Policy Announcements, Thursday 8 February

Government

• The Chancellor Gordon Brown and Education Secretary Alan Johnson called on all employers to sign up to a 'Skills Pledge' to ensure that all their employees reach a skills level equivalent to five good GCSEs. The Skills Pledge, part of a plan to equip Britain's workforce for the future, will share responsibility between the State, employer and employees and will be open to all employers irrespective of size, status or sector. It is designed to stimulate demand for training services and support a new culture where gaining skills is taken as a matter of course.
• Schools Minister Andrew Adonis launched the new Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in a reception at the House of Lords. The new subject association is aimed to champion the quality of teaching and learning that can have a big impact on the health and well-being of children and young people.
• The roll-out of an initiative to help tackle robberies at cash machines and a renewed pledge to work with the mobile phone operators to meet their target of blocking stolen phones were announced by the Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker.
• Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly announced a new Commission to look at how local democracy can be revitalised and made both more representative and more responsive to local people. Praising the contribution councillors make to grassroots democracy Ruth Kelly said the new Councillors Commission will look at ways to better support councillors and encourage more people from a wider range of backgrounds to play a leading role in their communities.
• A dual energy scheme to be sited off the Cumbrian coast was given the go-ahead by Energy Minister Lord Truscott. The Ormonde project from Eclipse Energy will be sited 10KM from Walney Island near Barrow in Furness.
• A new unit to provide Ministers and civil servants with independent professional advice on fire and rescue issues is to be set up. The new unit will be headed by a new post, Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, announced Fire Minister Angela Smith. Advising Ministers, COBR, other Government departments and local government during a major emergency will be just one of the responsibilities of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser's Unit. The unit will be set up by Communities and Local Government.
• Parents are set to benefit from a share of £7.5million being invested in better services for parents by the Government. Families Minister Beverley Hughes has explained that far from telling parents what to do, the Government wants parents to have the information and support that they are asking for. She said that local authorities had a crucial role to play in making sure that parents were listened to and that services met the needs of mothers and fathers. Helping parents in this way not only improves the life chances of children, but can have wider benefits for communities and society as a whole.

Conservatives

• The Conservatives have announced plans to step up their scrutiny of preparations for the 2012 Olympics. Party leader David Cameron announced the creation of an expert 'oversight committee' which will monitor activities and provide expert advice on key issues. The group will be chaired by Sir John Ritblat, the former chairman and chief executive of British Land, and also includes former commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Lord Stevens.