Policy Announcements, Wednesday 07 March

Government

• John Reid has announced new measures to prevent the employment of illegal immigrants. The enforcement strategy includes a 'watch list' of illegal immigrants to alert agencies if someone applies for services to which they are not entitled, and workplace enforcement teams to identify employers of illegal immigrants. There will also be schemes to use immigration data to ensure migrants pay for hospital care.
• The minimum wage will rise 17p to £5.52 an hour from October, the government has announced. ****Trade and industry secretary Alistair Darling said the increase, recommended by the independent Low Pay Commission, would mean the minimum wage had gone up by almost 30 per cent more than inflation since 1999.
• New small zero carbon 'eco-towns' built on brownfield land could lead the way in cutting carbon emissions and building affordable homes, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said. The Government announced it would consider plans for eco-towns put forward by local authorities as part of the New Growth Points scheme. Forty-five councils have already come forward with plans for new homes and jobs to respond to serious housing pressures in their areas, and some authorities are also looking at plans for 'new settlements'.
• The Government's National Director for Mental Health today announced an estimated £1million in grants for new research that will help support the implementation of the Mental Health Bill that is currently going through Parliament.