Policy Announcements, Wednesday 04 March

Government  

• "Talking" CCTV cameras that tell off people dropping litter or committing anti-social behaviour are to be extended to 20 areas across England. They are already used in Middlesbrough where people seen misbehaving can be told to stop via a loudspeaker, controlled by control centre staff. About £500,000 will be spent adding speaker facilities to existing cameras.  
• MPs should be able to take part in shorter, more topical debates to help make the Commons the "cockpit of the nation", according to Jack Straw. The leader of the Commons also raised the idea of allowing members to use equipment such as personal digital assistants in the chamber to let them keep up with their constituency correspondence.  
• An obesity toolkit crammed with practical tips and information is being launched to help people fight the flab and improve their health. With almost a quarter of the adult population now classified as obese and with the proportion of obese children rising by more than 40 per cent between 1995 and 2004, an obesity toolkit is being published to help local councils and health bodies support people in their area to beat the bulge.  
• The Animal Welfare Act is being launched today, (Wednesday 4 April) by Defra Minister Barry Gardiner, the RSPCA and TV vet, David Grant, at the RSPCA's Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital, in north London, where the BBC series 'Animal Hospital' is filmed. The Animal Welfare Act, which comes into force on 6th April, introduces a duty of care for pet owners to do all that is reasonable to ensure the welfare of their animals.