The drive is on across Europe to raise standards of public service. Initiatives to bring improvements include better access to information in Austria through hotlines, reducing contact points in Spain through a one stop counters and in Italy with the conference of services. 

 All government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are being asked to compare their plans for improving environmental performance with new guidelines issued by the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions. The move is designed to make the process of government greener and to integrate environmental considerations into all decisions. Minister will monitor progress through target setting and monitoring results. 

 A key element of the Better Government White paper due in the Summer will be a focus on the needs of people for all the public services they receive. This focus will result in removing traditional boundaries between public service bodies.
Dr David Clark, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has announced that the first programme putting this principle into practice, Better Government for Older People, will be launched on 5 June. There will be 28 pilot projects covering the whole of the UK. 

The announcement by Frank Dobson, Secretary of State for Health, of boundary changes for health and social services in London, is a major step in getting the structure ready for the Greater London Authority. The new Authority and the Mayor for London would not be able to carry out their strategic role effectively if the boundaries of other public bodies did not coincide with those of the Authority.
The changes to health boundaries will result in a new NHS region embracing the whole of London. 

For those who are able to demonstrate a record of positive achievement at senior management level in a Government Department or large multi-disciplinary organisation there is an opening for a new career in the Court Service. 

Major projects of the Ministry of Defence are three years late and in total £3b over budget. In its Annual Report the National Audit Office details where the slippage and cost escalation has taken place and analyses the causes.The Report shows a decline in the effectiveness of project management. The cost variance over the last five years shows an average increase from 2.6 to 7.5 per cent of approved costs. The time variance has moved from an average delay of 32 months to 37 months. 

The research programme announced by Local Government Minister Hilary Armstrong is designed to support the Government’s modernisation agenda. The Best Value initiative is stimulating innovation across all areas of council activities and one of the key research projects will look at innovation and best practice. 

The public health Green Paper, Our Healthier Nation, places emphasis on health inequalities. It recognises that the causes of ill health are directly related to social and economic factors and highlights the relationship between poverty and health. 

Local councils are barred from marketing their services to other public or private sector bodies. The legislation forbidding trading is based on the belief that it would be unfair to private companies if, for example, councils were able to offer IT services to another council or housing management services to a property company. 

Ideas for delivering better public services and expertise in putting them into practice are being exported to Europe and the rest of the world. The ideas and expertise span across health strategy, finance, organisational performance and training.The European Commission plans for a community-wide framework to improve public health mirror Britain’s new public health strategy.