Archives for February 25th, 2003

VICTIMS PUT AT HEART OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Headlines, PublicNet: 25 February, 2003

Victims of crime have been recruited to form a Victims Advisory Panel. The Panel will meet four times each year and report directly to Home Secretary David Blunkett. The creation of the Panel is one of the measures to fulfill the Government’s pledge to put victims and witnesses at the heart of the Criminal Justice System.The ten members of the panel have been affected by a variety of crimes including murder, rape and stalking. Many have experienced what it is like to give evidence in court. They will play an important role in the reforms outlined in the Criminal Justice White Paper by identifying good practice and promoting a culture where all victims and witnesses of crime are treated fairly and with respect. They will also give their views on how amends are made for the harm victims have suffered. By sharing their experiences it is hoped that they will generate ideas and practical proposals for improving services to victims and witnesses as well as advising Ministers about their needs.

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LOCAL DEMOCRACY UNDER THREAT

Headlines, PublicNet: 25 February, 2003

The local council sphere of influence is under threat from two directions and if proposed measures are accepted, power will move to other bodies, some of which are unelected. Sir Jeremy Beecham, Chair of the Local Government Association has labeled proposals for regional government and planning, currently being debated in the House of Lords, as “old centralism managed by a regional office”. Department of Health proposals for partly elected Boards of Governors to run the new foundation hospitals would add to the erosion of influence.The Planning and compulsory Purchase Bill proposes that planning powers should be taken from county councils and given to regional planning bodies. The Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Bill will allow for referendums to discover whether people want a directly elected assemble in their region. For those regions that do not opt for an elected regional assembly, control of planning will be removed from the directly elected county councils and handed to appointed regional bodies.

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THE ROLE OF INFORMATION IN E-GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTATION

Features, PublicNet: 25 February, 2003

By Thomas B Riley. Information can now be distributed, exchanged, formalized, used, and networked at speeds never before known. We have moved from the Information Age to a new age we have yet to fully define. The author argues that we are in a period of a seismic change with a potential for change at work which we have not witnessed since the emergence of printing in the 15th century. He makes the case for governments to develop tools to use their information resources currently lying in the nooks and crannies of their agencies to contribute to the rapid evolution of knowledge.

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