Policy Announcements, Friday 9 February

Government

• A streamlined process for applying to Defra for waste PFI credits has been announced. The introduction of Award Rounds, similar to those used by other government departments, means discrete application windows will replace the previous 'first come first served' system. PFI has a key role in helping local authorities to finance the estimated £11bn of infrastructure required for the UK to meet its targets for reducing dependence on landfill. The previous Waste PFI system allowed Local Authorities to apply for credits at any time of the year. This made assessment of the relative contribution of each case to the overall PFI programme more difficult. It also hindered the development of a programme level pipeline management strategy.

• A special scheme to help cashflow in small firms will be extended from 1 April 2007 the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, John Healey MP, announced. The Cash Accounting Scheme (CAS) allows eligible businesses to defer paying their VAT until they have received payment from their customers - as opposed to accounting for and paying VAT when they issue and receive invoices. From 1 April 2007 the threshold for CAS is to be more than doubled from £660,000 to £1.35 million. Changes to the VAT scheme will help small-to-medium-sized companies cope with cash flow difficulties.

• The OFT has issued a warning to holiday and travel suppliers to ensure that they are not misleading consumers about prices. The warning comes as the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has agreed to remind its members that their Code of Conduct, which is binding on all members, requires all fixed non-optional costs to be included in the basic advertised prices of their holidays. ABTA will take firm action against any member who fails to comply with its Code of Conduct.
• A campaign to encourage police and other public sector workers to adopt a common-sense approach to human rights has been launched today. Launching the campaign in Manchester, Lord Falconer said: "Human rights are there to protect the public, not put people at risk. "Too often much of the real importance of human rights has been clouded by nonsense."

• The Liberal Democrats have pledged they would not require people to have identity cards to receive public services in Wales. Leader of the Lib Dems in the Welsh assembly Mike German said that the policy would form a key plank of the party's manifesto for May's elections. The Westminster government has said ID cards could be used to allow access to the NHS, control of which is devolved to the assembly in Wales.
• Liberal Democrat peer, Baroness (Sue) Miller is sponsoring a bill to return people's right to protest, which should be a basic liberty in any democracy. She says the Government has placed restrictions on protests within one kilometre of the House of Parliament. Citizens now have to apply to the police for permission to hold a demonstration there. Even elected Members of Parliament have to apply to the police for permission to protest outside their own place of work.

• The Conservatives said they would boost the status of the Welsh language, create a national gallery and attract showpiece sports events to Wales in their pitch for the May Assembly election. Plans include a network of local galleries, linked to a national collection in Cardiff. The party said it would make Welsh an official language and appoint an independent language commissioner. The Tories joined Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats outside the Senedd yesterday to accept a petition calling for a new Welsh Language Act.