Electronic counting equipment will be used for the first time in next year’ selections for a Mayor and Assembly in London.Minister for London Keith Hill has announced that in those elections, ballot papers will be scanned electronically, using equipment from a Milton Keynes company, DRS Data & Research Services.
An extensive study into the attitudes of young people to public transport has revealed that there’s a major selling job to be done to make it a first choice of transport when they become adults.Even though many young people use the bus to get to school, many expect and want to drive cars when they are older. Use of trains is not high by young people and also fails to figure in their plans.
The importance of complementing the school day with out of hours learning is becoming clear with announcements of new funding. These activities have become popular with parents and teachers who believe that they increase self-esteem, improve attendance and help pupils to become more effective learners.Kellogs in association with Education Learning will fund an award scheme for new breakfast clubs and the expansion of existing clubs with a 185 million pound fund. Education Extra is a charity which aims to promote study support as a means of raising pupil achievement.
Criticism of councils by Social Security Minister Angela Eagle for poor performance in paying Housing and Council Tax Benefits has caused tension in the welfare partnership between central and local government. Her claim that in far too many cases people claiming benefits receive a slow and inefficient service is not in doubt. Her less than frank analysis of the problem is causing irritation.Ministerial promises of a simplified Housing Benefit system have not been delivered and the focus has moved from simplification to fraud reduction. With a target to reduce all benefit fraud by 30% in 5 years attention has been concentrated on tightening the procedures for processing claims, including a requirement to produce additional documentary evidence. Last year 80 changes to the system were issued by the Department for Social Security, some of which required software changes. In addition, the promise to provide remote access terminals to all councils to allow them to view the Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support databases is behind schedule.
D evelopments in technology are converging to form a major part of the strategy to reduce car crime which costs 3 billion pounds each year. This represents one fifth of all crime. The target is a 30% reduction in car crime in 5 years.By linking databases to the Police National Computer police officers at the roadside will have on-line access to information to confirm that a driver is bona fide. New driving licensescarry a photograph which is held on the Driving Vehicle Licensing Agency computer. Following a change in legislation, police officers will be able to view the photograph and other licence details. There will also be direct access to the insurance industry’s new anti fraud and theft register and to the MoT database to help counter the trade in cannibalising damaged cars.
Commercial organisations and charities can now apply for a Charter Mark, the Government’s award scheme for recognising and encouraging excellence in public service. Widening eligibility is a response to the rapid growth in partnership working across the public sector. Previously sub-contractors could not apply and neither could voluntary organisations unless 75% of funding came from the public purse. Any public service providing a service direct to the public, which manages its own staff and budget, can apply for a Charter Mark. Winners receive a trophy and certificate and can use the Charter Mark logo on their stationery for three years.The effect of the change will be to bring in organisations providing keysupport functions to many government departments in areas such ashealth, IT, accounting and related services and security. They will include more voluntary hospitals and schools, charities, some hospices, Citizens Advice Bureaux, galleries and museums.
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The 30 board level Government officials charged with advancing the use of information technologies to modernise Government and improve public services have unveiled their website. The site gives key information on new initiatives, updates on activities, members and their departments, and working groups. Unlike other sites with working groups addressing particular issues it does not, as yet, publish details of on going discussions. The address is: http://www.iagchampions.gov.ukThe major role of the champions is to help to draw up the Government’s first-ever corporate IT strategy, planned for March 2000. The strategy will address issues such as using cutting edge technology in the form of interactive TV, the internet, call centres, and smart cards to reduce form filling. Income tax, pensions, benefits and national insurance are among the transactions that are likely to be at the front of the queue for electronic delivery.
The Local Government Association has criticised a report by the Audit Commission as misleading and out of date. The Commission’s findings on truancy and exclusion from school are based on research carried out early in 1999 and it is claimed that much has change in more recent months.It is estimated that every day, around 400,000 pupils are not in school. At least 40,000 are absent without school permission, 3,000 pupils are on short exclusions and around 6,000 have been permanently excluded. The report describes Local Education Authorities as poor at collaborating with social services and other agencies and equally poor at internal co-ordination. In many Authorities there is inadequate data to allow preventive work to be targeted or to find out what corrective measures work best.
A task force has been set up to help local councils become more innovative in procuring housing schools, transport and other facilities. The main role will be to encourage the take up recommendations in the Rethinking Construction report published in 1998. The 18 member group is made up mainly from senior council officials with representatives from DETR and the Audit Commission.The task force is the fourth strand in the Movement for Innovation initiative. The main board, which acts as a steering group, reports to the Deputy Prime Minister. The Housing Forum promotes the initiative among housebuilders and their clients. The Achieving Excellence group carries out a similar role for central government departments and agencies.
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Employers representatives and unions have agreed a new pay system for one million NHS employees. The annual pay bill is 17 billion pounds, which is two thirds of the total cost of the health service. Current pay arrangements have become outdated. A crucial weakness is that they do not provide sufficient incentives to take on new responsibilities or to develop new skills.The changes, which are designed to support the modernisation of the health service include: three national pay spines to replace a variety of pay scales and a new approach to pay progression to reward new responsibilities and competencies. There will also be a national framework for determining pay increases.
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