The Home Office is facing a call to address a dramatic fall in the number of prison visits by family members and friends in spite of the record numbers of people held in jail. The call comes from the Prison Reform Trust, which says research shows having a supportive family and friends helps prisoners cope and significantly reduces re-offending.The Trust, in conjunction with the Prison Service, has just published an updated information booklet for prisoners called, “Visiting and Keeping in Touch”. The prison population of England and Wales is currently more than 75,000 but the most recent official figures show the number of visits has fallen by a third in five years even though there has been a 20 per cent increase in the prison population in the same period.

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A new web-based system has been launched to make data on regeneration progress more accessible. Floor Targets Interactive has been designed and developed for all those with an interest in the progress of deprivation-related Public Service Agreement Floor Targets – the minimum standard the government expects local authorities to achieve in relation to the key services.FTI, which is described as being part of the commitment by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to ensuring the use of evidence-based policy and delivery to narrow the gap between the most disadvantaged areas and the average, contains data for all of England’s local authorities down to district level but focuses on the 88 most disadvantaged areas receiving Neighbourhood Renewal Funds. It has been developed by the ODPM’s Tackling Disadvantage Group.

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Job prospects for the public sector are forecast to grow despite the announcement by the Chancellor of a cut of some 40,500 civil service posts by 2008. A survey by Manpower, a leading recruiter of permanent, temporary and contract workforces, found that 20% of employers in the public sector intend to increase staffing levels for the quarter ahead. This result is higher than the second quarter average for the sector over the last 13 years. There are over 5 million people working in the public sector and despite the public emphasis on specific civil service job losses, the number of public sector jobs overall is still due to rise by 360,000 between 2003 and 2006. The survey also found that the public sector is struggling to find the right skills for the jobs available and that it faces as much of a training and skills challenge as the private sector.Published by Manpower. http://www.manpower.com.

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