Member Article Archive
Apprenticeships - a new breed
Skills for Justice are celebrating National Apprenticeship week that is taking place from 11-15 March 2013.
Tuesday 12th March 2013
Chancellor, back green motoring this Budget
Paul Blacklock from Calor Gas calls on the government to invest more in LPG and low emission fuels in the budget to boost growth and reduce the enviromental impact of vehicle emissions.
Monday 11th March 2013
International Women’s Day: Gaining Momentum
International Women’s Day is “not just a nice night out to watch some female comedians, but a really important political event”, says Gracia McGrath.
Friday 8th March 2013
Personal reflections post Francis
Nothing in the Francis report or in today's discussions leads me to think we need to do less, writes Anna van der Gaag, chair of the Health and Care Professions Council.
Thursday 7th March 2013
‘Cost-effective’ troubled families programme ‘on track’
A leading children’s charity has welcomed news that the government’s Troubled Families Programme is on track to deliver.
Monday 4th March 2013
University Innovators showcase collaboration with business
“Never before has university-business collaboration been more important”, the Chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee said as he pledged his support to keeping this issue high on the agenda in Parliament.
Monday 4th March 2013
Taking the long-term view of tenancy
Housing has been a major political issue in this Parliament, but one aspect of the market that has received little attention is the role of private renting.
Friday 1st March 2013
Parliament's new take on Saddam's WMDs
MPs in the House of Commons will today (Thursday February 28) take the unusual step of discussing an Iraq related issue in which it will be agreed that Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction did indeed exist and were in fact used.
Thursday 28th February 2013
MPs back early intervention on homelessness
MPs from all parties have backed a new report from Homeless Link launched in the Commons yesterday.
Wednesday 27th February 2013
Lawyers condemn Cameron over legal aid
Plans to ban immigrants from legal aid in civil cases have been condemned by the Law Society.
Wednesday 27th February 2013
Towards a new woodland culture
The Woodland Trust responds to the government reaction to the Independent Panel report on Forestry.
Wednesday 27th February 2013
Keeping dog ownership on the agenda
Blue Cross welcomes Ian Lavery MP’s debate on responsible dog ownership, keeping this important issue on the political agenda following the announcement earlier this month of the introduction of compulsory microchipping for dogs.
Tuesday 26th February 2013
Neglected children still not protected
A leading children's charity has said it is disappointed that Government is still not tackling child neglect properly.
Monday 25th February 2013
MPs to be briefed on energy future
Last week’s statement from Ofgem that consumers face higher gas and electricity bills was the latest in a series of warnings about the future of the UK’s energy supply.
Monday 25th February 2013
Horse meat tests ‘all negative’
Some of the UK’s best known food manufacturers have said their latest tests found no horsemeat in their products.
Friday 22nd February 2013
A huge leap forward for England’s ten year olds
Tracey Bleakley, chief executive of pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group), welcomes a significant change in England’s schools
Friday 22nd February 2013
Right to light ‘won’t be abolished’
The Law Commission has said it is not considering any abolition of home owners’ ‘rights to light’.
Wednesday 20th February 2013
Nuclear momentum ‘must be maintained’
The nuclear industry has said unless action taken to ensure investment in new, low carbon electricity production the UK will face an energy crisis.
Tuesday 19th February 2013
Clegg warned not to ‘stamp’ on London
Nick Clegg has been told that he can’t get the regions growing by “stamping” on London.
Monday 18th February 2013
Bookies predict Lib Dem win in Eastleigh
Bookmaker William Hill has reduced their odds on the Lib Dems retaining Eastleigh in next week’s by-election.
Monday 18th February 2013
Charity backs ban on junk food ads
The British Heart Foundation has called for restrictions on TV advertising for unhealthy products.
Monday 18th February 2013
Cuts ‘damaging food safety regime’
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health has warned that cuts in local government funding are damaging public health standards.
Monday 18th February 2013
Snow hits high-street retailers
The number of people visiting shops was down nearly 5% in January compared with 2012 as snow hit many parts of the country.
Monday 18th February 2013
Getting a foot on the property ladder
For people struggling to buy a property, shared ownership schemes can provide a solution.
Friday 15th February 2013
Mind welcomes MP mental health fund
A leading mental health charity has welcomed the decision to set aside funds to help MPs with mental health problems access treatment.
Thursday 14th February 2013
Survivors of sexual violence often over 50% children
A political spotlight will at last cast the issue of sexual violence in conflict out of its former shadows, writes Rob Williams, chief executive of War Child.
Thursday 14th February 2013
PSHE ‘first defence’ against violence
The One Billing Rising (ORB) campaign to tackle violence against women and girls has been backed by the PSHE Association.
Thursday 14th February 2013
One step closer to a potential cure for paralysis
First spinal cord injury patient receives cell transplant in US trial, writes Spinal Research.
Thursday 14th February 2013
Pessimism grips NHS managers
New research has indicated that the financial squeeze is beginning to have an impact on quality and access to NHS and social care services.
Thursday 14th February 2013
Police question new standards ‘bureaucracy’
Rank and file police officers have questioned the need for new measures announced by the Government to “ensure integrity” in the police.
Wednesday 13th February 2013
Lawyers back consumer protection for wills
The regulator of lawyers in England and Wales has succeeded in its campaign to have will writing activities regulated.
Wednesday 13th February 2013
Zero tolerance on poor elderly care
The country’s leading charity for older people has demanded “a zero tolerance attitude to poor, neglectful care”.
Wednesday 13th February 2013
Heathrow ‘already too expensive’
The British Air Transport Association (BATA) has questioned plans by Heathrow to increase its fees to pay for a £3bn investment.
Tuesday 12th February 2013
Retailers 'taking the lead' on horsemeat
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said its members are “taking the initiative” in testing for horsemeat in beef products.
Tuesday 12th February 2013
Care plan: ‘Difficult choices lie ahead’
Plans for a £75,000 cap on the amount the elderly will have to pay for social care in England has been welcomed by a leading health think tank.
Tuesday 12th February 2013
Tweet-off raises heart awareness
A group of MPs used their popularity on Twitter to get the message out about the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) latest campaign.
Monday 11th February 2013
A communicating economy
The Institution of Engineering and Technology has published a factfile on communications. In particular this looks at how innovation leads to changes in our daily lives.
Monday 11th February 2013
Prohibition - an opportunity for organised crime
History has proven that prohibition is never a clever political response to activity which a proportion of the population will engage in anyway, writes Andrew Lyman, Head of Public Affairs at William Hill.
Monday 11th February 2013
Construction hit by decline in output
The construction industry endured a difficult final quarter of 2012, due to declining output and orders and rising costs.
Monday 11th February 2013
Cement industry champions energy efficiency
The cement industry is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, which is why it has published a new roadmap to ensure it stays on track, says Dr Pal Chana, executive director of Cement at the Mineral Products Association.
Friday 8th February 2013
Decisions affecting 40,000 jobs should be based on fact, not myth
Apparently you cannot walk down a high street in the UK without being dragged into a bookmaker and forced to put all your money into an electronic gaming machine, writes Neil Goulden, chairman, Association of British Bookmakers (ABB).
Friday 8th February 2013
London sets its sights on Crossrail 2
London is growing. By 2030 the capital’s population is expected to rise to 10 million, its highest level ever.
Friday 8th February 2013
Delight as financial education added to curriculum
MPs and campaigners have expressed their delight that the new draft national curriculum for England includes statutory teaching of financial education.
Thursday 7th February 2013
Ebacc u-turn ‘astonishing but welcome’
Voice: the union for education professionals has said Michael Gove’s future as Education Secretary will be questioned after he dropped plans for English Baccalaureate Certificates.
Thursday 7th February 2013
It’s time to change the law on child neglect
Today in Parliament there may be a chance to change arcane legislation on child neglect, writes Graham Banbrough of Action for Children.
Thursday 7th February 2013
RSPCA: New dog laws are not enough
The RSPCA has welcomed new dog laws announced by the Government today, but warned of a rising number of dogs being mistreated, neglected abandoned or lost.
Wednesday 6th February 2013
650k children to get financial education
A financial education charity has revealed ambitious plans to improve the financial knowledge of 650,000 young and vulnerable people in 2013.
Wednesday 6th February 2013
New dog laws ‘lack bite’
A leading pet charity has said the Government must do more done to tackle irresponsible dog ownership and prevent attacks.
Wednesday 6th February 2013
NHS must stop ‘appalling’ abuse of older people
The charity Age UK has said the Prime Minister must “clearly set out how he will take forward recommendations of the Francis report”.
Wednesday 6th February 2013
Halal 'contributes millions to economy'
EBLEX, the organisation for the English beef and lamb industry, is to conduct research into the growing market for Halal meat.
Tuesday 5th February 2013
Engineering an industrial strategy
The Institution of Engineering and Technology has published a series of factfiles about industrial strategy.
Tuesday 5th February 2013
Safer Internet Day 2013
24,000 children and young people talk about their online rights and responsibilities for Safer Internet Day 2013.
Tuesday 5th February 2013
Consumer spending ‘may prevent triple dip’
New data from Visa Europe shows that consumer spending in January rose by 1% on the previous month.
Tuesday 5th February 2013
Gay asylum seekers face 'culture of disbelief'
Gay people who claim asylum in the UK are put under increasing pressure to 'prove' their sexual orientation, according to a leading lawyer.
Monday 4th February 2013
Mental health report reveals 'human rights breaches'
The basic human rights of people detained under the Mental Health Act are being infringed in some cases, according to charity Mind.
Friday 1st February 2013
Skills and the 'Grayling revolution'
Chris Grayling has radical plans for probation. The Justice Secretary wants charities, private companies and voluntary organisations to take over the management of low-risk offenders from the Probation Service - and be paid by their results.
Friday 1st February 2013
Rise in apprenticeships welcomed
New statistics released by the department for Business, Innovation and Skills revealed that apprenticeship starts had risen 13.9% year-on-year and over 86% since 2009/10.
Thursday 31st January 2013
Woodland Trust backs new forest plan
The UK's leading woodland conservation charity has said it is “very pleased” that the Government is to create a new body to protect forests.
Thursday 31st January 2013
Half of UK budget ‘will be health spending’
New research from the Kings Fund says health and social care could account for half of all government spending by 2061.
Thursday 31st January 2013
We Made It! Manufacturing skills for the future
MPs have championed an initiative aimed at getting young people to think about a career in the manufacturing sector.
Wednesday 30th January 2013
Bill ‘threatens natural beauty of countryside’
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England has urged peers to challenge legislation that could remove protection for areas of natural beauty.
Wednesday 30th January 2013
Childcare changes 'cut corners'
New Government plans “will not reduce the price parents pay for childcare, while changing the ratios will cut corners and compromise children's safety and the quality of provision”, according to Voice.
Tuesday 29th January 2013
London needs HS2
The Government’s announcement of its preferred route for the 211-mile northern phase two route of HS2 has been welcomed by London’s business voice.
Monday 28th January 2013
Engineers warn of HS2 ‘isolation’
The new high-speed rail line must connect effectively with the existing transport network, engineers have warned.
Monday 28th January 2013
Construction backs DPM on infrastructure
The Construction Products Association has said it “welcomes” the Deputy Prime Minister’s admission that the Government should have invested more in infrastructure.
Friday 25th January 2013