Concern about the potentially devastating effect of the Millennium Bug is growing as the Year 2000 gets closer. More evidence is emerging that the scale of the problem is much greater that earlier estimates showed. The fear is that many computers and chips embedded in a whole range of devices, such as traffic lights, will fail because they will be unable to recognise the date when the last two digits are 00. 

Peter Kilfoyle, Minister for Public Service at the Cabinet Office is sharing new thinking about modernising UK public services with Dr Zola Skweyiya, South African Minister of Public Service and Administration. His programme includes a visit to the South African Management Development Institute which has the lead role on public service training in South Africa.The visit is part of a long standing export of UK public service expertise to South Africa. 

Kate Priestley has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of NHS Estates. She succeeds John Locke who left the Agency at the end of August 1997 to become Chief Executive at Property Advisers to the Civil Estate, an Executive Agency of the Cabinet Office.The prime function of NHS Estates is to provide advice and professional services on management of the substantial NHS estate with building, decommissioning and estates management strategies. 

The White Paper setting out the Government’s proposals for the Mayor and 25 member Greater London Authority has been unveiled by deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. He described a radical institution that would give London the means to solve its problems and maximise its potential. 

Next Steps Executive Agencies are being urged to compare themselves with private sector organisations, the wider public service and overseas organisations. Dr David Clark, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who presides over the Office of Public Service, believes that this is one way in which they can search out best practice which might help to improve the quality and efficiency of services. 

NHS Staff are to be empowered by having a greater say in improving patient services in the health service. A task force made up of nurses, doctors and a porter will advise Ministers on how greater involvement the one million staff can contribute to raising standards.Health Minister Alan Milburn said the task force would play an important role in unlocking the untapped potential in the NHS. 

The decks are being cleared for regional government. Nine Regional Development Agencies are to be set up by April 1999 to develop and implement regional economic strategies. The Agencies will co-ordinate the activities of other bodies such as local authorities and Government regional offices. The north west region, for historic reasons, had two Government offices based in Manchester and Liverpool. 

The Contributions Agency, an executive agency of the Department of Social Security, is to merge with the Inland Revenue in April 1999. Most of the agency’s 8,000 staff will join the 50,000 strong Inland Revenue, but there will be about 200 job losses.The aims of the merger are to give a better service to businesses and improve the effectiveness of compliance measures. There will also be some efficiency savings.
Businesses will benefit in different ways. 

A task group looking at how the LGMB relates to the Local Government Association has produced proposals for scrapping the Board. When the LGA was launched in April 1997 as the successor to the separate local authority organisations it changed the dynamics of the local government scene which involves 2 million staff with a pay bill of £34b and some 22,000 elected councillors . 

Health Minister Alan Milburn believes that restoring public confidence is the key to modernising the NHS and this involves empowerment of patients. He said: “It is the public’s health service. And it has to respond better to public views. I want to see the NHS opened up to greater public scrutiny and patient involvement than ever before.”This move to patient empowerment represents a significant challenge and a major change in culture.