The Federation of Electronics Industries, the Department for the Environment Transport and the Regions, the Improvement and Development Agency and local councils are sharing in an initiative to promote e-government. The project, which is funded by the DETR will run until April 2002.The collaborative venture is bringing together a critical mass of councils working in similar ways to take e-government forward at the local level. Some 30 councils are currently involved and this number is expected to rise to over 100.

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The Pay Review Body has recommended that doctors and dentists receive a pay rise of 3.9% across the board and nurses 3.7%. Inflation stands at 3.2%. The Government will implement the recommendations in full from April 2001. Health Secretary Alan Milburn claimed the pay rises will help increase still further the numbers of trained, qualified staff working in the NHS. Unions warned that the target of an extra 20,000 nurses pledged for the NHS by 2005 will only be achieved if more staff are attracted into the profession by better pay and conditions.In addition to the across the board pay rise, there will be additional targeted increases aimed at retaining and recruiting nurses where there is a particular shortage. Senior nursing staff, such as ward sisters and clinical specialists will receive extra payments. Nurses in London could also see a rise of between 6% and 9%. In a further move to make the health service a more attractive place to work, there will be greater investment in childcare facilities.

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