Policy Telegram 17 March 2023
Each weekly Policy Telegram (PolTel) delivers a concise summary briefing of the key Government policy developments and notable research releases that are most critical for Cornwall.
A Thriving, Sustainable Cornwall:
Homelessness prevention, health and wellbeing
Key findings
- Good quality supported housing has a significant positive impact on its residents’ health, wellbeing, and sense of social connection.
- Supported housing plays a critical role in reducing homelessness and relieving pressures on the social care, health, criminal justice, and housing sectors.
- Short-term and transitional supported housing is playing a key role in reducing and/or preventing higher-risk forms of homelessness.
- Supported housing residents have complex needs: 9 out of 10 have at least one health condition or disability (including substance misuse, mental ill-health, learning disability/autistic spectrum disorder and physical conditions), and half of them are experiencing more than one of these conditions.
- Were it not for supported housing, there would be an increase in core homelessness of around 41,000 people, with a further 30,000 people at significant risk of future homelessness.
- One of the biggest challenges facing supported housing is the reduction in funding over time.
- The ability to move people on into independent tenancies is limited by a lack of affordable and suitable housing
Vibrant, Safe, Supportive Communities:
Gender equality
10/3/23 - BCC launches three-year gender equity campaign based on stark research findings
The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) worked with leading panel provider Find Out Now to conduct a landmark survey of more than 4,100 respondents in February 2023.
Key findings were:
Childcare:
- Two-thirds (67%) of female respondents who have had childcare responsibilities in the last 10 years felt they missed out on career progression as a result. This includes career development, pay rises and/or promotions. For male respondents who have had childcare responsibilities, 35% believed they missed out.
- Almost two-thirds (62%) of female respondents said they would prefer to take time from paid work for childcare responsibilities, compared to 55% of male respondents
Caring responsibilities:
- 77% of male respondents believe there is not sufficient support available for people with non-paid caring responsibilities for elderly or disabled relatives or friends. This figure increases to 86% for female respondents.
- For those who have had caring responsibilities in the last 10 years, an equal proportion (52%) of males and female respondents felt they missed out on career progression as a result of their duties.
Menopause:
- Almost half (43%) of women feel they will miss out on career opportunities as a result of menopause
- Almost three quarters (74%) of female respondents feel there is not sufficient support for those experiencing menopause.
- One in three (34%) female respondents who have gone through menopause felt that it impacted their career negatively.
The BCC has launched an urgent three-year Chamber campaign based on a three-point plan:
1. Short-term action: Convene employment experts, Chamber CEOs and employers to create a Chamber Workplace Equity Commission
2. Medium-term work: The commission to analyse research findings and case studies, to develop policies for Government and best practices for businesses enshrining equity in the workplace.
3. Long-term goal: Re-run the same survey with the aim of moving the dial on the findings we are publishing today.
The Government also announced the international women and girls strategy 2023 to 2030. The strategy looks at tackling gender inequality and violence towards women and girls internationally: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-women-and-girls-strategy-2023-to-2030
A Brilliant Place to be a Child and Grow Up:
Primary Schools COVID recovery programme
Almost 11,000 Schools, recruited from 13 regions including Cornwall took part in a government funded roll-out of a two-year programme to support four- and five-year olds who would benefit from support with their language skills through the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI).
Two independent evaluations of NELI were published. A process evaluation of the national roll-out, conducted by RAND Europe, found that it was well managed and easy for schools to access. However, some schools were unable to deliver the programme as intended due to Covid-related disruptions. For example, some adapted the number of one-to-one sessions, while others continued delivery into Year 1.
Schools thought that taking part in NELI had been beneficial for their pupils' oral language skills and confidence with using language. This was particularly true for schools who delivered the programme as intended. An impact evaluation of the national roll-out will be published later this year.
An Empowering and Enterprising Council:
Critical Minerals
13/3/23 - Critical Minerals Refresh: Delivering Resilience in a Changing Global Environment published
The Government has published an update to the UK Critical Minerals Strategy.
Key announcements from the update were:
- Progress updates and key milestones going forward.
- Launch of an independent Task & Finish Group on Critical Minerals for UK Industry to investigate the critical mineral dependencies and vulnerabilities across UK industry sectors and opportunities for industry to promote resilience in its supply chains.
- UK is accelerating its collaboration on critical minerals.
- UK Research and Innovation’s Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains (CLIMATES) fund launched with an initial £15 million in current spending window to focus on making the UK’s Rare Earth Element supply chains more resilient and boost the circular economy
- a £65.5 million Accelerate-to-Demonstrate (A2D) Facility, under the umbrella Clean Energy Innovation Facility (CEIF) platform through the £1 billion Ayrton Fund commitment, includes a dedicated funding pillar on technology innovations for critical minerals in developing countries.
T-Levels
9/3/23 – T-Level Action Plan 2022 to 2023 published.
The T-Level 2022 to 2023 action plan includes sections on:
- Rollout of T-Levels.
- T-Levels moved to first delivery in 2024 and beyond.
- T-Level provider information
- T-Level results and certification
- T-Levels for adults
- T-Level capital
- Progression to and from T-Levels
- The Ofsted thematic review of T-Levels
- The role of IfATE in T-Level Delivery
- Industry placements
- Communications and marketing
Census 21
13/3/23 – Census 21: Employment in Local Authorities has been released
The latest data release from the Census 2021 details employment in local authorities.
Consultations:
Description |
Deadline |
|
13/3/23 – Consultation on proposals for updates to the 2009 Carbon Capture Readiness requirements. The consultation builds on a call for evidence by the UK and Welsh governments in July 2021 on updates to the 2009 Carbon Capture Readiness requirements. These included:
The Government has published a draft impact assessment, and Carbon Capture Readiness and hydrogen readiness of electricity generators technical studies alongside the consultation.
|
24 April 2023 |
|
10/3/23 - Review of British Sky Broadcasting Group merger remedy The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is consulting on a review of merger undertakings given by British Sky Broadcasting Group plc in 2001.
The CMA consulted on whether to launch a review in an Invitation to Comment, published on 30 January 2023, which closed on 17 February 2023. No responses were received.
The purpose of this review is to determine whether the undertakings given by Sky in 2001 are no longer appropriate and need to be varied, superseded or released. |
31 March 2023 |
|
Consultation on proposals to modernise the Transport and Works Act (TWA) rules to enable electronic applications for an order, instead of progressing solely paper documents.
|
7 April 2023 |
