Policy Announcements, Thursday 22 February

Government

• The Treasury has announced that the Budget will be delivered on Wednesday March 21.
• The Home Secretary announced a three-point plan following a gun crime summit at 10 Downing Street, chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by senior police officers, representatives from community groups and voluntary organisations.Tough punishments for those who use other people to look after weapons, improved technology for linking weapons to incidents and increased funding for community groups are key measures emerging from the three-point plan to tackle gun crime.
• The government will hold a fresh public consultation on nuclear power stations, after the High Court ruled the first exercise was "seriously flawed". Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling said they would not appeal, and a new consultation and White Paper would be published by early May.
• Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman launched a consultation on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), and how it will operate. The Obligation means that by 2010, 5% of all the fuel sold on UK forecourts will come from a renewable source. The measure is predicted to save 1million tonnes of carbon a year by 2010.
• Commons leader Jack Straw has told reporters an inquiry into the Iraq war will be held "in due course". The government has been under pressure to hold a full-scale inquiry into all aspects of the war - including the political decision to invade Iraq.