Policy Announcements, Monday 12 March

Government 

• Learning a foreign language will become a compulsory part of the curriculum for 7-14 year olds, Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced. Lord Dearing and DfES National Director for Languages Dr Lid King were asked to carry out a comprehensive review of languages policy. Agreeing the report's recommendations, Mr Johnson announced a powerful programme of action. He said the Government would support making languages compulsory for primary schools when the primary National Curriculum is next reviewed, meaning at least seven years language learning for every child in the country.
• Thames Gateway Chief Executive Judith Armitt set out her case for greater private investment in the Thames Gateway programme at the MIPIM international property summit. Judith Armitt was appointed last year to provide strengthened leadership and a clearer joint direction for the organisations involved in delivering the Gateway. She said that the launch of a major new plan and prospectus in November, and the visible transformation happening on the ground mean that the Gateway offers a better investment opportunity than ever before.
• The Phillips review of party funding will back a limit on all individual donations, it was reported on. The BBC said former permanent secretary Sir Hayden Phillips will make the recommendation in his report on Thursday. A cap on donations has been opposed by the Labour Party, which fears it could sever the historical link with its biggest backers - the trade unions.

EU

• Tony Blair has hailed last week's "landmark" EU Council in the Commons. Delivering a statement to MPs on the summit, the prime minister praised the German president for delivering an unlikely deal on energy and climate change. He reported that European leaders had agreed three key policies. Firstly a cut in the administrative burden arising from EU legislation by 25 per cent by 2012, which Blair said had "long been a key UK objective". Secondly the Council agreed on an "action plan to liberalise the energy market". Blair said this would "create a genuinely competitive, inter-connected and Europe-wide internal energy market". Thirdly and "most important," he said, the summit agreed "for the first time to a binding, Europe-wide environment target" of a 20 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020 compared to 1990. The EU would also increase this to 30 per cent, if part of a wider international deal.