The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items for major features in the next edition on the impact of alcohol abuse

A new £1 million fund to give local communities the tools they need to tackle binge and underage drinking was announced last month by the Government's Champion for Active Safer Communities, Baroness Newlove.

This came at the same time as the Government launched a brand new nationwide Change4Life campaign designed to expose the fact that drinking slightly over the lower-risk alcohol guidelines can seriously impact long term health. The TV adverts highlight that regularly drinking around two large glasses of wine or two strong pints of beer a day triple the risk of developing mouth cancer and double the risk of developing high blood pressure.

Figures today show an ever-growing cost of alcohol to the NHS which currently stands at £2.7bn a year, including £1bn on accident and emergency services. £2.7bn equates to £90 for every taxpayer in the country. This is part of a wider cost to society from alcohol of between £17 billion and £22 billion per annum. In 2010/11 alone there were 200,000 hospital admissions with a primary alcohol-related diagnosis, 40 per cent higher than in 2002/03. The number of patients admitted with acute intoxification has more than doubled to 18,500 since 2002/03.

The Prime Minister said early last month:

“Every night, in town centres, hospitals and police stations across the country, people have to cope with the consequences of alcohol abuse. And the problem is getting worse. Over the last decade we’ve seen a frightening growth in the number of people – many under-age – who think it’s acceptable for people to get drunk in public in ways that wreck lives, spread fear and increase crime.

“This is one of the scandals of our society and I am determined to deal with it. As figures today show the NHS is having to pick up an ever-growing bill – £2.7bn a year, including £1bn on accident and emergency services alone. That’s money we have to spend because of the reckless behaviour of an irresponsible minority.

“Across the country local hospitals, ambulance crews and the police are rising to the challenge. We must help them to do so and will be setting out how through the forthcoming Alcohol Strategy. Whether it’s the police officers in A&E that have been deployed in some hospitals, the booze buses in Soho and Norwich, or the Drunk Tanks used abroad, we need innovative solutions to confront the rising tide of unacceptable behaviour.

The announcement of the new fund came on the day Baroness Newlove published her latest report 'Building Safe, Active Communities: Strong foundations by local people', which is a collection  of inspiring, yet practical lessons from those who are changing their neighbourhoods for the better, providing good advice, and highlighting some of the barriers that have stifled their growth. In her interim report to Government published in July last year, Baroness Newlove identified tackling problem drinking as her most urgent priority and she will continue to sharply focus on this in the months ahead. This new fund will give ten successful communities - based on models of grass roots projects already delivering for their neighbourhoods - the resources to really get to grips with problem drinking and deal with it, head on.

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook will report on the distribution of the fund and its success as this becomes evident.

This was submitted by the Parliamentary Information Office. For more information visit Parliamentary Information Office.

   

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items for major features in the next edition on transport and the environment

Following one of the largest consultations in the Department for Transport’s history, Transport Secretary, Justine Greening announced last month that, contentious that it may be, Britain will have a national high speed rail network providing vital new capacity and faster journeys across the country from 2026.

There was five months of intensive engagement, 41 days of road show attended by almost 33,000 people and systematically going through the evidence and the alternatives, it was clear that the argument in favour of HS2 was compelling.

A modern, fast reliable, railway that will:

•    Transform connections between our cities, regions and the Continent.
•    Truly rebalance our economic geography, with a legacy of jobs, growth and opportunity for generations to come.
•    And change the way we travel, just as the first railway did in the 19th century.

HS2 will be a Y-shaped rail network with stations in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and the East Midlands linked by high speed trains conveying up to 26,000 people each hour at speeds of up to 250mph.

High speed trains will also connect seamlessly with the existing West Coast and East Coast main lines to serve passengers beyond the HS2 network in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Durham, York, Darlington, Liverpool, Preston, Wigan and Lancaster.

It will be built in two phases. The first will see construction of a new 140 mile line between London and Birmingham by 2026. The second phase will see lines built from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester by 2033. A formal consultation on second phase routes will begin in early 2014 with a final route chosen by the end of 2014.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said:

“A new high speed rail network will provide Britain with the additional train seats, connections and speed to stay ahead of the congestion challenge and help create jobs, growth and prosperity for the entire country.

“HS2 will link some of our greatest cities – and high speed trains will connect with our existing railway lines to provide seamless journeys to destinations far beyond it. This is a truly British network that will serve far more than the cities directly on the line.

“HS2 will deliver up to 26,000 more seats for rail passengers each hour and journey times slashed by as much as half. By attracting passengers off existing rail lines, roads and domestic air services, its benefits will be felt far beyond the network. No amount of tinkering with our Victorian rail infrastructure will deliver this leap in capacity.

“It is not a decision that I have taken lightly or without great consideration of the impact on those who are affected by the route from London to Birmingham. I took more time to make this decision in order to find additional mitigation which now means more than half the entire 140-mile line will be out of sight in tunnels or cuttings. I am certain this strikes the right balance between the reasonable concerns of people living on or near the line, who will be offered a generous compensation package, and the need to keep Britain moving.

“More than a century ago the Victorians built railways that continue to serve us to this day and just over 50 years ago the post-war generation chose to invest in motorways, bringing higher road capacity and faster journeys to millions. Both transformed the economic and social fabric of this country: HS2 is our generation’s investment in Britain and our children.”

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook will continue to report on the progress of HS2 as we go through the months ahead.

This was submitted by the Parliamentary Information Office. For more information visit Parliamentary Information Office.

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items for major features on the security threats posed to our maritime heritage

Ours is an island nation wholly dependent upon our maritime industry and some 90+% of the world's goods are carried by sea safely and in an environmentally friendly way. Yet it only hits the headlines when there is some form of tragedy ... oil spill, wreck or piracy. We intend to do our best to remedy this lack of good news and shall be including a series of reports on the importance of our marine industry within the next edition of the Parliamentary Yearbook.

One of the major aspects is of course security ... not simply piracy but vessel recovery, port and vessel security, risk assessment, crew training etc. Within the reports there will also be pieces from other organisations involved in maritime affairs including broking and chartering; marine resource management; marine biology; offshore renewables etc.

In February David Cameron urged delegates at the London Conference on Somalia to “keep up the pressure on pirates”. The Conference reiterated our determination to eradicate piracy, noting that the problem requires a comprehensive approach on land as well as at sea. Concern was expressed that hostages in Somalia are being held longer and with more use of violence and welcomed the work of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Delegates also welcomed the success of international military efforts and remained committed to such efforts with robust rules of engagement and sufficient force generation. They called for full implementation of the Djibouti Code of Conduct and the adoption of an Exclusive Economic Zone. We shall be reviewing progress including the Piracy Conference in the UAE in June.

Naval forces and the shipping industry succeeded in halving the number of successful hijackings (to 25 in 2011 from 47 in 2010) despite an increase in hijack attempts (to 151 in 2011 from 127 in 2010). But both need resources, commitment and perseverance to defeat and eradicate Somali piracy as opposed to simply deterring and repressing it.

At the end of 2011 The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Mike Penning MP, said in written statement to the House:

“The rise in the number of incidents involving pirates in certain parts of the world has highlighted the need to ensure UK-flagged vessels are able to adequately protect themselves against such threats. Evidence shows that ships with armed guards are less likely to be attacked and taken for ransom and the House will be aware that the Prime Minister confirmed last month that the Government now recognises the use of private armed guards as an option to protect UK registered ships and their crews from acts of piracy.

“I am therefore today, publishing interim guidance to shipping companies on the use of armed guards onboard UK flagged ships. This guidance covers, amongst other things, the factors to be included in the risk assessment, advice on selecting a private security company, and a requirement for the shipping company to produce a counter-piracy plan and submit a copy to my Department.

“A private security company (PSC) employed to put armed guards onboard UK ships will require authorisation from the Home Office for possession of any prohibited firearms as defined in the Firearms Act 1968 (as amended). Checks will be carried out by the Home Office and Police into the PSC and its personnel before an authorisation is granted.”

The guidance to shipping companies, and the Home Office process for authorising the possession of prohibited firearms, are both interim and will be reviewed within 12 months so that they reflect continuing national and international work to ensure high standards in the provision of armed guards in the maritime domain.

Over the course of the next twelve months, and with the assistance of companies involved in maritime security, the Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook will report on the success of the measures as this becomes evident.

This was submitted by the Parliamentary Information Office. For more information visit Parliamentary Information Office.

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items for major features on environment, sustainable energy and climate change in the next edition

Feed-in tariffs in the United Kingdom were first announced in October 2008 by Ed Miliband, then Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. He presented details of the scheme, which began in early April 2010.

In May 2010 a new coalition government was elected and less than a year into the scheme, in March 2011 they announced that support for large-scale photovoltaic installations (greater than 50 kW) would be cut. This was in response to European speculators lining up to establish huge solar farms in the West Country, which would have absorbed disproportionate amounts of the fund.

On 9 June 2011, the Department for Energy and Climate Change confirmed that Feed-in Tariffs would be cut for solar PV systems above 50 KW after 1st Aug, 2011. Many were disappointed with the decision of DECC, especially after long term consultations. In October 2011 DECC announced dramatic cuts of around 55% to feed in tariff rates, with additional reductions for community or group schemes. The cuts were to be effective from 12 December 2011, with a consultation exercise to end on 23 December 2011. This was successfully challenged in the high court by an application for judicial review, jointly made by the environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth (FoE) and two solar companies - Solarcentury and HomeSun. The judgment, made by Mr Justice Mitting after a two-day court hearing, was hailed as a major victory by green campaigners and the solar industry. Lawyers for the Department of Energy and Climate Change immediately moved to apply for permission to appeal the judge's ruling.

Climate Change Minister Greg Barker responded to today’s High Court ruling on the proposed changes to solar Feed In Tariffs: “We disagree with the Court’s decision. We will be seeking an appeal and hope to secure a hearing as soon as possible. Regardless of today’s outcome, the current high tariffs for solar PV are not sustainable and changes need to be made in order to protect the budget which is funded by consumers through their energy bills.”

In January 2012 the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court ruling on FITs albeit on different grounds. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said: “We disagree and are seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

“We have already put before Parliament changes to the regulations that will bring a 21p rate into effect from April for solar pv installations from 3 March to help reduce the pressure on the budget and provide as much certainty as we can for consumers and industry.

“We want to maximise the number of installations that are possible within the available budget rather than use available money to pay a higher tariff to half the number of installations. Solar PV can have strong and vibrant future in UK and we want a lasting FITs scheme to support that future and jobs in the industry.”

Following this an announcement on 19 January 2012 confirmed the new tariffs for solar PV that will continue to provide a competitive return on investment for householders, communities and others. The new tariffs are (from 1 April 2012) designed to apply to all installations with an eligibility date from 3 March 2012 onwards. To implement the new tariffs, the Government laid before Parliament draft modifications to the standard conditions of electricity supply licences in line with the process set out in the Energy Act 2008. These modifications have now been made and came into force from the 3 March 2012.

On 9 February 2012 the Government responded to the other aspects of the phase 1 consultation. This response sets out the Government’s final decisions on the details of the new energy efficiency requirement, and of the new multi-installation tariff rates. They listened carefully to concerns raised in response to the consultation and have decided that the energy efficiency requirement should be based on an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of level D or above, not level C or any other option as previously mooted.

They also decided that the threshold at which the multi-installation tariff rates apply should be increased from generators with more than one PV installation to those with more than 25. This aims to help community groups, small businesses and councils who do not benefit from the economies of scale that larger aggregators can obtain.

To enact these decisions, on 9 February draft licence modifications to the standard conditions of electricity supply licences in line with the process set out in the Energy Act 2008 were laid before Parliament. These modifications have now been made and came into effect for new PV installations with an eligibility date on or after 1 April 2012

This was submitted by the Parliamentary Information Office. For more information visit Parliamentary Information Office.