The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook reports on calls for the Home Secretary to revive the Communications Data Bill.

Following the recent murder of the off-duty soldier Lee Rigby on the streets of London there have been calls from senior figures across political parties to revive the Communications Data Bill (colloquially dubbed “the snooper’s charter”). This has been requested in the interest of national security. At the same time, questions have been raised as to whether legislation of this sort would have been effective in preventing the Woolwich attack.

The Communications Data Bill was proposed to allow unprecedented interception of data concerning online communications and telephone calls.  It would have given police and security services access to details of all British online communications without the need for a warrant, which means access to so-called “meta-data” concerning the time and duration of communications, details of the parties involved and the location of the device used. The proposals would have allowed access to every British citizen’s web browsing history and details of emails and messages on social media and Skype.  (Access to the content of conversations and messages would still have required a warrant.)

While the Home Secretary Theresa May described the storing of such information as vital in preventing cybercrime many MPs had concerns regarding the potential for private data collected under the legislation to be exploited by criminals.  The proposals were criticised as “an invasion of privacy”, “disproportionate” and “draconian”.  It was for these reasons that Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg vetoed the inclusion of the proposals in last month’s Queen’s Speech and the proposals were shelved.

The murder of Lee Rigby is now being used by senior political figures from all parties as an argument that the bill should be revived.   This includes the former Labour Home Secretary Lord Reid and Liberal Democrat peer Lord Carlile who called for the government to reconsider the Data Communications Bill during a recent BBC Newsnight programme.  According to Lord Carlile, in light of the Woolwich attack the Government should “pause for thought over its decision to shelve the Bill”. He said: “We must ensure the police and the security services have for the future the tools they need which will enable them to prevent this kind of attack taking place.”

Whilst Prime Minister David Cameron and senior Tory ministers have said that they will not be pressurised into immediate reaction, they have left open the question of additional measures. The Prime Minister said: “After an event like this, it is natural questions will be asked about what additional steps can be taken to keep us safe.  I will make sure those questions are asked and answered. But I am not in favour of knee-jerk responses.”

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is another voice suggesting that the Bill could be re-examined, once the Commons inquiry into Woolwich is complete; an inquiry which has followed confirmation that the men arrested for the murder were already known to MI5.

Despite this, Eric Pickles admitted to the BBC that he had  “seen nothing in the reports so far that suggests these communications powers would have made any difference whatsoever”.

Similarly, the Independent reports that security sources have “acknowledged it was unclear whether the Bill’s proposed powers would have thwarted the Woolwich attack” and that they have very significantly “signaled their wariness over being used for ‘political purposes’.”

In relation to Woolwich, London Lord Mayor Boris Johnson said: “It’s much too early to be sure it [the Bill] would have been of any use at all in this particular case”.

Again, according to Senior Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes there was “no evidence at all” that the Bill could have prevented Lee Rigby’s murder.

There have been calls from Former Home Secretary Jack Straw for the intelligence and security services to examine whether the Bill was needed in light of the Woolwich attack in order to ensure an appropriate response. He said:  “We need to know whether it would have made any difference. I don’t know. I don’t think John Reid knows.  You have got to make sure that the proposals are proportionate.”

Civil liberties campaign groups have made the crucial point. Emma Carr, Director Big Brother Watch said: “It is remarkable for politicians to be jumping to legislation to monitor the entire country when all the evidence to date shows this horrific attack would not have been prevented by the Communications Data Bill.”

The collection of meta-data regarding telephone and online communications has been practiced for some time in the United States as acknowledged recently by the American President. The extent of this United States programme beyond borders is presently a question. The President’s remarks come in response to disclosures by the Guardian newspaper based on the testimony of a former employee of the National Security Agency, as widely reported in the last few days.

www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org

As previously reported by the Parliamentary Yearbook, the G8 Innovation Conference taking place at the Siemens Crystal building in London today, 14 June, will focus on how innovation can be encouraged and where the next big opportunities are for business innovation.

At the conference the Prime Minister will unveil a new strategy, designed to generate fresh growth opportunities for some of the UK’s most innovative technology businesses.

Developed in partnership with industry, the Information Economy Strategy will make it easier for businesses to access public services online, for example, by providing a single digital view of their tax affairs. It will also help 1.6 million small and medium sized businesses grow their online presence and allow them to exploit new technologies.

Mr Cameron will also announce a £1 million fund to kick start development of an innovative solution to a global problem of our time.

The Information Economy Strategy sets out a range of key actions, including:

• Digitally transforming 25 of the top 50 public services over the next 300 days, including plans to give businesses a single, online view of their tax records. This will enable them to check that all of their information is in order and do simple tasks online quickly – like setting up PAYE for a new employee, reducing the need to pay for expensive specialists to navigate the tax system. • Launching a new programme to help 1.6 million SMEs scale up their business online over the next five years. This industry-led initiative will target SMEs that either are not online, or want to improve their current online facilities so they can do things like process electronic payments, sell goods overseas and developing cloud computing. • Publishing a data capability strategy in October 2013, developed in partnership with government, industry and academia. The strategy will build on the recommendations in Stephan Shakespeare’s review of Public Sector Information and the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology’s report on algorithms, and will be published alongside the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan. • Getting ahead in the global race by establishing the world’s first facility for testing state of the art 5G mobile technology, working with industry and the University of Surrey.

Delegates at the conference will include around 250 leading international entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists, creatives and policy makers from more than 22 different countries. Speaking to this group of senior international business leaders the Prime Minister will say:

“More than any time in history our world is being shaped by innovation, new ideas, new technologies and new companies. This is the story of the global economy.

“Countries around the world have got to get this. Jobs and growth depend on it. We’ve all got to open up our economies to innovation, we’ve got to nurture new ideas, we’ve got to bend over backwards to attract the best and the brightest. A global race is underway and it is waiting for absolutely no one.”

The strategy is launched on the same day as the government responds to two further reports looking at the importance of data to our economy and society:

• The Shakespeare Review on the use and reuse of Public Sector Information. The Review’s recommendations, including  developing a data capability strategy and releasing data prioritised in the drive for technology-led economic growth, have been largely accepted by the Government • The Administrative Data Taskforce (ADT) report looking at the reuse of administrative data for research and statistical purposes. Again the government supports the broad recommendations in the report and is committed to working with the research community in unlocking the research potential of data collected and held by government.

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook will follow progress on this as well as the recently announced strategies for the Oil and Gas, Aerospace and Nuclear industries.

The Parliamentary Yearbook has been monitoring progress in Government policy relating to education for a major feature in the next edition on secondary and further education

Today, 11th June 2013, the day that Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP, made a statement in the House of Commons on improving the structure and content of GCSEs, the Commons Education Select Committee published its own report which said that the original design of new English GCSEs led to the problems in 2012.

The Committee calls on the Government, the regulator Ofqual, and others responsible for public examinations, to learn lessons from errors made during the time of the last government and ensure that such errors are not repeated by the Coalition.

The 2012 GCSE English results prompted significant controversy, which ultimately resulted in an application for judicial review. The Committee’s report sets out the background to these events. It describes what went wrong and identifies lessons to be learned at a time when further exam reform is under close consideration.

The problems with GCSE English can be traced back to the 2007-09 development phase of the qualification– in particular the turbulence which resulted from the shift away from a mostly linear to a modular system, combined with a high proportion of controlled assessment and generous marking tolerances. Exam board experts raised concerns at the time, but these were not acted upon by the regulator (the then-interim Ofqual).

Further difficulties arose because of pressures from the school accountability system. The problems experienced with GCSE English in 2012 highlighted serious weaknesses in the moderation of speaking and listening, with consequences for grade awarding.

Launching the report, Graham Stuart MP, the Chairman of the Education Committee, said:

“The turmoil surrounding last summer’s GCSE English results highlights the importance of carefully developing new sets of exams.

“A series of avoidable errors were made when the current GCSE English was being designed under the previous Government. Failures in the modular approach, and the moderation of internal assessments, led to a highly unsatisfactory level of confusion.

“When pursuing future reforms, it is crucial that ministers and Ofqual pay careful attention to expert opinion and don’t ignore warning voices. They must understand how much pressure schools and individual teachers are under to deliver results, and ensure that the exams children take are robust enough to withstand that pressure.

“We believe the current status of Ofqual, as an independent regulator accountable to Parliament, is the right one. However, the Coalition Government is bringing in wholesale changes to GCSEs and A levels, to a tight timetable and at the same time. Ofqual must have systems in place to anticipate problems, and be prepared to step in if it believes it necessary.

“Public confidence has taken a knock, as a result of GCSE English in 2012. Future reforms need to rebuild public trust, put children’s interests first and deliver truly world-class examinations.”

Dr Mary Bousted, General Secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:

“We urge the government and Ofqual to listen to the Education Select Committee and learn lessons from the debacle of last year’s English GCSEs to avoid repeating similar errors with the new style GCSEs being introduced.

“We share the Education Committee’s concerns about the scale of change the government is making to GCSEs and A-levels and the cumulative impact this will have.”

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook will continue to report on the proposed changes as we go through the months ahead.

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook reports on reactions to official figures published by the Office of National Statistics which reveal that net migration has fallen significantly in the last year.

Official figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that 80,000 less immigrants came to Britain during the last year.  This amounts to a drop in overall net migration – the difference between the numbers arriving and leaving – by a third.

In the year up to September 2011 the figure for net migration stood at 242,000. This figure fell to 153,000 in same period for 2012.  This can be attributed to a reduction in the number of immigrants coming to Britain (down from 581,000 to 500,000) and an increase in the number of migrants leaving the country (up from 339,000 to 347,000).

The Conservatives have welcomed the results which they herald as evidence of their election pledge to reduce net migration by tens of thousands by 2015.  Immigration Minister Mark Harper commented that: “Net migration is now at its lowest level for a decade showing we are continuing to bring immigration back under control.”

Details of the reduction in immigration:

The figures represent a substantial decrease in immigrants arriving from the New Commonwealth; countries like Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.  In the year up to September 2011 Britain received 166,000 immigrants from New Commonwealth countries. This fell to 105,000, a drop of 36% (equating to 61,000 fewer people) for the same period in 2012.

There was a fall in the number of immigrants arriving from countries which became part of the EU in 2004. This includes countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania.  Figures for these countries decreased to 105,000, representing a 22% fall (equating to 17,000 fewer people) for the same period in 2012.

Official statisticians say that the main reason for the decline in immigration was that 56,000 fewer international students came to Britain to study during the last year. The number of foreign students coming to the UK to study fell 22%, down to 190,000.  Despite this, the most common reason cited for migrating to the UK is to study.

An increase in emigration:

With reference to the number of British citizens leaving the country under long-term emigration, figures for the period up to September 2012 increased by 8% up to 154,000 from 142,000 in the same period for the previous year.

Whilst the Conservatives welcomed the figures, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) – a think tank on the political left – claimed that the reduction in net migration figures was due primarily to declining international student numbers. It cautioned that this could have a damaging effect on the UK economy in the longer term. Sarah Mulley, IPPR Associate Director and migration expert, warned: “This decline in international student numbers comes at considerable economic cost to the UK at a time when we can ill afford it.”  Ms Mulley commented that falling student numbers do not assist the government to meet its target in the medium term. “Because most students stay in the UK only for a short time, reduced immigration now will mean reduced emigration in the future, which by 2015 could partially reverse the falls in net migration we are seeing now,” she said.

Chris Bryant, Shadow Immigration Minister, criticised the government for “not doing enough on illegal immigration, failing to deport, failing to prevent absconding, and failing to take action to stop employers using both illegal and legal migrants to undercut wages”.  He noted that it was this type of immigration the public is concerned about as opposed to international students at universities or the number of British citizens leaving or coming home.

Website:  www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org

According to new research over half the world’s most common plants and animals will experience dramatic decline before the end of the century if no action is taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to slow climate change. The same research predicts that prompt and strict measures to reduce CO2 emissions could see a 60% improvement in predicted losses. The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook reports on the implications of failing to act.   New research led by Dr Rachel Warren from the University of East Anglia’s School of Environmental Sciences and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change suggests that there will be widespread decline amongst the world’s most common plants and animals unless immediate action is taken to cut greenhouse gases.  The predicted decline is alarming.  Over half the world’s most common plant species and one third of the world’s most common animal species are expected to lose over 50% of their current habitat ranges. With plants and animals disappearing from over half their current natural habitats, it is feared that this will lead to local extinctions of species. The research provides important evidence that these losses could be mitigated by up to 60% if swift and stringent action is taken to reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

The research provides the first detailed assessment of how common plant and animal species will fair under ongoing climate change, examining the effects of global warming on nearly 50,000 widespread and common species of plants and animals from around the world using computer simulations.   The study calculated the climatic zones and ranges of habitat that species are currently adapted to inhabit, using information shared online by volunteers, scientists and natural history collections through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).   Computer simulations were used to analyse the likely effects of future global changes to temperature and rainfall patterns on these zones and range of habitats, estimating how they are likely to shift in the future.

The results indicate that if no action is taken 57% of common plants species and 34% of common animal species will shrink by over 50% as current habitats become unsuitable for many common species.  The most likely groups to be affected were found to include plants, amphibians and reptiles; they are most vulnerable to rising temperatures and, relative to other species, cannot move quickly from one territory to another.

The greatest number of plants and animals will be lost from sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, Amazonia and Australia.  North Africa, Central Asia and South Eastern Europe are expected to experience major loss of plant species.  In terms of any positive impacts, only 4% of animals – and no plants – are expected to benefit.

The research is important because the impoverishment of global scale biodiversity at this level will cause ecosystems to collapse with serious consequences.  Natural ecosystems perform essential and fundamental functions that human populations depend on and take for granted, including air and water purification, pollination, soil stabilisation, nutrient recycling and decomposition of waste matter.  The disruption to ecosystems would have major impacts on agriculture, air quality, clean water access and eco-tourism.

According to Dr Warren, “it’s important because the erosion of species richness among widespread and common species means that the functions that ecosystems provide for humans across the whole global land surface will be very significantly reduced.”

The researchers caution that estimates are probably conservative. The research does not take into account other effects of climate change such as extreme weather events, pests and diseases. The situation for animals is likely to be compounded by a diminishing food source through the predicted levels of plant loss.

The reported losses are based on global temperatures rising to 4C above pre-industrial temperature levels by 2100.  This is the trajectory we follow if nothing is done to limit greenhouse gas emissions but the study provides crucial evidence of how these losses can be mitigated. “Prompt and stringent action to reduce greenhouse gases globally would reduce these biodiversity losses by 60% if global emissions peak in 2016, or by 40% if emissions peak in 2030, showing that early action is beneficial,” Dr Warren said.

The research – funded by the National Environment Research Council (NERC) – has been published in the journal Nature Climate Change. It was conducted in collaboration with Associate Professor Jeremy VanDerVal at James Cook University in Australia and Dr Jeff Price from UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences at the Tyndall Centre. Professors Ian Atkinson and Stephen Williams at James Cook University assisted.

Website:  www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org

The Parliamentary Yearbook is, with constitutional pundits generally, delighted that the 2013 G8 Summit of world leaders will take place in Enniskillen, Fermanagh’s county town. No event of this magnitude has been held previously in Northern Ireland. This will be covered in detail as the Summit progresses and, prior to the G8 Summit itself, there will be a number of events to promote the UK’s G8 agenda

In January 2013 the UK assumed the one-year Presidency of the G8. Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, USA and UK will meet at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland for the G8 Summit 17-18 June.

The Prime Minister made the announcement of the location during a ‘PM Direct’ question and answer session at a factory in Northern Ireland last November (2012).

The town of Enniskillen, which is less than 10 miles from the border of the Republic of Ireland, will welcome US President Barack Obama, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin amongst others to its environs in June this year. The event will also see the world’s media descend on the county, in what will be a huge security operation as well as a massive coup for tourism in Northern Ireland and the border region.

PM David Cameron is determined to achieve change on three issues which are critical for growth, prosperity and economic development across the world: • advancing trade • ensuring tax compliance • promoting greater transparency

The wider events preceding the Summit include:

• 12 June – G8 Science Meeting Science Ministers and Presidents of the Science Academies in G8 countries will discuss the role of science in tackling global challenges. Ministers will consider new and emerging global challenges and identify the key areas that would benefit from future international scientific collaboration. They will also look to identify gaps in global research infrastructure that would benefit from more joined up action from G8 countries. • 14 June – Innovation Conference The Innovation Conference will bring together today’s leading innovators and thought leaders across disciplines, from the G8 and beyond. Openness to ideas and technologies from across the spectrum of business and society is essential for us to find solutions to the greatest challenges facing the world. With unique capabilities for taking a broad approach to innovation, the UK’s researchers, businesses and social enterprises will have central roles in global initiatives. From public policy to science and technology, this conference will be facilitating conversations that influence the dialogue throughout the UK G8 Presidency. • 15 June – Open for Growth: Trade, Tax and Transparency event This is a pre-Summit event where wider discussions will take place on trade, tax, and transparency with business, civil society and governments. It will focus on why open governments, open societies and open economies are essential for growth, jobs and sustainable development. Discussions will centre on how we can work together to promote and practise fairer trade, proper taxes and more transparent investment in land, minerals, oil and gas.

The town of Enniskillen of course lives in many people’s memories because of the horrific bombing there in 1987 and the following message was sent by The Queen to Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Fermanagh on the 25th anniversary of the bombing, 8 November 2012:

“As we mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the bombing at Enniskillen, my thoughts are with the victims, the bereaved, and with all those who continue to bear the scars of this dreadful event. A quarter of a century ago, we were able to draw comfort and strength from the hope that out of the personal tragedies of Enniskillen might come eventual reconciliation between communities. Today, a quarter of a century later, we can all reflect on how far we have travelled along this road; and my recent visit to the people of Enniskillen gave me much reason to be optimistic about the future. My good wishes and prayers are with everyone who will be marking today’s anniversary, and with all those who strive for peace in this country and throughout the world.” ELIZABETH R.

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook will await the Summit with considerable interest and report on events in Enniskillen later this month.

The next edition of the Parliamentary Yearbook will contain an in depth feature on defence spending strategy. Following the Defence Select Committee Report last month (May 2013) the Information Office has been following closely progress towards publication of the Ministry of Defence white paper on defence acquisition.

The new proposals could save taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds by changing the rules which govern how MOD contracts are awarded.

The proposals to reform single source procurement regulations, set out by Defence Secretary Philip Hammond today, 10th June 2013, form part of the government’s Better Defence Acquisition White Paper, which has been published by MOD.

It outlines plans to establish a new, independent body which would oversee contracts that have to be awarded without competition, either because of specialist Armed Forces requirements or national security reasons.

Almost half of the money spent on defence equipment every year is awarded through single source procurement under a system that has been largely unchanged since 1968. Astute and Successor submarines, Type 45 destroyers and the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, and Typhoon fast jet engines are just some of the equipment that is bought and maintained this way.

The current rules have made it difficult for the taxpayer to get value for money because of a lack of transparency and competition in single source contracts. This has, on occasion, led to unreasonable profits for suppliers at the expense of the taxpayer. In 2011, MOD asked Lord Currie to carry out a review into the system, which resulted in a new framework being recommended.

Following extensive consultation with industry, MOD has decided to take forward Lord Currie’s recommendations and create a Single Source Regulations Office that would independently oversee a system to provide a fair profit for companies alongside incentives to bear down on costs. It is estimated the new framework could save MOD up to £200 million a year.

The white paper published today also contains more details of MOD’s plans to reform its procurement organisation, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S). MOD is currently assessing whether a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) body or a reformed public entity, known as DE&S+, is the better option. The Defence Secretary has today outlined the main legislative changes needed to establish a GOCO organisation, should the decision be to follow this route.

Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond MP said:

“For decades the MOD has been at a disadvantage in commercial negotiations and reforming single source procurement will radically change how MOD conducts a high proportion of its business. The new independent body will deliver a more effective and efficient way of providing the specialist capabilities our Armed Forces need to keep the United Kingdom secure, and at the right price.

“This white paper represents another significant step in tackling the problems underlying defence procurement. I remain committed to driving structural and cultural change at DE&S to ensure that projects are delivered on time and on budget.”

Head of Defence Equipment and Support, Chief of Defence Materiel Bernard Gray, said:

“Starting the legislative process now means we will be able to implement the chosen model as quickly as possible once a decision has been made about the future of DE&S.

“Hard work now will allow us to get on with reforming our business and driving the real benefit into the Equipment and Support programme.”

The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook will report further progress over the coming weeks.

According to the Queen’s speech the government’s legislative programme for next year will include a bill to limit the cost to the disabled and elderly of their social care. The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook reports on questions raised regarding how effective it will be in light of planned cuts to social care.

The proposed Care and Support Bill will “modernise” adult care law.  It aims to provide new rights to support for carers and implement a cap on the costs to the disabled and elderly of self-funding their care. Campaigners and sector leaders have told ministers that cuts are already putting the system at risk and have questioned how much impact the bill will really have.  Their concerns have been raised in light of recent revelations that 20% has been wiped off adult social care budgets since the implementation of the coalition’s savage cuts programme; meanwhile a survey by the Association of Directors of Adult Services (ADASS) shows that the association plans to save £800 million in the next 12 months.  This is expected to result in a shortfall in services for older people and people with disabilities. These cuts are planned despite estimates that an extra 450,000 people will require state help once the cap has been introduced.

The new Care Bill has been described as the biggest reform to the system in 65 years.  The legislation – to be published shortly – will be based on the draft Care and Support Bill, published last year.  It is designed to simplify current adult care law. The Bill includes a list of new duties for local authorities, one of which is to meet the care costs of people whose historic care costs have exceeded £72,000. Currently, anyone with assets worth more than £23,250 bears unlimited costs of care.   A Law Commission report produced in 2011 described current laws as “outdated and flawed”, with over 40 different laws affecting social care.  The government seeks to replace them with single one-stop legislation.

The government has earmarked money to implement the new legislation but local leaders insist this will not be sufficient.  The proposed funds include £1 billion a year to establish the cap on care costs, an extension of means-tested support to people in residential care, and a £175 million a year to support carers.

Both ADASS and the Local Government Association believe that chronic underfunding will create significant barriers to achieving the legislation’s ostensible central objective:  a social care system that promotes well-being rather than responds to crisis.

ADASS’s annual budget survey reveals that the proposed £800 million saving over the next 12 months is part of a £2.68 billion total that will have been removed from the adult social care budget between 2011 and 2014. Sandie Keene, ADASS President, attributes this so-called “saving” to “providing different, more cost effective packages of care, or reduced levels of care, to many elderly or disabled people”.

ADASS point out that 87% of councils currently set their care threshold at “substantial” or above.  This means that council support is restricted to people unable to perform the majority of personal tasks or family responsibilities or who are at risk of abuse.  Government costings suggest the national minimum threshold will be set at an equivalent threshold.  The Care and Support Alliance – an organisation which represents major charities for older people, carers, disabled adults, and care provider associations – warn that the threshold needs to be set at a more adequate and generous level.

A statement by the Alliance stated:  “Unless this changes it means that those people who are unable to carry out tasks such as washing, or preparing a meal, or dressing, those who are unable to continue to work without support, and those whose carers cannot cope anymore would not get any funded social care support or have their expenditure on care count towards a lifetime cap.”

Commenting on the reforms, Michelle Mitchell of Age UK said: “The legislation announced has the potential to transform our crumbling, unfair social-care system for current and future generations of older people.”  She warned that if the legislation had any chance of succeeding it needed to be “twinned with a commitment in the spending review for increased spending on social care”.

www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org

The Revenue Watch Institute has published a report which calls for “more transparency” in how natural resources are managed globally.  The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook reports on the study.   The Revenue Watch Institute is a non-profit organisation that promotes the effective, transparent and accountable management of oil, gas and mineral resources. It has recently published a report entitled “Resource Governance Index”. The report reveals that 32 out of 58 countries studied fail to meet “basic standards of resource governance”. It characterises the secrecy surrounding how natural resources are managed and how this conspires against economic development.  According to the RWI the lives of a billion citizens could be transformed if governments managed their oil, gas, and minerals in a more open and accountable manner.

The report records transparency and accountability in the oil, gas and mining sector of 58 countries. Annually these countries generate trillions of dollars, being collectively responsible for producing 85% of the world’s oil, 90% of the world’s diamonds and 80% of the world’s copper.

In the report, countries were judged on criteria including disclosure of financial information, legal frameworks that support transparency and fair competition, and legal frameworks which allow accountability and fight corruption.

According to the report, 80% of the countries studied fail to meet satisfactory standards in how their natural resources are governed. Opacity, corruption and weak legal process deny citizens the benefit of their nation’s resource wealth. This is characterised within the report as revealing significant “governance deficit”.

Daniel Kaufman, President of RWI, said: “We’re talking about whether the huge contracts and revenues to dozens and dozens of countries are transparent – not only are they opaque, but they are corrupt – and whether the citizens get to know and benefit from the trillions of dollars involved.”  He cites Nigeria as being an example of a country in which billions of people are poor but living amidst natural wealth.  Oil revenues for Nigeria totalled £46 billion during 2011.

The Report’s Main Findings:

Eleven countries achieved a ‘satisfactory’ performance, scoring 70 or above.  Norway, widely regarded as a model for effective management of natural resource wealth, achieved the highest score. The US, the UK, Australia and Canada were included in this category, as were several emerging economies including Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Columbia.

Fifteen countries were described as ‘failing’, scoring under 40.  The following seven countries scored under 30: Myanmar, Turkmenistan, Equitorial Guinea, Libya, Qatar, Iran and Cambodia.  The majority of the worst performers depend almost exclusively on revenues from natural resources as their main source of income, with the Middle East and North Africa  – the most resource dependent region – being the worst performing.

The report identifies key US allies amongst the poor performing countries. This includes Saudi Arabia (ranking 48th). Despite receiving billions of US dollars in aid, Afghanistan has an estimated $3 trillion worth of minerals. It reveals that the US invests heavily in the oil sectors of poorly rated countries such as Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Significantly, the report suggests there is room for improvement in all nations.  Canada, the US, and Australia are identified as needing to ensure their multinational companies do not facilitate the opacity which exists in many countries where they operate.

RWI argues that the lives of a billion people in resource rich countries with poor governance would be transformed with better oversight and the rational use of oil, gas and mineral reserves to benefit populations. According to Mr Kaufman: “Improving the management of natural resources is the most important development challenge of this decade.”  He notes that the responsibility lies not just with governments in developing countries to improve transparency, “but also with governments in rich countries and multinational corporations, particularly in the oil sector, that haven’t embraced transparency as yet”.

RWI is calling for the introduction of a number of measures:

• Full public disclosure of contracts signed between governments and extracting companies • Greater transparency on revenues • Transparency of state-owned companies • More concerted effort to control corruption through rule of law • Guarantee of civil and political rights

The difficulty faced is that developed nations and their multinational companies draw vital profit and rent from weak economic governance, which crucially allows for unregulated economic activity. Any challenge to this arrangement on the part of weaker nations and their populations is a challenge to the prevailing global order.

Website:  www.parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk Email: parliamentaryyearbook@blakemedia.org

British researchers have discovered that plants can emit warning signals to each other via networks of underground fungi. The Parliamentary Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook reports on a new British study which helped to identify the fungal underground signaling system.   British scientists at Rothamsted Research and the University of Aberdeen have collaborated in work which reveals the astonishing fact that plants have the ability to communicate underground.

The study published in Ecology Letters reveals that plants under aphid attack are able to communicate warning signals to neighbouring plants via underground fungal networks.   Instances of airborne plant communication via chemicals transmitted from damaged plants to neighbouring plants have been documented in the past but this is the first discovery that plants can communicate beneath ground.

Threadlike networks of mycorrhizae fungi cover the roots of most plants. They have an important function in helping to extend the underground surface area used by plants to gather water and minerals. They provide a much greater surface area for water and nutrient gathering that can be provided by roots alone.  They improve soil quality by developing root threads which separate clay platelets and bring air and water to the main roots.

In the study, these same mychorrhizae fungi were found to play a crucial role in signaling warnings beneath the ground to neighbouring plants.

During an aphid attack certain plants release chemicals that trigger a scent which simultaneously repels aphids and attracts natural predators – such as parasitic wasps – that feed on the aphids, helping to eliminate the bugs.  The scientists in this new study designed an experiment to discover what would happen if plants under aphid attack were prevented from communicating by air.

The team grew 5 sets of broad bean plants.  Three plants in each set were allowed to develop mycorrhizal networks, with mychorrhizal network growth being prevented in the remaining two plants. Plants were covered with bags to prevent any chemical communication through the air.  A single plant within the set was infected with aphids. The study showed that under these circumstances where the infested plant was connected to another plant underground via mycorrhizae fungi, the un-infested plant started to mount a chemical defence.  In contrast, plants that were unconnected by fungal networks showed no chemical response and appeared not to receive any signal of attack.

John Pickett of Rothamsted Research attempted to explain the reason for this evolutionary development in terms of a symbiotic relationship between the plants and fungi.  He explained that mycorrhizal fungi need plants in order to obtain carbon (a product of plant photosynthesis) but that they have to do something in return for the plant.  He said: “In the past, we thought of them as making nutrients available, but now we see another evolutionary role for them in which they pay the plant back by transmitting the signal efficiently.”

The study develops scientific knowledge of plant interaction.  It is important because the roots of virtually all plant groups are colonized by symbiotic fungi.  This includes food crops such as wheat, rice, maize and barley. The discovery offers the possibility that crops can be managed using methods that take advantage of natural communication channels, helping to provide new and environmentally friendly methods of pest control which reduce the possibility of resistance developing on the part of pests. Professor Pickett commented “Aphids affect all higher-latitude agricultural regions, including the UK, the EU, North America, and North East Asia.  The research could provide a new, sustainable and natural intervention.”

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