TREASURY EFFICIENCY DRIVE GETS INTO GEAR

The Treasury plans to reduce annual expenditure across the public services by 8 billion pounds by 2001/02 through improved productivity and efficiency. The spearhead of the drive is the Public Services Productivity Panel, drawn from leading private sector and consultant managers under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The Panel’s work programme will focus on central departments colleges, police services, housing departments, and hospitals. The themes to be addressed include motivation and incentives, variations in performance and customer service. Link http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

NHS DIRECT MAKES HEALTHIER HOLIDAYS

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The Inland Revenue plans to publish more internal guidance manuals so that taxpayers, their advisors and academics can see how staff are directed to go about their job. The Department is responding to the Government’s Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The first internal manuals were published in 1995. The Department has cut out material from the manuals which ought to be omitted under the Code, but it has also included guidance currently only available in internal memoranda or bulletins. Publications will range from Advanced Investigation to Inheritance Tax Manual.

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Over 200 applications for Beacon Council status in the first round of the Beacon Council Scheme have been received by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. This is almost half of the councils in the UK. The number of applications is seen as an endorsement of the Scheme which has been under criticism from different quarters. Councils selected as Beacons will act as pace setters and centres of excellence. Through a nationally co-ordinated programme, organised by the Improvement and Development Agency, they will help spread good practice around the country through open days, secondments and publications.

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Employment Service Direct, the telephone helpline launched in January 1999, has found jobs for 30,000 people. The jobline supplements the work of 1000 Job Centres.

When a jobseeker rings the 0845 6060234 jobline the call is immediately connected to a member of one of over 100 Employment Service Teams that have been set up across the country to operate the service. Specially trained Job-Matching Advisers have immediate access on-line to the Employment Service’s jobs database, which at any time holds some 300,000 vacancies which employers are seeking to fill.

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The Better Government for Older People Programme is getting into gear with road shows and the establishment of networks. The Programme, launched in June 1998, seeks to improve public services for older people by better meeting their needs, listening to their views, and encouraging their contribution, so they can fully participate in their communities.

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By John Blundell and Colin Robinson

Much government regulation fails to achieve its objectives because it most often arises from the pressure of interest groups, not from pursuit of the ‘public interest’. Once established, regulatory bodies tend to expand under their own momentum: they are not constrained by costs because most of the costs fall on those who are regulated. Compliance costs far exceed costs born by regulators and, even more important, government regulation dampens enterprise and hinders progress in meeting people’s wants. In the absence of regulation, voluntary rules would be set. Examples of voluntary rules include engineering insurance schemes and the Portman Group’s voluntary codes to prevent alcohol mis-use. The authors recommend that governments in Britain and elsewhere roll back regulation, replacing it with a voluntary approach.

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The police are to be equipped with new technology to combat crime and Home Secretary Jack Straw is seeking views on proposals to introduce supporting legislation. The legal changes are necessary to ensure that the law keeps pace with technology, while preserving individual rights.

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From the autumn, social services departments will have to make public their annual performance records. Publishing this information will help local people know how well, or how badly, their social services are performing and help councils monitor their own performance more effectively. The aim is to drive up standards, and improve services across the board.

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Warwick/DETR Best Value Series. Paper Number 3
By Steve Martin and Howard Davis

This report provides details of the methodology by which the Warwick based research team is evaluating the programme of thirty eight English Best Value pilots and the activities of three Welsh Best Value pilots. It takes account of discussions with the Department, the pilot authorities and a range of other stakeholders including the Evaluation Panel, the Local Government Association, the Audit Commission, trades unions, non-pilot authorities and the Local Government Management Board. It outlines a number of key methodological issues, the key stages of the research, the intended outputs from the study and the ways in which these will be disseminated.

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Latest estimates from an NOP poll show that 51% of primary schools are now connected to the Internet. This compares with only 17% in 1997. The survey was commissioned by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTa) to investigate information and communications technology (ICT) usage in schools. Other estimates and surveys undertaken across the education service indicate that 90% of secondary schools, 100% of colleges of further education and 100% of universities currently have Internet access.

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