Discussion on Apprenticeship

Online Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: A DT story says that a government scheme to attract 1000 immigrant scientists/engineers only attracted 50.
Britain is a soul less debt slave nation of no-hoper multiculti, celeb loving, tax slaves.
Why would any intelligent person come to Britain unless paid by a multinational company that had nothing to do with government, and its tax slaves?

Apprenticeships were always more productive than university brats, and it is too late and too insulting that Britain's lazy class admits this now that its socialist ways have run out of money.



Online Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: I work in banking IT. A degree is almost de rigueur, post-grad or PhD now a now a pre-requisite for some areas. But some of the best people I have worked with do not have degrees, and would be simply excluded. Much better to import foreign PhDs, because they can't find "good" people they have excluded by the selection process (or alternatively import lots of cheap developers from India or where-ever, or out-source which generally doesn't work well)



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Wind Farms and Homes

Online Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: Wind turbines are only 30% efficient; the only people who gain from them are wealthy farmers and land owners such as David Cameron’s father-in-law who rakes in £1,000 a day for having them on his land; members of the royal family enjoy the same perks, the losers are working class people who are forced to pay to subsidies them under the green tax rip-off.


Online Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: If the ghastly trougher Tim Yeo gets his way the restriction will have to be no closer than 1.4 yards from the nearest dwelling.  Even then there will be no electricity when the wind doesn't blow - i.e. this morning the follies are producing less than 10% of their claimed capacity.



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Business Advisors

Online Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: Im busy doing nothing working the whole day through
try ing to find lot of things not to do
Im busy going nowhere isnt it such a crime
I,d like to be unhappy but i really dont  have the time


Online Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: Well to me it just looks like the "advisers" were so out of touch, they didnt know what was happening around them.  If you didnt know you were likely to be sacked then you really were not all that plugged in to the world around you!



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Maritime Security

Online Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: One of our major concerns as a maritime nation is the security of our shipping lanes ... not simply piracy but vessel recovery, port and vessel security, risk assessment, crew training etc. So I was delighted when I heard that the Parliamentary Yearbook will be running a major feature titled "Excellence in Maritime Security". I am contributing a piece on the value of security teams to defend ships. As well as the other security pieces I understand that there will be reports from other organisations involved in maritime affairs including broking and chartering; marine resource management; marine biology; offshore renewables etc. It will I am sure be a worthwhile and “in depth” feature


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Food And Farming

Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: What staggering arrogance.

Not content with telling us what we should smoke or drink, the government is now moving to telling us what we should eat.

And always we are told what to do in the most condescending way - Nanny knows best.

Soon, very soon, we'll be told what to think. Wait, what's this...oh, it's the BBC!  Don't mention Leveson...or the new snooping law, or the national DNA databank everyone thinks has gone away....

We don't need to increase food production to make bigger mountains, we need to reduce the number of people immigrating. And we don't need to put the UK into Monsanto's pocket (where some politicians may already be)

Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: We don't need to increase food production to make bigger mountains, we need to reduce the number of people immigrating. And we don't need to put the UK into Monsanto's pocket (where some politicians may already be)

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Discussion on Tax

Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: The tax credit system has been a failure from start to finish.  It and uncontrolled housing benefit is the main reason our welfare system is broken.  It has enabled employers to pay low wages, families to have children they cannot afford to support and encouraged an attitude of state dependance and entitlement.  Of course these families who depend on them will lose out  but we cannot afford these benefits any more.  They will have to think about whether they can afford children and work longer hours. 




Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: I think that what nearly all Brits fail to understand is this ... and it's fundamental...

... The system was NOT created to give you a Pension or Healthcare, or Schooling, or to protect you from crime.

The system was created to pacify you whilst a privileged minority feed from your labour.

Voting and democracy are merely the mechanisms by which you relinquish control of your own economic destinies.

To many of you, it will sound like heresy when I suggest that "voting" is the most pernicious of evils in our society.  But, your reaction to that suggestion is just evidence of the extent to which the  quasi-religion of Statism has taken a grip of you.

Collectivism and the wicked concept of "majority rule"  ... these things are the Matrix.  Just like the Matrix, we don't see the evil unless we really look dispassionately. And, we are trained to love the State, from an early age.



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School uniforms – tradition in the Parliamentary Yearbook

At the morning meeting with senior staff her colleagues carry fat files. Dr Hammans has the CEO’s single sheet of paper in front of her. She is shown an advertisement for the school that is to appear in the new Parliamentary Yearbook sent to all MPs. “Shame we haven’t got the blazers yet,” she says. Another local school is becoming an academy, so Banbury has decided to ditch sweatshirts and go for old-fashioned blazers. “If you see a kid in a sweatshirt and a kid in a blazer, which do you think is the best school?” she asks rhetorically.


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Mortgage Deal Information

Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: When the US falls over the  fiscal cliff and Europe and UK head for "total" bankruptcy, the lenders will do anything to get some sort of return on their money. Don't panic and jump in now, the fee's are hugely excessive and 1,999 pounds to arrange a 2 year mortgage is a RIP off of the first degree. That almost doubles the headline interest rate for 2 years. Do they think we are that stupid and don't notice! As financial amageddon approaches rates will continue to fall so the lenders can continue to survive!


Parliamentary Yearbook Shares: Banks know that their mortgage loan book is over valued and every month house prices drop the the larger their debit becomes.
Banks know they are living on borrowed time before the market starts.
Banks are trying always to sucker us in to get the housing market moving.
First time buyers control the market and the longer they hold out the cheaper property will become.
Look at the small print before signing any offer put on the table by the banks as they give you nothing!!!


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BP ban on US contracts 'could take months to lift’ - parliamentary year book

BP ban on US contracts 'could take months to lift’ - parliamentary year book

Typical Limey mud slinging to deal with another one of their screw ups.  You know, if you had a bit more accountability and less of the nasty stuff, you wouldn't screw up so much. 

American technology, middle management, contractors, sub-contractors, cement - hell it's really Amoco so it's an american company founded in the 1880s.   But don't worry - we stuck $20billion in a fund so that that your fishermen who lost their catch for 6 weeks don't lose out - that oughta cover it.

Still, ultimately the management is in the UK so we should take some heat for it.  But there's nothing a parochial yank likes more than someone else to f'up so that he can dogpile on top.  No matter how much responsibility the "furrnurrs" own up to. 

But I know, you're feeling blue because Obama's just got another 4 years to bury you republican bozos forever.  aww boohoo.  We're loving that over here. Say byebye now.


And ditto for playing stuff down and passing the buck.  It is going to be a longtime before the Limeys stop being royal screw up considering their arsenal of nasty stuff and dirty tricks.




As a BP shareholder the only thing I am waiting for is the final bill for the per barrel pollution - of course like the rest its just part of a Chicago shakedown.

When the final final bill is known then the only hope is that Exxon, Chevron et al can do their calculations with confidence & put their bids in. At present BP's oil is valued at under half that of Shell or Exxon, on a per barrel basis. Enough room for a 30-40% premium from the current share price & still make commercial sense - particularly when the cost savings of sacking the BP duffers are allowed.



With how royally you douches screwed up, the Chicago shakedown is not enough.  Definitely would have to go with the London banker shakedown.  But even that is not enough considering that you bozos destroyed a whole sea.  Why the losses are incalculable.  You are lucky our government is easily bought or else  we would have taken possesion of the UK to make for the losses.  And rightfully so.



Rubbish ! How can you conscienciously put a dollar amount on gulf coast prestine beaches ruined for decades by the lack of intergrity of BP? Not to mention, the destruction of hundreds of miles of prime Emperor Penguin wintering nesting habitat.



Be interested to see the source for that statistic, as it suggests they were more murderous than Stalin, Hitler and Mao combined. By the way, Union Carbide, or their successors, paid about $2000 (sic) for each of the lives taken, which would put BP's compensation bill on the same scale at a shade under $25'000 excluding inflation.


It's not just about the oil spill.  That just got people paying attention. 

BP showed a clear lack of integrity over the last 15 years with a lack of regard for human safety in favor of the bottom line.  There are multiple instances and many failed audits.  This was the last straw that got people looking deeper.

Although I definitely agree there should be more accountability across the board.


Winston Churchill killed that many Indians in a week's time. If you're looking for the most efficient and ruthless killer of Indian nationals, Winnie's your man.

Brian May: the deer cull was humane / parliamentary year book

Brian May: the deer cull was humane / parliamentary year book


A cull of senile guitarists is called for - along with surplus badgers which have now reached vermin levels and are living in cesspits of infection


Brian May says he bought the forest to protect it from development.   Is this true?   I would have thought that forest land was not the first choice for building due to the cost of clearance and the danger of land heave having removed the trees.   It is, or was,  a very good investment for tax purposes though.
Whilst Soysauce may be right about enough space in Texas, the people would no doubt starve as the land and water supply would not support sufficient food production.   In Africa the problem is not space but lack of water and soil erosion.

No, the problem with Africa is not lack of water or soil erosion it is lead at high speed flying around. There is plenty of water and soil around - its just that the locals don't seem to be able to work with other tribes.

Take Ethiopia for instance. We all remember the TV with very emotive images of starving children due to lack of water and therefore food. Of course what was not told at the time - and even now - is that Northern Ethiopia was - and is - a verdant lush, well watered agricultural area. Unfortunately there was a civil war going on and the northern part of Ethiopia was using starvation as a means of waging war.

You can see the same thing repeated across Africa. If the water resources and land was used to benefit all, then there would be no starvation at all. In fact - and having spend quite a long time in various African countries - the majority of Africa could be a paradise if they could stop trying to murder each other.


There are three things that I know about Brian May:

1. He is a fine musician.

2. He is correct about the inefficacy of attempting to restrict the occurrence of bovine tuberculosis by the culling of badgers.

3. For forty years or so, he has worn a variation of the hair do of Sir Isaac Newton.

That's good enough for me.


Those who condemn  deer culling offer no alternative - and some seem to be in denial of the facts, namely that deer will rapidly multiply to the point where the available land cannot provide the food to sustain their numbers.  Paul McCartney adopted the anti-cull position - and the RSPCA raised concerns over the number of starving deer on his land.
So, anti-cullers, ignoring all the totally irrelevant side issues, enlighten us as to precisely how you deal with too many starving deer?


We used to live in a small village, and every now and again from our kitchen window, we would see our neighbor hurriedly carting deer into his house. Followed by bundles of pigeon, pheasant and rabbits. He'd sell them, among other places, to the local pub, whose menu was titled " The Poachers Dish".




Living in Lala-Land. There's nothing wrong in shooting deer sport or otherwise. They are butchered and sold for consumption and have a far better quality of life than animals intensively bred for food. Using contraception on animals is just pure nuts especially when we are trying to reduce the volume of female hormones entering the natural world upsetting the balance of rivers.

Just another Champagne nutter with more money than sense.


Should humans be culled? Apparently their population is at least twice what is sustainable, there are massive food shortages in some countries, diseases such as TB and AIDS are spreading, they are desperate for energy to keep their civilisation going, always fighting wars over land and religion...




That photo at the top is probably the worst bit of photoshopping I've ever seen, but if Brian May wants us to think that's the way he really wants his hair, that's fine by me.



Right, Brian, so when you reach the end of your economic usefulness - which some may say is already the case - you presumably won't mind having your brains blown out with a hunting rifle while you're feeding or having a drink in the woods? A pleasant, dignified end.

Budget Talks

Parliamentary Yearbook Resource: I remember how unprofitable it was to try to export to the EEC before we joined it, owing to high import tariffs. UK only had free access to EFTA's piddling market.
Surely if UK were to quit the EU, it would again find it difficult to export to what remains its major, albeit diminishing, export market? There might be a separate EU/UK trade agreement but France and other countries Cameron has upset will make sure it still leaves UK at a disadvantage.



Parliamentary Yearbook Resource: I hope you all realise that Cameron has put us in a position where we will now pay more than he could have settled for yesterday .

Failure to agree on the budget means rolling over the 2013 budget into 2014 on a month-by-month basis. This will leave the UK in a worse position, because the 2013 budget is bigger than the preceding years of the 2007-2013 budget round.

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Financial Information

parliamentary information office: It's always good to look after the poor.

Very good news to see that our hard-earned cash is no longer being wasted on India.

India needs to sort itself out and look after its poor rather than planning space missions and ignoring them.




parliamentary information office: How about re-allocating the money towards our own country? It's a joke, we can't afford police or decent armed forces but we can afford to give away (borrowed) billions. The government is very generous with other people's money.



parliamentary information office: I see the current administration have now added another layer to their spin instead of strategy tactics, inasmuch as they are now making announcements about forthcoming announcements, then the will as always, follow up with an announcement, announcing what they have already announced, then when and if, they actually get round to doing something, there will be yet another announcement, followed a few months later by yet another one telling us that they've done what they announced. Needless to say many of us are fooled into thinking that the government is taking action.

This particular announcement is no different. It sounds good, until it becomes apparent, that nothing is actually going to happen until 2015, so what apart, from attempting to fool us into believing they are actually taking action, is the point of this pointless announcement?





parliamentary information office: It is right to recognise and applaud the
progress that India has made through investment in lifting 60 million people
out of poverty since 2006. However there are still more than 421 million people
living in extreme poverty in India’s poorest eight states, more than in the 26
poorest African countries combined.
India
simply cannot be viewed as a single country, rather as a continent. It is a collection
of states, each one the size and population of a country and there is an acute
need for external support for some parts of India. It is also home to a third
of the world’s extreme poor.

What happens to that sandwich in the picture post 2015? People living in extreme poverty can’t wait for the
long term structural changes needed in many states where regional government
capacity is weak and health systems barely function. They need help for as long as it takes.

The decision to cut aid as a short-term
political decision aimed at earning popular support rather than being based in
the realities of the development needs of people living in abject poverty.


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Comprehensive Redesign of Websites

parliamentary information office: There is nothing wrong with the current online system. I know, having been made redundant this summer after 14 years as an engineer and becoming obliged to use it. This will be an excuse to spend more taxpayers money, or it will be something more sinister as hinted below. Meanwhile I am job hunting furiously, believe me, and not even an interview yet. There's a few more months mortgage money in the bank account but then the shit really hits the fan for me.


parliamentary information office: Most people never use on-line services because government departments don't have them generally and the ones that are there are frigging useless. Living in Spain I've tried many times to get issues created by the DWP or the HMRC resolved on-line but there is no mechanism to do this via the internet and you have to resort to snail mail. Their web-sites are designed to promote caveat littered propaganda about this or that benefit but no where is there an on-line 'mail box' that specifically applies to you where you can resolve problems in a timely manner. Upon retirement I had the HMRC coding me as receiving two lots of state pension (I wish) and that took 4 different tax offices, 4 letters and goodness knows how many phone calls before I got the right tax code. This was despite being given 4 months notice of reaching 65. The DWP is no better as one hand doesn't know what the other hand is doing and I ended up with 3 sets of EHIC health cards as a result. On the WFA where the rules have changed recently nowhere on their website does it state that people who weren't in receipt of the WFA prior to leaving the UK are now entitled to it when they reach 60. Is this a ploy to cut costs I wonder ! Three months ago I rang them up requesting the WFA and despite the fact that the woman talking to me had ALL my information on a screen in front of her, I still had to download a 12 page claim form for me and my wife and send it off. Six weeks later and no acknowledgement despite asking for a one line email I ring them up again and got a load of BS about we're overloaded but they don't know if they have received my form or not. Since then, we've received 4 additional blank WFA forms sent to us in Spain for filling in despite sending them the WFA forms 2 months ago whilst in England. Finally they have confirmed I will get the WFA but still haven't answered my claim for back payments from when I tried to claim it at 60 despite receiving a letter from me 2 months ago about this subject. I checked with an on-line EU advice centre and they confirmed that all ECJ rulings are retrospective unless specifically ruled otherwise and the new WFA ruling falls into this retrospective category. Another letter last week and we'll see what those people in Sunderland have to say about this as its over one thousand pounds by my estimation I've lost out due to being denied WFA from 60-67 years of age. In conclusion, unless organisations like the DWP or HMRC can design a simple web site that gives clear unequivocal information AND has an individual mailbox for everyone, it will be a waste of time. Other organisations manage to have secure 'mail boxes' so why not government departments.


parliamentary information office: Could not some savings also be made by bringing the end of the tax year to something more logical, like 31 March? If tax reform is included in the specifications for this latest Magnum Opus, the savings could indeed be massive, taking into account the reduced revenue streams for the post office and telephone companies, and the vultures in the tax avoidance game.


parliamentary information office: This is good news, I predict that changes to benefits payment software will result in even more savings than predicted. The civil service does not do computing, so when such changes are attempted there is usually a total cockup. Standby for lots of whinging and whining from career scroungers.

 

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Importance of Hat

parliamentary information office: A hat is an excellent article as not only does it keep your head warm but it allows the wearer to engage in a conversation with those about him.

This revolves around what used to be called `hat honour'. You will often see pictures painted in the 17th century of Charles I siting at the dining table wearing his hat whilst those about him are hatless. They are doing `hat honour' to the king, recognising his superior status. Similarly the early Quakers when dragged into court for not attending compulsory Anglican service they did not divest themselves of their hats before the judge as they considered themselves as equal to the judge. They made their point and suffered for it.

When I enter a shop I take my hat off if I respect the shop. I am often seen wearing my hat in the bank although I do take it off when talking to the cashier and others as that is a proper courtesy. I always take my hat off in church but get confused with mosques and synagogues so negotiate my way round them with the congregation.

Then there is the recent incident in a Manchester courtroom in which some dreadful child much given to wearing what is known as a `hoodie' was ordered not to wear them in future as they allowed him to engage anonymously in crime. On representations being made by the defence counsel that this would make the said infant liable to catch colds, the judge very wisely pointed out that the babe in arms should avail himself of a cap. He went on to point out that one hundred years ago no man in Manchester would ever go out without wearing a hat. There is hope yet for the judiciary.

A hat is a good thing which is probably why the poseur `Dave' decries them. What does a man who hugs hoodies know about anything? He should have a chat with the wise judge.





parliamentary information office: The only merciless outside event of the year at which Cameron will necessarily appear bare headed will be a week today, when God willing, our 86 year old Monarch and her 91 year old Consort will lead the Act of Remembrance at the Cenotaph as they have done for 6 decades. 

Mr Cameron is 46 - almost exactly half the age of Prince Philip, who will wear a services cap, befitting a man who served throughout WWII as a regular.

Formal male civilian attire including a hat has largely fallen out of fashion - bowlers or cloth caps - save for the morning dress now so beloved of the ex-working class who invariably hire it for weddings these days, which seems so incongruous.

Baseball caps and the rest have become either practical devices for warmth or shade (some of us males have foreheads that extend behind our ears you know) - or the uniforms of gang culture and the like.





parliamentary information office: The problem nowadays with wearing a hat* regularly is that there are so few people who do it makes you immediately recognisable.  So you're constantly greeted in the street by people who recognise you (or rather the hat) whilst you have, at best, only the vaguest memory of where they might have met you!

*Baseball caps do not, imho, properly count as hats.




parliamentary information office: Here in the tropics those of us with any sense wear a hat to keep the sun off. And really, hats on men have never been a matter of fashion, merely of  functionality or convention, apart from the tossers who think it's trendy to wear a baseball cap.

I think it's a shame, though, that ties seem to be worn much less than in previous generations.




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Parliamentary News

parliamentary information office: "the Government’s first priority should be to put its own house in order and abandon policies that do more harm than good."



parliamentary information office: Hope you will have the opportunity to present the 'Local Banking' argument to the  Treasury Select Committee, as the vastly superior method of realizing the full economic potential of  our regional economies. 

Surely, The Commons has to  consider the really compelling  alternatives, in it's  evaluation of  recent BoE policy.


parliamentary information office: What is old Garthy baby on? The Government is still shooting itself in the foot my arse!!! It hasn't got any feet left and is now shooting everybody else in the foot. If by some chance they got the weapon reversed and shot the government in the head we might get somewhere!!!


parliamentary information office: Heseltine will not find the answer to the problem with current governments under
 a stone for the simple reason there is not a rock large enough to
 conceal the E.U and being a member in any shape or form is where
 our main problem lies.


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Comment: MPs' expenses threatens public trust again

The public are still angry about the last expenses scandal. Trust in Westminster can only be further damaged by what appears to be a cover up of a loophole which allows MPs to pocket extra expenses cash by renting out their homes to one another.

Given how damaging the expenses crisis was in 2009, many will be shocked to learn that MPs are attempting to block the publication of information that could reveal abuse of the system. Before the last crisis hit the headlines the Speaker at the time blocked publication of addresses of MPs who were involved in claims. This made it impossible to identify those who were 'flipping' their second homes. Thankfully, someone leaked the unsavoury details to the Telegraph and the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to today and the current Speaker, John Bercow, has written to the expenses regulator asking for documents revealing the names of MPs landlords to be kept secret. Mr Bercow has done so under the guise of protecting parliamentarians' security. He has reacted to pressure from MPs like Home Office minister James Brokenshire, who is quoted in the Evening Standard as saying that a balance must be struck between security and transparency. But many disillusioned voters will wonder whether such reticence amounts to an admission of bad behaviour.

Taxpayers will wonder why MPs are taking advantage of the loophole not to cover legitimate expenses but to profit at their expense. Though technically within parliamentary rules, MPs have to know what a dim view their constituents will take of profiteering from such a blatant ruse.

In order to build on the residual trust that the public may still have in parliament, it is absolutely necessary that we have total transparency on MPs taxpayer funded expenses and allowances. While security is of course a concern, the work that has been done since 2009 to rebuild parliament's reputation is at serious risk of being undone.

There are glimmers of hope, however, as some members of parliament are fully committed to transparency. John Mann stated frankly that "if MPs are renting from past or current MPs it is right and proper that the public should know that". Jacqui Smith, who knows about public anger over expenses all too well, condemned the Speaker's move, saying it is "wrong and it won't last". Let's hope that spirit of openness will be embraced by lots more politicians so taxpayers' hard earned money is not wasted on any more fiddles.

Expenses are still a major issue for the public. So-called flipping, bogus main homes and memories of duck houses may have faded but they haven't gone away. MPs who have done nothing wrong must not be tarnished by the actions of those involved in this latest scandal of abuse and cover up.

TaxPayers' Alliance chief executive Matthew Sinclair has made it clear how important this issue is: "The public's faith was left in tatters in 2009 and the latest allegations could endanger much of the work that has been done since then to restore public confidence in our politicians. It is vital that there is total transparency in all matters relating to MPs' taxpayer-funded expenses and allowances."


Source: http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2012/10/18/comment-mps-expenses-threatens-public-trust-again

UK signs deal on Scotland independence referendum

LONDON -- British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond signed a deal Monday agreeing the date and wording of a referendum that will ask Scottish voters whether they want to remain in the 305-year-old union with England.

The agreement -- which stipulates that Scotland will decide on the matter no later than fall 2014 -- comes after months of delicate negotiations between the British government in London and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

Under the terms of the agreement, the referendum should “deliver a fair test and a decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland and a result that everyone will respect.”

"This marks the beginning of an important chapter in Scotland's story and allows the real debate to begin," Cameron said in comments prepared for delivery and released by his office in advance.

'Biggest opportunity'
Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was closely involved in the backroom negotiations that led to the referendum agreement, called it “the biggest opportunity the people of Scotland have had for 300 years to determine the kind of nation we all wish to live in.”

The timing of the referendum appears to be a victory for Salmond, whose Scottish National Party (SNP) has campaigned for decades for the right of Scots to determine the country’s destiny for themselves.

With recent opinion polls showing only around 30 percent of Scots supporting independence, Cameron is believed to have favored an earlier vote.

The prime minister has publicly opposed a break-up of the union, arguing that countries are "stronger together".

But Cameron has been under increasing pressure to bring forward legislation after the SNP made significant gains in Scottish Parliament elections in May 2011, taking full control of Scotland's devolved government after gaining power through a coalition in 2007.

A remarkable, and rapid, transformation has shifted Scotland’s political terrain since the first devolved parliament was established in 1999.

The SNP, frequently campaigning on a ticket of an independent Scotland, has seen its fortunes improve at the expense of mainstream parties affiliated to London's Westminster parliament.

Complete Europe coverage on NBCNews.com

Behind the SNP’s rhetoric is the belief that independence will make Scotland more successful.

The SNP points to successful countries like Sweden and Norway, which function well as smaller states.

In its publicity material, the SNP claims: “We will be able to address the priorities of people in Scotland, from better state pensions to universal free childcare. Scotland could do even more to lead the world in areas like renewable energy and tackling climate change, and play our part in creating a more peaceful and stable world.”

Funding the plan
But these bold aspirations require the financial capacity to deliver them.

London argues that an independent Scotland, which has a huge government sector, would struggle to balance the books. The bulk of Scotland's current funding comes from an annual $48 billion grant from the U.K. government.

The most contentious issue -- one likely to dominate debate in the run-up to the referendum -- is the ownership of an estimated 20 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves that lie beneath the British part of the North Sea.

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Scotland has long laid claim to the tax revenues of the fossil fuels that flow ashore and many analysts believe the pro-independence campaign will need to deliver the money in order to deliver its policies.

For now, the next step will be for the Scottish Parliament to bring legislation to allow the referendum to take place. In that, there will be a world of detail for both sides to chew over, including the wording of the referendum question, the right of younger people to vote and how the campaign will be financed.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/15/14452943-uk-signs-deal-on-scotland-independence-referendum

Georgians cast ballots in pivotal parliamentary vote

(Reuters) - President Mikheil Saakashvili faced his biggest test in a decade in power on Monday as Georgians voted in a parliamentary election overshadowed by a prison abuse scandal that has fuelled accusations of government repression.

Saakashvili, who swept to the presidency after the Rose Revolution of 2003 and led the country into a brief, disastrous war with Russia in 2008, says his main challenger Bidzina Ivanishvili would move the former Soviet republic away from West and bring it closer to Moscow once again.

Ivanishvili, a tycoon with a fortune nearly half the size of Georgia's economy, hopes the prison scandal will convince undecided voters that Saakashvili has become an undemocratic leader who tramples on rights and freedoms.

Video of torture, beatings and sexual of prison inmates led to street protests after it was aired on two television channels opposed to Saakashvili. They undermined the president's image as a reformer who had imposed the rule of law and rooted out post-Soviet corruption.

"I'm voting against violence and abuse - how can I do otherwise after what we have all seen on TV?" Natela Zhorzholia, 68, said outside a polling station at a school in the capital, Tbilisi.

She said she would vote for Ivanishvili's six-party Georgian Dream movement.

The election also heralds constitutional changes which will affect any future leadership.

Saakashvili, 44, must step down after a presidential vote next year, when reforms will weaken the role of head of state giving more power to parliament and the prime minister.

But if his United National Movement retains its dominance of parliament, that may give him a way to remain in charge of the country of 4.5 million, an important gas and oil transit route to the West,

"Besides being a contest for parliament, it is also a shadow leadership election," said Thomas de Waal, a Caucasus expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

EUROPEAN DREAM

Saakashvili highlighted the importance of the vote after casting his ballot with his Dutch wife and their young son, and said: "The fate of our country's statehood is being decided today".

The vote will affect "not only this nation but what happens to the European dream...what happens to the idea of democracy... what happens to the idea of reforms in this part of the world," he said.

Many Georgians just want political and economic stability. The economy, hit by the 2008 war and the global financial crisis, has been growing again since 2010 but inflation is likely to hit 6-7 percent this year.

"I voted for peace and stability," Georgy Ugrekhelidze, 76. "I want this government to carry out what it has started."

Saakashvili's supporters say the election could determine whether Georgia moves closer to Russia or remains a U.S. ally. They accuse Ivanishvili, who made much of his money in Russia, of being a Kremlin stooge, a charge he denies.

During the war, Russia strengthened its control of the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which make up about one-fifth of the Caucasus nation's territory.

The West wants a stable Georgia because of its role as a conduit for Caspian Sea energy supplies to Europe and its pivotal location between Russia, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia.

"The most important thing is that those who are dissatisfied should not create disorder," said voter Yelena Kvlividze, 45.

Ivanishvili told a rally on Saturday: "This regime's hours are numbered."

But has also said Georgian Dream will accept any outcome deemed legitimate by international observers.

A poll by the U.S. National Democratic Institute in August gave UNM 37 percent support against 12 percent for Georgian Dream but showed 43 percent of respondents could vote either way. There have been no major polls since the abuse scandal.

Elected in 2004 after the Rose Revolution protests toppled President Eduard Shevardnadze, a former Soviet foreign minister, Saakashvili cultivated close ties with Europe and the United States and sought to bring Georgia into NATO.

He curbed police bribe-taking, made frequent power outages a thing of the past and presided over an economic resurgence.

But opponents say he has curtailed democracy, persecuted the opposition, pressured courts and controlled the media. He also faces criticism for leading Georgia into the war with Moscow in which Russian forces routed the army.

(Reporting by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Steve Gutterman and Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/01/uk-georgia-election-idUKBRE89007U20121001

A Boost For Local Enterprise

The Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items for major features on the regeneration of our urban landscape in the next edition and has been following the progress of Local Enterprise Partnerships since their launch in the Summer of 2010

The Government yesterday announced core funding for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to allow them to drive forward their growth priorities.

Local Enterprise Partnerships are central to the Government's approach to driving local economic growth and for ensuring that every community is able to fulfil its potential. This offer of over £24million from Government could unlock up to £20million locally and will enable Local Enterprise Partnerships to deliver their local plans for growth.

LEPs are locally-owned partnerships between local authorities and businesses and play a central role in determining local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and the creation of local jobs. They are also a key vehicle in delivering Government objectives for economic growth and decentralisation, whilst also providing a means for local authorities to work together with business in order to quicken the economic recovery.

This is a key change in the approach to how local economic development happens - local authorities and central government used to ask business to comment on strategies that were developed but now the business community is in the driving seat.

Local Enterprise Partnerships now cover 94 per cent of all businesses in England. They represent 22 million employees or 95 per cent of the total workforce.

There are 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships across England. Each Local Enterprise Partnership is made up of local businesses working in partnership with a combination of local authorities. Each Local Enterprise Partnership is different - each one reflects the need of local businesses and the local economy. As Local Enterprise Partnerships are based on more meaningful economic areas, they are better placed to determine the needs of the local economy along with a greater ability to identify barriers to local economic growth.

Yesterday’s announcement means that an interim £5million funding package will be made available immediately for all Local Enterprise Partnerships to draw upon for the remainder of this financial year. This will be followed by up to £250,000 per Local Enterprise Partnership per year for the following two years. Where matched by funds locally the overall funding pot could equate up to £45million over this period. The central government funding will be provided on a 50/50 basis by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

Local Growth Minister Mark Prisk said:

"Today's £25million boost will give Local Enterprise Partnerships the financial stability they need going forward, to build on their early successes and tailor the support they offer to local needs. If matched by local support, this could mean that up to £45million will be available to help Local Enterprise Partnerships turn their plans into jobs and growth."

Business and Enterprise Minister Michael Fallon, said:

"It is crucial we arm Local Enterprise Partnerships with the tools and resources they need to play a prominent role in delivering growth and jobs for their communities. This funding will help Local Enterprise Partnerships plan for the long term and ensure they can remain locally-led instead of dependent on central government support.

"We need to ensure Local Enterprise Partnerships remain voluntary business and civic partnerships so they are in the best possible position to deliver sustainable growth and job creation in their areas. Already we are seeing Local Enterprise Partnerships across England delivering innovative schemes in their communities. This financial support will help the partnerships to continue this work."

Local Enterprise Partnerships will be invited to bid for matched funding for 2013/14 and 2014/15, setting out how they would be able to offer a cash match from public or private resources. Details of the scope of the match will be discussed with Local Enterprise Partnerships shortly.

The Government made £5million of core funding available to Local Enterprise Partnerships last year to help them start up and establish themselves through financial support for things such as board support, development of priorities and business engagement. This was followed by a further £4million to build capacity over a four year period.

For 2013/14 and 2014/15, matched funding will be offered of up to £250,000 per LEP per annum, with DCLG and BIS together contributing £10million per year. Local Enterprise Partnerships wishing to utilise this funding will be required to source match funding of equal value.

This brief article summarises the situation as it stands today. We shall be adding to the article as there are further developments and any changes to the plans will be reflected in the content. The full report will be published in print and online in the next edition of the Parliamentary Yearbook.

Web: www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk
Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org
18^th September 2012

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Turning The Tide On Piracy

The Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items for major features in the next edition covering international measures to protect the world’s sea lanes against piracy and has been following closely the success of Operation Atalanta

In a report published earlier this monthThe House of Lords EU Committee for External Affairs has praised the success of Operation Atalanta in curbing piracy off the Somali coast. However, they say that the operation must be extended beyond its current end date of December 2014 if it is to make a lasting difference in combating the threat.

European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Operation Atalanta was launched by the European Union on 8 December 2008 and is conducted in accordance with United Nations Security Council’s resolutions. The Operation has been extended by the European Council until December 2014 and has the following objectives:

• Protect vessels of the World Food Programme, Humanitarian aid and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) shipping
• Help deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery.
• Protect vulnerable shipping
• Monitor fishing activities off the coast of Somalia

Operation Atalanta’s participation goes beyond EU Member States. Norway was the first non-EU country to contribute to the Operation with one warship, in 2009. Furthermore, Croatia and Ukraine have provided staff officers to the Operational Headquarters (OHQ). Additionally, offers by Montenegro and Serbia to contribute have been accepted and a Participation Agreement has been concluded to this effect, allowing the contribution of naval officers.

Also a considerable international military naval presence is now in the area, comprising the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), NATO and also units from China, India, Japan, Russia, Taiwan and others – all committed to Counter Piracy but to some extend with varying mandates and mission objectives. EU NAVFOR ATALANTA has permanent liaison with these forces to deconflict their operations in time and space in the mission area.

The funding of EU NAVFOR ATALANTA amounted to €8.4 million for 2010 and €8.05 million for 2011. A budget of €14.9 million is provided for the common costs of the prolonged mandate until December 2014.

The Committee say in their report that Operation Atalanta has made clear progress in reducing the number of ships pirated, with only 8 vessels and 215 hostages held in June 2012 compared to 23 vessels and 501 hostages in the same month in 2011.

Nonetheless the report makes clear that it is vital this effort is extended beyond 2014 to show the EU will not walk away from confronting piracy in the Indian Ocean. Otherwise organisations and individuals that organise piracy will simply wait out the operation before returning to their previous activities.

The report welcomes the increase in trials and imprisonment of pirates and particularly praises the role played by the Seychelles. However, the Committee do express concerns about the policy of transferring sentenced pirates back to Somalia for imprisonment and suggest there is a risk of breakouts. They call on the EU and UN to work together to monitor pirate prisons. They also say efforts should be made to ensure the imprisonment includes some efforts at rehabilitation as well as punishment, particularly for young pirates.

The findings in the report include:

• Somali piracy will never be completely eradicated until the root causes of the problems in the country are addressed. The Committee welcome EU efforts to increase aid to the country and say that aid should be focused on providing alternative livelihoods for the Somali people to reduce the incentives to engage in piracy
• The Committee have changed their view on the use of armed guards on ships since their original report on piracy and now support the initiative as the evidence showed that no ship with an armed guard has been pirated and the use of guards has not escalated violence
• The report welcomes the high degree of international cooperation in tackling Somali piracy with national navies of Russia, China and India all playing a role. This should act as a model for military cooperation in other theatres including EU-NATO relations
• The role of China in particular is welcome and evidence of its increasing cooperation with the international community

Commenting Lord Teverson, Chairman of the Lords EU Committee for External Affairs, said:

"Operation Atalanta has clearly made real progress in reducing the threat of Somali piracy. However if the situation is to continue to improve it is important the pirates know the international commitment to stop their activities is real and ongoing. To ensure this, Operation Atalanta should now have its remit extended beyond 2014.

“As we identified in our previous report reducing piracy requires reducing the incentive for Somalis to become pirates. As well as increasing the risk involved by improving detection and punishment of those engaged in piracy we also need viable alternatives for Somalis to provide for their families.

“Again the EU is making progress but it is important that aid is now focused on providing alternative forms of livelihood so people don’t resort to piracy."

The Parliamentary Year book will continue to report on the progress of this and other anti-piracy measures as we go through the months ahead.

Web: www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk
Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org
31^st August 2012

Student Immigration

The Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items for major features in the next edition covering the UK education system and has been following closely the efforts of Government to provide a balance between the need to limit immigration and the economic benefit of overseas students coming to the UK

In the wake of the withdrawal of London Metropolitan University’s licence to sponsor students from outside the EU, the Commons Public Accounts Committee today published its Report: 'Immigration: Points Based System-Student Route'.

The Committee examined, on the basis of evidence from the Home Office and the UK Border Agency, the implementation and management of the student route of the Points Based System for immigration.

The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, today said:

"It is extraordinary that the UK Border Agency introduced its new points based system for students before proper controls were in place to replace the old ones.

“The result of the Agency's poorly planned and ill-thought out course of action was chaos: an immediate high level of abuse of the new system and a surge in the number of student visas. In 2009 the number of migrants who abused the student route to work rather than study went up by as much as 40,000 to 50,000.

“Since then, the Agency has been playing catch-up, continually adjusting the rules and procedures in order to try and tackle abuse.

“The result has been to create a huge amount of bureaucracy for universities and an increasingly complex system for students to navigate. A bad situation has been made worse by the poor customer support being provided by the Agency.

“Genuine international students make a valuable contribution to life in the UK and to our economy, and the Agency must reduce the burden on those students and institutions who pose a low risk.

Despite the surge in the number of people abusing the student route, the Agency has not done enough to remove those who are here illegally. Even where it has been told by colleges that so-called students are not studying, it has been unacceptably slow to act.

“The Agency must take urgent enforcement action to remove them. This would also send a message to other would-be migrants that the student route is not an easy option for those with no intention of studying."

International students contribute significant economic benefit to the UK and provide an important income stream for UK education institutions. There is tension though between the twin goals of ensuring a flow of high quality students into the UK and ensuring and maintaining public confidence in the immigration system. The Home Office, through the UK Border Agency (the Agency), introduced Tier 4 of the Points Based System for student immigration in March 2009 to control the entry of students from outside the European Economic Area who come to the UK to study. Under Tier 4, students have to be sponsored by an educational institution (sponsor) licensed by the Agency and responsibility for testing whether applicants are likely to comply with their visa conditions has been transferred from the Agency to the sponsor.

The Committee found that the Agency implemented the new system before proper controls were in place. It removed the controls it relied on under the old system; primarily, intentions testing and spot check interviews by entry clearance officers, before it had replaced them with new checks and controls. The Agency did not make their secure electronic system, which demonstrated that a student had been sponsored by a licensed sponsor, mandatory until February 2010. In the meantime, the Agency had to rely on letters from sponsors, which were easily forged. The Agency had also only visited 30 % of the education institutions it had licensed as sponsors by March 2009 when it launched Tier 4. The controls gap enabled a surge in student visas and, in 2009 an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 additional migrants came to the UK to work rather than study.

After a poorly planned and ill-thought out implementation of Tier 4 in 2009, the Agency has had to spend the subsequent three years amending rules and procedures in an effort to reduce abuse. This constant change has made it very difficult and costly for students and education institutions to keep up to date with the increasingly complex set of rules and guidance that has emerged. The supporting advice and guidance offered by the Agency has not been good enough. Furthermore, the Agency has not introduced ways to ease the burden on those students and sponsors that can safely be considered low risk, potentially damaging the benefits to the UK education sector.

The Agency has not taken sufficient action to deal with migrants abusing the student route. The Agency took the decision to focus on controls over entry to the UK. It also decided to prioritise removing individuals proven to be 'high harm', for example foreign national prisoners. However, it should not be ignoring such large numbers of people living and working in the UK illegally. Its approach also failed to capitalise on the benefit of high profile removals as a disincentive to abuse of the route. The Agency has only belatedly been removing the visas from those it knew were not studying. The Agency has not been following up on those whose visas it knew had expired.

The Government expected that clamping down on abuse of student visas would play a part in reducing net migration. However the measurement of net migration is still based on inaccurate International Passenger Survey data. The e-Borders system for counting all migrants in and out of the UK will not be in place fully until 2015 at the earliest. The Committee noted that currently net migration figures include students, who generally stay in the UK for less than 5 years and suggested that it would be more informative to also report net migration statistics excluding students, as a number of other comparable countries do.

The Parliamentary Year book will continue to report on the progress of this and other anti-piracy measures as we go through the months ahead.

Web: www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk
Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org
4^th September 2012

Cyber Security For Businesses

With the growth in the use of the internet by small and medium sized businesses and the threat posed to their activities by cyber crime, the Parliamentary Yearbook is, as part of its ongoing coverage feature of security issues, carrying a major piece in the next edition on Government and industry’s efforts to increase cyber security. 

For the first time, the Government and intelligence agencies are directly targeting the most senior levels in the UK’s largest companies and providing them with advice on how to safeguard their most valuable assets, such as personal data, online services and intellectual property.

There are currently 2 billion internet users worldwide and the internet accounts for 3.4 per cent of GDP in the top 13 ‘cyber-mature’ countries. The internet also accounts for 21 per cent of GDP growth in the last 5 years in mature countries and provides 2.6 jobs created for 1 job lost.

75 per cent of Internet impact arises from traditional industries and 10 per cent increase in productivity for small and medium businesses from internet usage. Small and medium businesses heavily using web technologies grow and export as twice much as others.

However far too few company chief executives and chairs take a direct interest in protecting their businesses from cyber threats.

So yesterday the Government launched Cyber Security Guidance for Business at an event attended by FTSE 100 CEOs and Chairs, Ministers from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Foreign Office, Cabinet Office, Home Office and senior figures from the intelligence agencies.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

“Cyber security threats pose a real and significant risk to UK business by targeting valuable assets such as data and intellectual property. By properly protecting themselves against attacks companies are protecting their bottom line.

“Ensuring this happens should be the responsibility of any chief executive or chair as part of an approach to good corporate governance which secures a business for the long-term.”

Foreign Secretary William Hague, as Minister responsible for the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), said:

“The UK is committed to building a secure, resilient, open and trusted internet. We are working with partners across the globe to ensure this vision becomes a reality.

“A networked world brings many advantages. But cyberspace – and cybercrime – knows no borders.
Businesses must be alert to the dangers. Drawing on GCHQ’s experience and working with industry the Government is committed to helping reduce vulnerability to attacks and ensure that the UK is the safest place in the world to do business.”

Home Secretary Theresa May said:

“Cyber crime is a serious problem which affects businesses of all sizes and can have devastating consequences.

“That is why we have funded the expansion of the Police Central e-Crime Unit in the Metropolitan Police and SOCA’s Cyber Unit, and established three regional cyber specialist hubs to help combat the threat. We will build on this by introducing a dedicated cyber crime unit in the new National Crime Agency.”

The new guidance, produced by the CESG (the Information Security arm of GCHQ), BIS and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), will help the private sector minimise the risks to company assets.

The guidance builds on a key objective within the Government’s Cyber Security Strategy to work hand in hand with industry and make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do online business.
Cyber Security Guidance for Business consists of three products:

• The first product is aimed at senior executives. It offers some high level questions which we believe will assist and support them to determine their critical information assets, support them in their strategic level risk discussions and help them ensure that they have the right safeguards and cultures in place
• The second product is an Executive Companion which discusses how Cyber Security is one of the biggest challenges that business and the wider UK economy face today. It offers guidance for business on how together we can make the UK's networks more resilient and protect key information assets against cyber threats. The document focuses around key points of risk management and corporate governance and includes some anonymous case studies based on real events
• The third product supports the Executive Companion and provides more detailed cyber security information and advice for 10 critical areas (covering both technical and process/cultural areas). If implemented as a set it can substantially reduce the cyber risk by helping to prevent or deter the majority of types of attacks. For each of these 10 areas, we have summarised the issue, outlined the potential risks and provided some practical measures and advice to reduce these risks. The material integrates the "Top 20 Critical Controls for Effective Cyber Defence" as endorsed by CPNI. These controls provide further detailed guidance.

The guidance builds on comments by the Foreign Secretary at the end of the London Conference for Cyberspace (2^nd November 2011), in which he emphasised that cyberspace must be secure and reliable so that it is trusted for online business, and that innovators are confident that their discoveries will be appropriately protected. Another theme was the importance of government and industry taking a shared responsibility towards the prevention of cyber crime

Further news on cyber security will be covered by the Parliamentary Year book and there will be a major feature on the topic in the next edition

Web: www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk
Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org
6^th September 2012

Setback To Plans To Outlaw Cheap Alcohol

The Parliamentary Yearbook has been monitoring progress in Government policy relating to alcohol misuse for major features on the topic in the next edition of the publication

In evidence to MPs last week, the Office of Fair Trading warned that the Government’s plans to outlaw cheap alcohol could result in supermarkets being encouraged to sell more rather than less drink.

The Government’s alcohol strategy sets out proposals to crack down on the 'binge drinking' culture in our country; cut the alcohol-fuelled violence and disorder that blights too many of our communities; and slash the number of people drinking to damaging levels.

The strategy includes commitments to:

• introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol
• consult on a ban on the sale of multi-buy alcohol discounting
• introduce stronger powers for local areas to control the density of licensed premises including making the impact on health a consideration for this
• pilot innovative sobriety schemes to challenge alcohol-related offending

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.

However the Office of Fair Trading is concerned that shops will have an incentive to promote their cheapest range of drinks because they will benefit from higher margins on these products. The watchdog said that supermarkets and the drinks industry would gain additional profit from every unit of low-cost alcohol that they sell.

The OFT is also worried that the Government’s interference in prices will set a dangerous precedent to undermine free market forces. It found that similar price controls in France and Ireland meant that had a higher cost of living.

The watchdog said in its evidence:

“By legitimising intervention to control prices in a competitive market, it will be harder for the Government to resist calls for similar measures in other parts of the retail sector in future.”

The OFT also believes that a simple tax per unit on items sold would be better than minimum pricing since this would not encourage supermarkets to sell more alcohol.

The House of Commons Health Select Committee in its report on the Government’s Alcohol Strategy published last month supported the decision to introduce a minimum price for alcohol. On this question, the Committee Chair, the Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell MP, said:

"The Committee supports the decision to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol , but the Government needs to recognise that setting the price is not a one-off event. A transparent process must be put in place in order to ensure that the price level is evidence-based and is monitored over time to assess its effectiveness.

“We also recommend that there should be a 'sunset clause' on the implementation of a minimum price so that it only remains in place if it is shown to be effective in reducing harmful drinking."

"Striking the right balance on alcohol consumption is not straight forward. Most people enjoy alcohol without evidence of significant harm to their health, yet it is not possible to define what is a generally safe level of consumption as alcohol affects different people in different ways. Individuals who drink alcohol and the companies which sell it have an obligation to do so in a way which respects the rights and interests of their fellow citizens," adds Stephen Dorrell.

The Home Office is due to give more detail on the plans for minimum pricing later in the year and the Parliamentary Year book will continue to report on Government action to curb alcohol misuse over the months ahead.

The Queen’s Awards For Enterprise

The Parliamentary Yearbook is, in recognition of UK business commercial success and outstanding achievement, carrying a major feature in the next edition on the Queen’s awards for Enterprise, the UK’s most prestigious awards for business. 

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk last week called on the most innovative companies in the UK to step forward to be in with a chance of winning a prestigious business award from Her Majesty the Queen.

The Minister made the call for companies to enter the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise as some of the most innovative regional firms showcased their talents at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in Sheffield.

The Queen’s Awards Scheme, originally known as ‘The Queen’s Award to Industry’, was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1966 following the recommendations of a committee chaired by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
The purpose of the scheme was to encourage UK businesses to innovate and export more to help the UK out of an adverse balance of payments situation that was prevalent at the time. The awards have been in existence for over 40 years, and they continue to be the UK’s most prestigious awards for business performance. In today’s global economy, where the rate of change and the level of competition are unprecedented, it is important that the UK continues to be highly flexible and innovative to ensure future wealth creation and continued growth in the UK economy.

The awards are made annually by HM The Queen, and are only given for the highest levels of excellence demonstrated in each category. They are judged to a demanding level and winners receive a number of benefits and worldwide recognition. Previous corporate winners have come from a diverse selection of business sectors and have included large and small businesses. Recipients of the individual award have been from varied social and professional backgrounds.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are bestowed by Her Majesty The Queen in three categories: Innovation, International Trade and Sustainable Development.

The Awards provide global recognition that a company is amongst the best in its field. Winning can boost staff morale, lead to an increase in sales and improve media coverage. All winners can display the Awards emblem for five years and are invited to attend a reception at Buckingham Palace. Winners also receive a Grant of Appointment certificate and a crystal chalice.

There is also an award for individuals – the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion – for which people are free to nominate others who they believe are worthy of recognition for promoting enterprise.

Some of this year’s winners are presenting their products to the public in South Yorkshire. The displays include recycled fabrics from Camira Fabrics Ltd and specialised industrial clothing from Microgard Ltd. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise showcase will be on display from Friday, 17 August until Tuesday, 4 September at BIS, St Paul’s Place, Sheffield.

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said:

“The quality of winners from the 2012 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise was the highest ever, with over 200 companies being recognised across the UK, and 20 alone from Yorkshire and the Humber. The companies on display in Sheffield are a credit to local and national business as their determination and success will help boost the UK economy.

“The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise can make a real difference to a business’s prospects and provide national recognition for outstanding achievements. I would encourage companies from across the UK to apply for next year’s awards and make 2013 even more successful than this record breaking year of enterprise.”

Entry is now open for the 2013 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise and will close on Friday, 28 September 2012. The winners of the 2012 awards have been invited to attend a special reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, 13 November.

This year the Government is running the Business in You campaign to inspire more people to start or grow their business backed by a range of existing business support services provided by the public and private sectors.

The companies that are taking part in the Sheffield showcase are; Boxford Ltd, King Cole Ltd, Melett Ltd, Camira Fabrics Ltd, Microgard Ltd and Pace.

The Government's economic policy objective is to achieve 'strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.' It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ published at Budget 2011:

• To create the most competitive tax system in the G20
• To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business
• To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy
• To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.

Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.

Further news on the Awards will be covered by the Parliamentary Year book and there will be a major feature on the topic in the next edition