A ten year learning prorgamme has been launched to change understanding and behaviour about sustainable development. Details are set out in a report by the programme’s sponsors, the Sustainable Development Education Panel. The report was welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and the DfEE Green Minister, Charles Clarke.
The programme seeks to encourage all public bodies to adopt sustainable development as a strategic issue. 

The EU Telecoms Council has agreed a Directive that opens the way for electronic signatures. DTI Minister, Michael Wills said the Directive is consistent with the Electronic Commerce Bill which is due for publication shortly.
Electronic signatures are a key element of information age government. They are the means of identification and authentication when conducting business with public bodies. People need to be confident about the identity of the person sending an electronic message. 

Barnett N J, Crowther D E A
The International Journal of Public Sector Management, (UK), 1998 Vol 11 No 6. Start page: 425. No of pages: 15
Outlines and contrasts the approach to local government in southern and northern Europe with the UK exemplifying the northern approach of large units. Notes the development of an instrumental attitude in the UK that views community considerations on economic terms. 

The fight against drugs in Oxfordshire is focused on treatment. The drug abuse problem in both urban and rural areas is being tackled jointly by the Drug Action Team and other bodies in the statutory and voluntary sectors working together.
Mike Trace, the Deputy UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator speaking at the Oxford Drug Action Team Annual Conference emphasised the need to forge a partnership approach to tackle the problem of drugs misuse. 

Initiatives for joint working across boundaries will be eligible for funds from the Invest to Save Budget in 2000/2001. The Treasury is now inviting bids for the 45 million pound budget. Bids will only be accepted if two or more public bodies make a joint submission. The last bidding round was restricted to central government departments, but the current invitation has gone to all public sector organisations including local government and the health service. 

Donnelly M
Managing Service Quality, (UK), 1999 Vol 9 No 1. Start page: 47 . No of pages: 6
Examines responses to quality initiatives in the UK public sector and points to a change in outlook since the election of a Labour government in 1997; briefly outlines the ‘Best Value’ approach to which public sector organizations are now supposed to work. Discusses the aims of public-sector services which have broader societal aims than just direct service provision. 

GPs are to be given a role in extending NHS Direct, the telephone helpline, which is a key strand in the modernisation of the health service. The third wave roll out of NHS Direct will cover a further 10 million people and bring total coverage to 30 million. Six of the third wave sites will involve GP co-operatives. 

The Better Regulation Task Force has called for more attention to be paid to how regulations will be enforced. In its latest Review it says that the current processes for formulating regulation pay little or no attention to the concerns, views and practical experience of those given the task of enforcing them. The Review makes it clear that for regulation to succeed both those affected by it, as well as those who enforce it must understand what is required. 

Schools are finding ways to cut paperwork so that teachers can spend more time in the classroom. The winning schools in a national competition organised by the Department for Education and Employment all proved that red tape can be cut.
The measures they took to reduce the burden on teachers included using information and communications technology to streamline the school’s assessment, recording and reporting process and to communicate with the examination boards. 

By Paul Joyce
This is an accessible introduction to the theory and practices of strategic management in the public sector. It is written for new and experienced managers, undergraduates and post graduate students of the public services.