Government News March 2008

The recent cabinet reshuffle caused by the resignation of Peter Hain saw Yvette Cooper replaced by Caroline Flint as Housing Minister. Cooper becomes Chief Secretary To The Treasury. James Purnell has been appointed Works And Pensions Secretary. Purnell, a former Minister For Pensions Reform said “I am delighted to be returning to the DWP, to deepen the reform of the welfare and pensions systems and continue to tackle child poverty”
The Dept For Communities And Local Government has published its response to the government’s Commission On Integration And Cohesion’s report in June 2007. Our Shared Future was a consultation on producing guidance for funding mainstream activities and targeted activities. The recommendation in the original report was to stop producing single group funding – that funders should not automatically award grants to third sector activities organised on the basis of single identities. Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said “I’ve tried to be sensitive to the concerns of third sector groups, but at the same time I really want to push forward and say that there ought to be a point where we try and bring people together, simply reinforcing a separate identity is not in the interests of society as a whole”. For more information see Cohesion Guidance for Funders on our publications section.
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced that unemployed 18 year olds will have to undertake at least four weeks of full time work or face losing their benefits. From April next year every young person not in employment, education or training for at least 26 weeks by their 18th birthday will be fast tracked to a Jobcentre Plus led Support and Sanctions regime. The Work and Pensions Secretary said “The message that I want to give young people is that they are expected to work for their money. Many young people have never experienced the world of work and this often works against them when looking for employment”. For more details see www.dwp.gov.uk