Review of the Papers, Tuesday 05 June

Government

• Ministers are failing to keep a grip on Government computer projects that cost the taxpayer up to £14 billion a year, a report by MPs warns today. Senior officials running many of Whitehall's most "mission critical" IT schemes have not even held a meeting with the minister responsible, the report discloses. The high turnover of civil servants running such projects, and their lack of experience, has led to damaging "discontinuity" and increased the risk of cost over runs and delays. Today's report from the Commons public accounts select committee follows a catalogue of costly problems with Government IT projects, including new computer systems for the NHS and tax credit systems. Many have gone billions of pounds over budget and are years behind schedule. The MPs said that in one in five "mission critical and high-risk" computer schemes, senior officials had not met the minister responsible. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/05/nitprobs05.xml
• Ministers want to introduce a national British day to complete a "citizenship revolution" that would also toughen rules for migrants and try to instil community pride in all 18-year-olds. Under the plans to be unveiled this week, every teenager in the UK would be given a citizenship pack when they became eligible to vote, and migrants would only be able to become British citizens if they could demonstrate good behaviour and a willingness to integrate. The national day, which could be a bank holiday, would be loosely modelled on Australia Day. The proposals come from the communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, and the immigration minister, Liam Byrne, who are also calling for more inclusive and visible citizenship ceremonies for anyone wanting to settle in the UK. Some of the ideas floated by the two ministers, which are to be published in a Fabian pamphlet, are also likely to feature in the forthcoming report from the Commission on Integration and Cohesion. The themes have already been enthusiastically embraced by the prime minister-in-waiting, Gordon Brown. http://www.guardian.co.uk/immigration/story/0,,2095519,00.html
• School governors often lack the necessary financial and managerial expertise and are not qualified to assess staff, research suggests. Reforms have handed greater independence to schools and reduced interference from local authorities, but too little attention has been paid to the extra burdens this has placed on governors, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says. The result is an army of volunteer governors willing to commit hours of their spare time "for the good of the school", but often without knowing what they are doing. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life-and-style/education/article1884393.ece
• It may seem a rather basic solution to an age-old problem. But if it works, then millions of passengers on the London underground will hardly complain when it starts getting hot and sweaty on the tube. In an effort to cool things down in the summer, the network is planning to put blocks of ice underneath the seats of trains. The idea is not foolproof by any means. Unveiling the idea yesterday, experts conceded that the ice would melt fairly quickly as a result of heat radiated by commuters' backsides, which is why they are working on a refrigeration system to re-freeze the water. Trials of the system will take place early next year as part of a £150m "hi-tech" push to make travelling on the tube network more comfortable by reducing the excessive build-up of heat in tunnels, trains and concourses. http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,,2095504,00.html

EU

• Nicholas Sarkozy has urged Gordon Brown to leave behind his "outmoded" views on the European Union when he takes over as British prime minister next month. Describing him as one of Europe's great finance ministers, Mr Sarkozy said: "Gordon Brown has advanced and modernised the British economy over 10 years. I hope that in moving from Number 11 to Number 10 Downing Street he understands that Europe is not outmoded." His comments underline the deep unease a number of EU leaders feel about the European policy Mr Brown will pursue. As UK chancellor, he largely limited himself to demanding economic reform in Europe and has often seemed keen to distance himself from Brussels for domestic political purposes. Appealing to Mr Brown to accept the need for a simplified institutional treaty, Mr Sarkozy told the Financial Times and selected foreign journalists: "Europe has need of the UK and the UK has need of Europe." http://www.ft.com/cms/s/06a185ee-12d0-11dc-a475-000b5df10621.html