative Chancellor George Osborne in charge, is understood to be against this.

The IPPR's chief economist, Tony Dolphin, said: "Because the chancellor will not spend more government money boosting aggregate demand in the economy, he has been reduced to indirect schemes like funding for lending to support growth.

"What we need in the UK is a fully-fledged British investment bank designed to suit the particular circumstances of our economy."

The think tank points out that the £40bn of government capital it believes is needed to kick start the project is unlikely to appeal to the chancellor as it would make it unlikely he would meet his fiscal targets designed to rein in government spending and cut the gap between income and spending.

19 Sep, 2012

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Ken Clarke jokes 'were distorted'

19 September 2012 Last updated at 06:15 ET

Conservative cabinet minister Ken Clarke has reportedly joked that Chancellor George Osborne and Business Secretary Vince Cable have each urged him to "keep an eye" on the other.

The ex-justice secretary said he was "pleased" to get a roving economic role in the recent reshuffle, the London Loves Business website added.

The Tories had "accidentally drifted to the right", he reportedly said.

But Mr Clarke accused the website of "distortions" in quoting his speech.

The 72-year-old, the most experienced member of the government, was demoted to become minister without portfolio in David Cameron's shake-up of this top team earlier this month.

'Right approach'

Having served as chancellor during the 1990s, he is said to have a "roving role" within the Cabinet Office, including looking at the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition's economic policy.

In a speech to the Tory Reform Group at London's Carlton Club, he reportedly said: "[Conservative] George [Osborne] wants me in to keep an eye on [Liberal Democrat] Vince [Cable], and Vince wants me in to keep an eye on George".

He was described as praising Prime Minister David Cameron for coping "with the right [of the Conservative Party] acting up again".

Mr Clarke, who is pro-European and seen as being on the Tory left, and therefore closer in views to the Lib Dems than many of his colleagues, reportedly added: "The party has accidentally drifted to the right."

He defined his own job as "slotting into the bewildering range of things that the government is doing", calling its agenda an "alphabet soup", it was added.

But Mr Clarke issued a statement following the reporting of his speech, saying: "They give the opposite impression to the serious points I clearly made. It is slightly altered little phrases taken from different jokes and put together.

"I made the case for a successful coalition and stated there was no ideological divide within it on economic policy. On the economy I stressed that we were in for the long haul and that the chancellor's approach is the right one.

"I also said in passing that the reshuffle should not be interpreted as a shift to the right. Even I am surprised at distortions on this sort of scale."

The journalist who reported Mr Clarke's comments, Asa Bennett, said he had received an e-mail stating he was banned from attending future Tory Reform Group events.

19 Sep, 2012

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Clegg apology over tuition pledge

19 September 2012 Last updated at 13:23 ET

Nick Clegg has apologised for the Lib Dems breaking their pledge to oppose an increase in student tuition fees.

In a party political broadcast to be aired next week, the Lib Dem leader says he is sorry the party "did not stick" to its pre-election promise.

"When you have made a mistake you should apologise," he adds.

The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Clegg had resisted making such a "clear and direct" apology for nearly two years.

Mr Clegg believed the decision to break his word by first signing then breaking a pledge to vote against fee rises had become a weight around his and his party's ankles, Nick Robinson added.

However, Mr Clegg does not apologise for backing the decision to raise fees.

He continues to argue it was the right move in the circumstances and the package offered by the coalition - in which no fees are paid upfront - was fairer for students than the previous system of university finance.

MPs approved plans in 2010 to allow universities in England and Wales to charge annual tuition fees of up to £9,000, nearly three times the previous £3,200 limit.

'Not easy'

Before the 2010 election, all Lib Dems had said they would oppose any rise in fees.

More than 21 Lib Dem MPs voted against the proposals at the time, including former leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell, while a further eight abstained or did not vote.

Mr Clegg was among 27 Lib Dems to support the proposals.

In next week's broadcast, filmed in Mr Clegg's home, the deputy prime minister returns to an issue which has been the source of the biggest division in the party since it came to power in May 2010.

"There's no easy way to say this: we made a pledge, we didn't stick to it - and for that I am sorry," he says.

"When you've made a mistake you should apologise. But more importantly - most important of all - you've got to learn from your mistakes. And that's what we will do.

"I will never again make a pledge unless as a party we are absolutely clear about how we can keep it."

Speaking to the BBC in 2010, Mr Clegg said he was "not going to apologise for this for one minute", adding that "to govern is to choose particularly when there is not very much money".

The development comes ahead of the start of the Lib Dems autumn conference on Saturday.

20 Sep, 2012

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'Good discussion' on referendum

19 September 2012 Last updated at 10:23 ET

Scotland's first minister said he had a "good discussion" with Prime Minister David Cameron about the planned referendum on Scottish independence.

Alex Salmond said there was "goodwill" towards having the referendum format settled in "the next few weeks".

However, the Work and Pensions Minister has sparked anger from Mr Salmond after claiming an independent Scotland could not finance its welfare system.

Mr Salmond said Iain Duncan Smith's words were "offensive and nonsensical".

The Tory minister, who was in Glasgow for the Welfare to Work Scotland conference, said services would have to be cut and taxes raised.

Mr Salmond, who wants to hold the vote in autumn 2014, has warned that a referendum deal could still be blown off course.

Continue reading the main story

I have again urged the chancellor to perform another budget u-turn by announcing an extra £5bn in capital investment"

End Quote Alex Salmond First Minister

The first minister was speaking after a regular meeting between ministers from the devolved administrations and the UK government.

Mr Cameron hosted the Joint Ministerial Committee in London in which the economy and aviation policy were on the agenda.

During the get-together, Mr Salmond called for Westminster to allow infrastructure projects worth £400m to go ahead now as a means of stimulating the Scottish economy.

The first minister also raised the issue of air links to Scotland and devolving air passenger duty.

Mr Salmond said: "As the Scottish budget will outline tomorrow, we are aggressively targeting actions, within the constraints imposed on us, to stimulate the Scottish economy through capital investment to inject the biggest possible stimulus into the economy to boost jobs.

"In June this government announced our plans for a £105m package of economic stimulus which will maximise opportunities to create jobs and growth. We recognise that action around investment is required now - not in three years time.

"That is why I have again urged the chancellor to perform another budget u-turn by announcing an extra £5bn in capital investment, which would allow us to provide an additional stimulus of more than £400m to support employment in Scotland now."

He added that in March the prime minister had asked the Scottish government to provide a list of projects which were shovel-ready. Mr Salmond stated: "Despite providing the list, and repeated requests, no funding has yet been provided for these."

Meanwhile, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Secretary Michael Moore have held more referendum talks.

After the talks Ms Sturgeon said she was ''very optimistic'' that the details over the timing and questions on the ballot paper could be resolved soon.

The two sides will hold further talks next week.

19 Sep, 2012

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New guidelines on domestic abuse

18 September 2012 Last updated at 19:06 ET

The definition of domestic abuse has been widened so it covers forms of non-violent coercive behaviour and under-18s for the first time.

It means behaviour such as preventing partners from leaving the house or having access to a phone could lead to a prosecution.

It is hoped the broadened definition will increase awareness of what domestic abuse is and who suffers it.

The Home Office says more prosecutions could be brought as a result.

It also wants more youngsters to come forward and access the support they need - for example, speaking to someone about the abuse or contacting a helpline or a specialist service.

'Horrific'

The changes, which will be implemented in March 2013, follow calls from local authorities, police and voluntary organisations.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "These changes are about government taking a lead to help expose the true face of domestic violence, which is much more complex and much more widespread than people often realise.

"Suffering at the hands of people who are meant to care for you is horrific at any age. But it can be especially damaging for young people - the scars can last a lifetime.

"Campaigners, councils, the police - the people on the front line - have called for this new definition so that they can do their job and provide victims with the right support."

There is no specific criminal offence of domestic violence. Instead, a definition that refers to "incidents of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse" was adopted in 2004.

But ministers say that has led police and prosecutors to make too narrow an interpretation of the term and let some perpetrators off the hook.

Teenagers

Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of charity, the NSPCC said: "Domestic abuse it not just an issue for adults, but also for teenagers. ChildLine receives around 3,000 contacts a year from young people about this issue.

"Teenage years are difficult at the best of times but a lack of experience in relationships and issues with self-confidence can mean young people feel they have nowhere to turn.

"Many victims, as well as perpetrators, come from abusive homes themselves and therefore don't realise how wrong these kind of relationships are."

Chief Executive of 4Children Anne Longfield said the plans to broaden the definition of domestic violence would be welcomed throughout homes across the UK, as it acknowledges that violence towards a partner can often encompass a variety of harms beyond the physical.

"However, there should be concern that these proposals may not have gone far enough by failing to encompass violence between other members of a family.

"Domestic violence is too often seen as partner on partner, but it far more complex than that, and needs wider definition."

19 Sep, 2012

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Police killer death penalty call

18 September 2012 Last updated at 17:56 ET

Bringing back the death penalty for those who kill police officers should be considered, Conservative peer Lord Tebbit has said.

He said he was reluctant to see the routine arming of police officers, but the "deterrent effect of the shadow of the gallows" should be reconsidered.

It follows the fatal shooting of two police officers in Greater Manchester.

Lord Tebbit has long supported a return of the death penalty in certain circumstances.

As an MP he voted a number of times to bring back capital punishment for murderers, including those who kill police officers.

'Violent criminals'

Writing on The Daily Telegraph website, he said: "The murder of two unarmed women police officers is bound to reignite the debate over whether our police officers should be armed as a matter of routine and whether there should be a return to capital punishment for limited categories of murder, such as that of a police officer, or more generally."

The former chairman of the Conservative Party rejected calls for the arming of police because it would "widen the gap which has grown between the police and the public in recent years".

But, he said, there had been "far too many killings" recently where it was impossible not to wonder if the threat of an "early dawn walk to the gallows" would have changed the actions of the perpetrator.

"The hard fact is, as violent criminals know perfectly well, a credible threat that a man will lose his life unless he complies with a demand usually results in obedience."

Lord Tebbit said concerns that such a penalty would lead to miscarriages of justice - with the innocent executed - would be mitigated by the care juries would take deliberating when they knew a person's life was at stake.

He said: "I have kept track year by year since the death penalty was suspended, then abolished, of the number of people who have been killed by persons previously convicted of homicide.

"It has averaged three people a year. About 150 people killed because their killers have been freed to kill again.

"Would our courts have sentenced to death three innocent people a year, year in year out? I doubt it.

"I think it is time we thought again about the deterrent effect of the shadow of the gallows."

19 Sep, 2012

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London 2012 legacy plan published

18 September 2012 Last updated at 15:25 ET

The government has published a 10-point plan for securing a lasting legacy from the Olympic Games.

Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said momentum needed to be maintained if the commitment to "inspire a generation" was to be achieved.

Elite sports funding will continue up until 2018, there will be a youth sports strategy and £1.5m invested in disability sport.

Mr Robertson said MPs would be updated quarterly on the delivery of the plan.

Following the success of Team GB and Paralympics GB there has been discussion about the best way to build a legacy for the Games.

'Structured targets'

Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Lord Coe, who chaired Games organiser Locog, as the UK's Olympics legacy ambassador.

He advises Mr Cameron on the best ways to secure long-term benefits for the UK.

The government has now set out a 10-point legacy plan, which MPs will be kept up to date on.

It includes:

• £125m per year funding for elite sport over the next four years - up until Rio 2016.
• £300m investment to turn the Olympic site into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, open to the community.
• Bringing 20 major sporting events to UK by 2019, with more bids in progress.
• Sport England's £135m Places People Play legacy programme to fund new facilities, volunteering and participation programmes.
• £1bn investment over the next five years in the Youth Sport Strategy, linking schools with sports clubs and encouraging sporting habits for life.
• Government support for the Join In programme to build on the spirit of volunteering seen at the Games by getting people to volunteer at their local sports club.
• Introduction of the School Games programme sponsored by Sainsburys to boost schools sport and county sport festivals.
• More done to ensure PE in schools is available to all.
• £1.5m funding to the English Federation of Disability Sport to increase participation in sports by disabled people.
• Continue funding for International Inspiration, the UK's international sports development programme, to 2014.

The Sport and Recreation Alliance, an umbrella organisation for sports bodies, welcomed the "clear and transparent plan" but said "structured targets" were needed to measure the achievements from the different programmes.

Andy Reed, chair of the Sport and Recreation Alliance said: "Many of the projects set out in the plan will rely on the support of community sports clubs and they, in turn, rely on volunteers to survive.

"Sports clubs face a range of challenges to their survival and many are struggling to make ends meet. We need to do more to support them to avoid the risk of damaging the infrastructure which will provide this legacy."

19 Sep, 2012

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IPPR wins ministerial advice bid

18 September 2012 Last updated at 12:53 ET

One of Tony Blair's favourite think tanks has won a groundbreaking policy formation role at the heart of the coalition government.

The Institute for Public Policy Policy Research will be the first outside group to be allowed to develop policy alongside civil servants.

The move is part of Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude's plan to shake-up Whitehall.

Think tanks normally come up with policy ideas separately from ministers.

There are dozens of such groups based at Westminster, employing academics and policy experts from across the political spectrum.

The IPPR, which was formed in the late 1980s by left-leaning academics and was highly influential on government policy during the Blair years, will receive £50,000 to look at how the civil service works in other countries, particularly New Zealand.

It will report back to ministers with recommendations on future reform.

The government said the IPPR's contract was the first step to their goal of making "open policy making" the default.

'Arrogant'

The think tank will look at the organisation of the civil service in a number of countries including Australia, Singapore and Sweden.

Ministers are particularly keen to examine administrations where officials are politically appointed by the government of the day - like in the US and France - rather than permanent as is the case in the UK.

And the system in New Zealand, where officials have a contractual responsibility to their ministers to deliver policies, is seen as something that could improve how policies are implemented.

Mr Maude denied the IPPR had been chosen to provide political cover for any controversial changes, insisting there was a cross-party feeling that reform was necessary.

"I have always said that, although our civil service has many strengths, it would be arrogant to assume that there is nothing that we can learn from other countries," he said.

The think tank is expected to provide a "menu" of options for reform by the end of Autumn.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood said: "This is very important for the Civil Service.

"I know how good civil servants are at policy making, and I also know how powerful opening the process up to new ideas and challenges can be."

The fund for commissioning external policy research is available to all departments and is worth up to £1m a year.

19 Sep, 2012

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Prince letters to be made public

18 September 2012 Last updated at 08:55 ET

An appeal court has ruled that correspondence between Prince Charles and the government should be published.

Rob Evans, a Guardian journalist, submitted a freedom of information request to see the letters but this was denied by the information commissioner.

However, the appeal court said it was in the public interest "for there to be transparency as to how and when Prince Charles seeks to influence government".

Seven departments will now have to disclose the requested correspondence.

Mr Evans wanted to see letters between Prince Charles and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department of Health, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (which is now the Department for Education), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Northern Ireland Office and the Cabinet Office.

Previously, the information commissioner had denied the request, but the Administrative Appeals Chamber said the commissioner had given "insufficient weight to the public interest".

The court said: "Under relevant legislative provisions Mr Evans will, in the circumstances of the present case, generally be entitled to disclosure of 'advocacy correspondence' falling within his requests.

"The essential reason is that it will generally be in the overall public interest for there to be transparency as to how and when Prince Charles seeks to influence government."

The tribunal decision was unanimous.

Instructions have now been given to the relevant departments to identify the information to be published.

18 Sep, 2012

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Capita gets migrant removal job

18 September 2012 Last updated at 07:41 ET

Services company Capita has won a government contract to find and remove more than 150,000 migrants who have overstayed their visas, it has been revealed.

The payment-by-results deal is worth up to £40m, chief executive of the UK border agency Rob Whiteman told MPs.

He was unable to tell MPs what target the company had been set for removals.

The 150,000 have been denied permission to stay in the UK but have gone missing.

Immigration inspectors revealed the existence of the "migration refusal pool" - a backlog of more than 150,000 cases involving people who have been refused permission to stay in Britain but whose whereabouts are unknown - in July.

It was discovered by the new chief inspector of immigration, John Vine, during his first inspection of a local immigration team.

Mr Whiteman told MPs four companies had shortlisted for the contract to deal with the backlog, including Serco, which had been carrying out the work on an ad hoc basis.

He said Capita would be paid by results - but could not say what their target was, as the pool was growing all the time as more migrants were denied the right to stay in the UK.

"It could not be zero, otherwise it would mean we are not doing any work," Mr Whiteman told the home affairs committee.

He also revealed that 26 charter flights carrying asylum seekers last year had more immigration staff on board than deportees.

He said this figure was down from 40 four years ago but accepted further savings could be made.

18 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19637409#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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UK 'suspends 100% border checks'

18 September 2012 Last updated at 06:49 ET

Immigration checks at British ports and airports have been relaxed to speed up queues, says the UK border force chief.

Parties of schoolchildren from EU countries are being allowed in without their passports being checked, Brian Moore told MPs.

He denied it was an end to 100% border controls, saying adults accompanying the children would still be checked.

But committee chairman Keith Vaz said it was a return to the "risk-based" system axed by the home secretary.

18 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19635224#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Benefit inflation link faces axe

18 September 2012 Last updated at 06:33 ET

The government is considering breaking the link between inflation and the automatic annual increase in benefits, the BBC understands.

Many benefits - excluding the state pension - would be frozen for two years, with future increases pegged to average earnings rather than prices.

Jobseeker's Allowance would get an estimated £60, rather than the current £71 a week, as a result of the change.

A senior Labour MP warned millions of low-paid workers could lose out.

Dame Ann Begg, chairman of of the commons work and pensions committee, told BBC News: "More than 50% of benefits go to people in work but on the low pay end.

"So give the double whammy of lower wages and lower benefits and they are going to be hurt badly."

Wealth taxes

In recent years inflation has risen at a far higher rate than average earnings - Whitehall officials say a switch since 2008/9 would have saved £14bn.

The government needs to find £10bn of extra savings in the welfare budget.

But sources told the BBC's Newsnight that the detail of how to make these cuts had not yet been discussed. They would not be drawn on which policies were being looked at.

If Prime Minister David Cameron pushes ahead with the plan it is likely to spark a furious row between the Conservatives and their coalition partners the Liberal Democrats, who have repeatedly blocked moves to cut benefits.

Many Lib Dems believe the coalition should find the further £10bn of cuts through tax rises such as wealth taxes and there should be no further cuts to welfare.

An increasing number believe the welfare budget is already straining to bring in its current £18bn of cuts.

The IPPR think tank has estimated that had benefits been linked to earnings, not inflation, over the last few years, Jobseeker's allowance would be a weekly £66.81 rather than £71.

'Chaotic'

Sources said they were mindful of the risk of pushing benefit claimants into poverty, but that there was potential for massive savings.

"Benefits are rising faster than earnings; this does not encourage people to go to work. Benefits were never meant to be a salary replacement," one official told the BBC.

It comes amid reports Prime Minister David Cameron wants to "put the brakes on" planned reforms to the state pension, which would see the introduction of a flat rate of about £140 a week.

The reforms, announced in Chancellor George Osborne' s March Budget, would see the end of the state second pension.

But the Financial Times reports Mr Cameron has ordered a rethink over fears the move would alienate many Conservative voters including high earners who would no longer be able to boost their retirement incomes through the state second pension.

Commenting on stories about pensions and benefits, Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said: "Iain Duncan Smith's department is now so chaotic they can't even agree with themselves - with this shambles it's no wonder half the Cabinet wanted him sacked.

"If David Cameron and George Osborne want to start to fill the big hole in the public finances caused by the failure of their economic plan, they should start by looking at their tax cut for millionaires."

Labour leader Ed Miliband last week confirmed his party would be forced to cut benefits if it returned to power but would place the emphasis on "predistribution" to ensure the low paid got better paid jobs.

18 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19635218#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Claims UK aiding US drone attacks

18 September 2012 Last updated at 05:38 ET

The UK should come clean about alleged help it is giving to the US secret services to find drone attack targets, a former senior law officer has said.

Former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald said there was "pretty compelling" evidence listening post GCHQ was passing information to the US.

Pakistan has repeatedly protested that the unmanned attacks on al-Qaeda and Taliban targets are a "violation of its sovereignty and international law".

The Foreign Office declined to comment.

Lord Macdonald told The Times newspaper: "The evidence is pretty compelling that we are providing that kind of information to the Americans.

"The British people have a right to know about the policies being pursued by their government.

"I've been to Pakistan and I have seen what drone strikes can do.

"Innocent people do get killed as a result of misplaced strikes.

"It is also succeeding in creating a new generation of people with huge resentment against the West, fuelling the kind of terrorism we are trying to fight.

"The fact this is one-sided, mechanised and robotic gives these strikes a particularly sinister dimension."

Lord Macdonald's call comes after reports a GCHQ official admitted the agency was proud of providing "locational intelligence" to the CIA.

The peer said: "If that is right, it strikes me as difficult for the government to sustain the position that they are not going to comment.

"Presumably if GCHQ are saying that, then one presumes they are reflecting government policy in saying it."

Earlier this year David Anderson, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislations, warned the government could face civil legal action over possible complicity.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "It's the UK's long-standing policy not to comment on intelligence matters."

18 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19633990#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Inflation rate falls back to 2.5%

18 September 2012 Last updated at 05:26 ET

The annual rate of inflation in the UK, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), fell back to 2.5% in August from 2.6% the month before.

The Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation measure, which includes housing costs, fell to 2.9% from 3.2%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The fall was partly due to smaller rises in furniture and gas prices.

The CPI inflation rate rose in July, but has been falling steadily since peaking at 5.2% in September last year.

The latest figures show that prices were 2.5% higher in August than they were in the same month last year.

Further falls?

The ONS said smaller rises in the price of clothing had also contributed to the fall in the rate of inflation - the price rises recorded in July had been the largest on record.

This helped to offset bigger rises in the price of petrol and a rise in the cost of rail travel, which had fallen a year earlier.

Analysts had expected the CPI rate to fall following the rise to 2.6% in July, which was also down to rising air fares and an early end to sales due to the Olympics.

ONS Director Richard Campbell: "Important to look at the general inflation trend"

They said they now expected the inflation rate to continue to fall towards the Bank of England target of 2%.

James Knightley from ING told the BBC that, despite upward pressure from commodity, fuel and food prices, he expected inflation to be "a little bit lower by the end of the year".

Peter Dixon from Commerzbank agreed: "From here on we should be looking at lower rates for some time".

More stimulus?

Analysts suggested that the falling inflation rate eased concerns that the Bank's policy of pumping money into the economy to stimulate demand - known as quantitative easing (QE) - could lead to inflation picking up.

The UK economy has contracted for the past three quarters and the Bank announced another £50bn of QE in July, taking the total amount of money it has injected into the economy under this programme to £375bn.

Some analysts suggested this total could rise again later this year, as the economy struggles to exit recession.

"We doubt that the outlook for inflation will dissuade the [Bank] from announcing more asset purchases later this year," said Samuel Tombs from Capital Economics.

18 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19633582#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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