Policy Announcements, Thursday 05 March

**Government  **

• Lie detectors will be used to help root out benefit cheats, Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton has said. So-called "voice-risk analysis software" will be used by council staff to help identify suspect claims. It can detect minute changes in a caller's voice which give clues as to when they may be lying. The technology is already used by the insurance industry to combat fraud and will be trialled by Harrow Council, in north London, from May. It will be tested on housing and council tax benefit claims first, before being rolled out to job centres later in the year.  
• The government is planning to intervene in some mosques to support Muslims who want to marginalise extremists. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly has announced a new role for the Charity Commission, strengthening its task of overseeing religious institutions. A £600,000 faith unit within the commission will help Muslims strengthen governance and leadership in mosques.  

Liberal Democrats  

• The Welsh Liberal Democrats have promised to "stretch the assembly's new powers to the maximum", as they launched their manifesto for the May 3 election. The party has unveiled proposals for 15 "made-in-Wales" laws aimed at improving public services, under the title "A Fair Green Future". The Lib Dems - presently the assembly's fourth largest group with six AMs - could be crucial coalition partners after the poll. The assembly group's leader Mike German told the Western Mail that his party had rejected "gimmick giveaways" in favour of costed improvements to public services. The manifesto includes plans to reduce class sizes in primary schools to a maximum of 25, at a cost £46m over four years, and to introduce new nutritional standards for school meals. To tackle a shortage of affordable homes the Lib Dems would increase the housing budget by £150m, while building standards would be changed to make them greener. The party would seek to devolve powers and funding on policing and prisons to the assembly, and would - subject to a referendum - give a Welsh parliament power to vary income taxes. It would also look for powers to legislate on mental health and legislate to improve carers' rights. The Lib Dems are aiming for renewable energy to supply 100 per cent of Wales' electricity by 2050, and want to introduce rate relief for environmentally friendly businesses.  

Other  

• The environmental cost of air travel should be highlighted with health warnings similar to those found on cigarette packets, an influential think tank has recommended. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) called for flight adverts to include large warnings such as "flying causes climate change". These would work in a similar way to the health warnings on cigarette packs, helping consumers make informed choices when planning their travels.