The Government says it wants to launch a major national debate, following the receipt of Lord Jenkins’ report into Britain’s voting system.Responding to the report, Home Secretary Jack Straw said: “The Government wants to study the report in detail. It is also keen to encourage a wide debate in Parliament, in political parties and across the country as a whole.
“No decisions have been taken as to the timing of a referendum on this issue. 

Reforms by the Government to the benefits system aim to be effective by using a customer-focussed approach.Its ’single gateway’ into the benefits system should mean people are less likely to miss out on what help is on offer due to bureaucracy. It also appears to make avoiding receipt of help back into work that bit more difficult. The system will be piloted in four areas of the UK from June next year. 

By Sue Goss and Charles LeadbeaterPublic sector managers are under increasing pressure to deliver better services but, despite government reforms of recent years, they still encounter significant barriers. The public sector is still slow to learn the lessons both of good practice and of service barriers. It is often too concerned about outputs rather than outcomes.
Civic Entrepreneurship argues that those problems - to a large extent - can be faced and overcome. 

The Government says that manufacturers must reduce the environmental impacts of the consumer goods they produce.Environment Minister Michael Meacher has launched a consultation paper setting how the Government will work with business to help consumers choose, use and dispose of products in a sustainable way.
It sets out the blueprint for how this will be achieved, starting out with those products where change will bring about the most impact. 

Big improvements have been seen in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer across the country, according to the Department of Health.It follows the allocation of 20 million pounds of extra funding given to breast cancer services by the Government since May last year.
Baroness Hayman, Parliamentary Secretary for Health, said: “Progress reports from the eight English health regions show this money is delivering real improvements on the ground. 

Hall L, Torrington DHuman Resource Management Journal, (UK), Vol 8 No 1 98
Start page: 41 No of pages: 15
Investigates if the rhetoric surrounding the devolution of day-to-day personnel matters to line managers in the UK is being translated into action on the ground, and if this is happening, the form this takes. Reviews the literature on devolution and human resource management and the critiques that have been made of it. 

Parents who increasingly want to use comparative information about schools to help them choose what is best for their child have seen their task made easier by OFSTED.OFSTED, the government department with responsibility for the inspection of all schools in England, has redesigned and expanded its Internet website.
It means improved public access to over 24,000 school inspection reports, 18,000 nursery reports and a range of other publications. 

Nationwide access for travellers to co-ordinated information about all public transport took a major step forward with the first industry-wide Public Transport Information Conference in London.Transport Minister Glenda Jackson said the conference was an excellent example of transport operators, local authorities and technology specialists working in partnership. 

Local councils are calling for more power to help them eliver the Government’s target of 4.4 million new houses by 2011.A report by the Local Government Association calls for a package of financial and planning measures from central government to help councils provide quality housing for all in the future, and stresses in particular the need for a far more flexible approach over building on green or brownfield sites.The ‘Accommodating the Future’ report also says decisions over where to build are best made at the local level and councils should use consumer surveys and capacity studies to inform their local plans. 

New information from the Department of Health has highlighted big differences in spending on social service provision, from one council to another.They also show that children in social service care will experience a different form of care, depending on where they live, with only 47 per cent receiving foster care in some towns and cities, and up to 86 per cent being fostered in others.