Policy Announcements, Monday 16 April

Government  

• As the government's controversial Mental Health Bill is considered in the Commons, campaigners have called on MPs to amend the legislation. The Bill has been criticised by professionals in the field and ministers suffered a string of defeats on the legislation when it was considered in the House of Lords. Ahead of the debate, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are taking part in a joint press conference at which they will be expressing their concerns about the plans. And before Monday's parliamentary vote, mental health charity Mind criticised plans to allow compulsory treatment of patients after they are released back into the community. It said the far-reaching powers would specify a treatment regime which patients would be obliged to comply with in their own home.  
• Health should be the top priority for government, a survey has suggested. A poll of nearly 2,400 people by the Royal College of Nursing found that health was ranked above law and order, defence, education and the environment. And nearly half of those questioned agreed ministers should introduce a dedicated NHS tax. It comes as the government is predicted to reduce the record increases in funding the NHS has been receiving in recent years. The NHS budget will have trebled by 2008 after rises of over 7% a year in real terms since 2002. Many predict the spending review in the autumn is likely to lead to increases of about half that from 2008-9. Critics have said if this does happen it will actually feel like a budget cut.  

Liberal Democrats  

• Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell has launched the Climate Change Starts at Home campaign, cementing the party's position as the greenest of the three major parties. Visiting a house built in the 1870 which is undergoing improvements to make it more energy efficient, Menzies Campbell unveiled proposals that demonstrated how upgrading Britain's homes could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by millions of tonnes, save energy, and lead to significant cuts in energy bills. The Liberal Democrats are targeting housing in the battle against climate change because it emits 27% of Britain's carbon dioxide. The policy would introduce tough building regulations for new homes based on tried and tested technology from Germany. All new homes would be built to this GreenHouse standard by 2011. This standard would significantly cut fuel bills and effectively pay for itself, making homes more affordable for first time buyers.  

EU  

• Tony Blair has warned European leaders not to try to revive the EU constitution. Amid expectations that the current German presidency will attempt to salvage the proposed changes rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005, Britain is lobbying for a smaller, slimmed-down treaty that simply streamlines organisational changes that need to be made for the enlarged EU. The prime minister was on Monday holding talks on the subject in Number 10 with his Dutch counterpart Jan Peter Balkenende.