They discussed progress on boosting two way trade and investment, security and defence partnerships and cooperation on cultural and educational issues .

They issued a joint statement to mark the occasion of The First Annual Summit of the UK-Pakistan Enhanced Strategic Dialogue.

Working together with local health and social care teams, Serve’s 25 strong ‘Rapid Response Team’ has successfully developed a unique approach to the swift and safe discharge and return of vulnerable older and disabled adult patients from hospital, so they can recover in the comfort of their own homes.

The Team works in partnership with local services to identify patients ready for discharge, and arranges for personalised care packages including; day and home care, community transport, minor adaptations to patients’ homes and hospital after care. These invaluable interventions are proven to support the continued independence of the patient, as well as benefit the National Health Service by reducing hospital readmissions.

Congratulating Serve on the award, the Prime Minister said:

“In just a short time Serve’s Rapid Response Team has already returned over 1,500 patients safely back to their homes, freed up much needed hospital bed space and delivered almost two million pounds worth of savings.

“Their services are providing vital support to the most vulnerable members of the local community, ensuring they can maintain their independence and recover in the comfort of their own home.

 

“I would like to congratulate all the staff involved for their excellent work. Their Big Society Award recognises their hard work and dedication, working together with local partners to identify solutions that really work.  They are driving real change, opening up public services and giving people more power in their local area, and I hope they continue to help even more patients to a swift recovery.”

Accepting the award, Barry Graves, Chief Executive Officer of Serve said:

“This is a fantastic honour for Serve, everybody has worked so very hard to support our Rapid Response team and all of our staff are justifiably proud. We have tried to embrace the concept of The Big Society and I believe that we have demonstrated that the voluntary sector can contribute in a meaningful way to deliver public services. I am grateful for this public recognition which underlines the high standards that Serve sets in every aspect of its work.”

To date Serve’s collaborative approach has successfully:

• returned 1,543 clinically fit discharged patients safely back to their homes;
• provided 12,300 hours of hospital aftercare;
• freed up an estimated 7,400 bed days; and
• saved around £1,841,000 of tax payers money.

His report ‘Let Children be Children’ found that society is full of sexualised imagery and that families don’t feel in control.

New measures to support parents have been announced today. They include:

• consulting on whether the current age rating system should be extended to cover more music DVDs and Blu-ray discs
• working with the music industry, online retailers and video services, to have clear warnings on explicit videos where they are shown online. By the end of the year, YouTube will provide the music industry with the ability to label their videos ‘explicit’
• work with the BPI (the British record industry’s trade association) and digital services to ensure parents have the option of controls that will hide videos and songs intended for an older audience
• taking forward the final stage of legislation needed so that the planned new system of age classification and labeling for videogames giving clearer age ratings and advice for parents can start in July. 
• asking the Advertising Standards Authority to consider whether more should be done to spell out the commercial intent of ‘advergames’ to young people and their parents.

Speaking to today’s Daily Mail, David Cameron said the Government was determined to help parents ensure that ‘children have a childhood’.

The Prime Minister added:

‘Reg Bailey has done good work right across the board, whether it’s videos, video games, music videos, street adverts, just trying to turn the dial back a bit on over-sexualisation and allowing children to behave like children.’

As part of the response to the Bailey review, UK media regulators joined forces in October 2011 to launch ParentPort, a website to help parents keep their children safe from inappropriate programmes, adverts, products and services.

Watch live coverage of the Queen’s Speech 2012 from 11.30am

Who writes the speech?

Although the speech is delivered by the Queen, the content of the speech is entirely drawn up by the Government and approved by the Cabinet.

What happens after the speech is given?

Following the State Opening, the Government’s programme is debated by both Houses. In the Commons the first motion is that the House send an address to the Queen thanking her for the speech.

The subsequent debate, which lasts several days, is a chance for MPs to speak on any matter of Government.

What is the process?

The State Opening of Parliament takes place when Parliament reassembles after a general election, and then at the start of each new Parliamentary session.

The Queen drives in state from Buckingham Palace to Westminster. The Imperial State Crown, the Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance are transported to London by coach ahead of her. Only the monarch can call a Parliament together and no business can take place until the Queen reads her speech.

The Prime Minister is expected to say:

“Two years ago our two parties came together to form a strong Coalition. We agreed that our number one priority was to keep Britain safe from the financial storm and to rescue our economy.

“That was and remains our guiding task and in these perilous times it’s more important than ever for Britain that we stick to it. I don’t hide from the scale of that challenge – or from the message sent by voters in many places in last week’s elections. I’m listening. I’m leading. I get it.  There are no closed minds, no closed doors in Downing Street.
 
“So here is the unvarnished truth. The damage done by the crisis was greater than anyone thought. The first quarter growth figures have shown a tough task getting even tougher.
 
“Abroad, the Eurozone remains in extreme trouble and is in recession. Oil prices are making life difficult for families around the world. At home, we inherited an economy built on the sands of debt, not on the rock of sustainable investment.
 
“We set out to change that and we are doing so. This means two things.
 
“First, getting our deficit under control. Yes, this means we have had to take tough decisions. The task is long and hard. You can’t borrow your way out of a debt crisis. We can’t burden our children with the costs of paying today’s bills tomorrow.
 
“Britain’s deficit was the biggest of any major economy on the planet and despite two years of firm action, it is still almost as big as a share of GDP as Greece’s.

 

“But we are making progress: under this government the deficit is falling and public sector net borrowing is down. This allowed the Bank of England to keep interest rates at 0.5 per cent. That means real security for people, right now. There can be no going back on our carefully judged strategy for restoring the public finances.
 
“That brings me to the second part of our answer. Our job is to build a recovery on real growth and investment – not debt.
 
“To build a balanced economy, in which all the sectors – business, retail, manufacturing – play a part.
 
“A diversified economy, across all sectors and regions, not one that is overly reliant on financial services and the City of London.
 
“Because our solution is not just about deficit reduction. It’s about getting the banks lending. It’s about creating the most competitive business tax regime in the developed world.
 
“It’s about helping small businesses and freeing them from the mass of unnecessary bureaucracy that too often stifles enterprise and entrepreneurship. It’s about helping people onto the housing ladder, and reforming the planning system to allow for much needed new development.
 
“It’s about supporting business investment, whether through the Regional Growth Fund, the Growing Places Fund, the Enterprise Zones or the world’s first Green Investment Bank. It’s about cutting income tax for hard working, hard pressed families and taking two million low paid workers out of tax altogether.
 
“It’s about reforming and simplifying our benefits system to ensure that work really does pay. It’s about helping people back into the labour market by offering apprenticeships, work experience opportunities and wage subsidies, all part of the Work Programme and the Youth Contract.
 
“It’s about investing in skills, driving up standards in our schools, creating academies, Free Schools and our new University Technical Colleges. It’s about all these things and more.
 
“I know that the task of getting driving our economy forward when faced with the headwinds that are blowing in from the Eurozone is a formidable one.
 
“But the Government is determined to do whatever needs doing to succeed.
 
“We’ve got to sort out our debts…get real growth…and change this country so that once again it rewards people who work hard, want to get on and play by the rules.
 
“And that’s what I am here to do.”

The Deputy Prime Minister is expected to say:

“As the Prime Minister said, the Coalition is now two years old. Recent weeks have seen disappointing news on the economy. Both parties in the Government took a hit in the local elections. And it is only right that we now take stock.

“Our parties came together to rescue, repair and reform our economy. We’ve taken difficult and decisive action to keep the country safe in the immediate future. But we must never lose sight of why we are doing this; what we are trying to achieve; and where we can do more to get it right.
 
“First: we have to remember our economy has undergone a massive trauma, the depth and nature of which we are only beginning to fully grasp.
 
“2008 was like a giant heart attack. The banking sector blew up. The housing bubble burst. People – and government – had astronomical debts they suddenly couldn’t afford. And you cannot recover from that overnight. Our task is nothing short of rebuilding a new economy out of the rubble of the old and that is going to take time.
 
“Second: we don’t just have economic responsibilities here, but a clear moral responsibility too. We have been living under the shadow of debt, against a backdrop of cuts, for two years now. Imagine living like that for years and years with no end in sight. Imagine if, instead of taking the difficult decisions now we left them for our children to take.
 
“Ducking the tough choices would only prolong the pain condemning the next generation to decades of higher interest rates, poorer public services and fewer jobs.
 
“We are taking the tough choices not because we want to, but because we have to – any government would have to do the same.
 
“And when our critics say that we are driven by some sort of ideological obsession with shrinking the state that is plain nonsense.
 
“By the end of this parliament we’ll still be spending over £730 billion . That’s around 42 per cent  of GDP – more than any year between 1995 and the collapse of the banks in 2008.
 
“Finally, third: we must never forget that tackling the deficit is a means to an end and the end we all seek is growth.
 
“Our goal isn’t balancing the books for the sake of it, but doing so to meet our real aim: jobs; businesses investing; entrepreneurs getting off the ground. There isn’t a single button  Government can press to deliver that but I am the first to admit: there’s more we need to do.
 
“And there are two areas I want to single out where you will now see a renewed sense of urgency from Government – a redoubling of our efforts.
 
“One is getting finance flowing to businesses – crucial for growth today.
 
“We’ve already done a significant amount:
 
“Project Merlin: where we secured around £215bn of bank lending for businesses.
 
“Our £20bn national loan guarantee scheme.
 
“Last month I announced a variety of alternative sources of finance so that cash-strapped firms aren’t solely reliant on the big banks.
 
“But the problem is enormous. Too many good British businesses are still telling me they cannot get loans. So I’m determined that we do everything to get the balance right:
 
“Helping the banks recover their strength for the future but not at the cost of lending to good businesses today.
 
“The other area is infrastructure – so roads, rail, broadband, our energy networks. Investments that underpin a stronger economy for the years ahead while creating the jobs that young people need now.
 
“Again, we’ve taken some big steps; prioritising major projects and setting up the world’s first national green investment bank to give you just a few examples.
 
“But this part of our economy was neglected for years and more will need to be done to secure the levels of private investment necessary to get UK infrastructure up to scratch.
 
“So this is where I want Whitehall directing its energies, getting projects delivered as well as scouring every possible source of private funding – leaving no stone unturned. I hope that gives you a sense of our priorities. Think of today as a kind of statement of intent.
 
“Two years in and building the new economy remains the Coalition’s biggest challenge and while the deficit is part of that – it is only a means to an end. This Government is galvanised around growth. We owe it to the next generation to get it right.”

“The Prime Minister called President-Elect Hollande this evening and congratulated him on his victory.

“They both look forward to working very closely together in the future and building on the very close relationship that already exists between the UK and France.”

 

Download the updated reports for each department (all links will open in a new window):

• Cabinet Office SRP progress report  (pdf, 92kb)
• Department for Business, Innovation and Skills SRP progress report  (pdf, 121kb)
• Department for Communities and Local Government SRP progress report  (pdf, 106kb)
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport SRP progress report (pdf, 99kb)
• Department for Education SRP progress report  (pdf, 94kb)
• Department for Energy and Climate Change SRP progress report  (pdf, kb)
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs SRP progress report  (pdf, 122kb)
• Department of Health SRP progress report (pdf, 86kb)
• Department for International Development SRP progress report  (pdf, 112kb)
• Department for Transport SRP progress report  (pdf, 90kb)
• Department for Work and Pensions SRP progress report (pdf, 110kb)
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office SRP progress report  (pdf, 141kb)
• HM Treasury SRP progress report  (pdf, 226kb)
• Home Office SRP progress report  (pdf, 157kb)
• Ministry of Defence SRP progress report  (pdf, 103kb)
• Ministry of Justice SRP progress report  (pdf, 97kb)

The Prime Minister launched the draft Structural Reform Plans in June 2010 and published updated business plans for each department in May 2011.

The Structural Reform Plans are the key tool of the Coalition Government for ensuring that departments are accountable for the implementation of the reforms set out in the Coalition Agreement.

The summaries follow commitments made in the 2011 Budget and the Written Ministerial Statement on Business Plans. Their primary purpose is to make more of the management information currently held by government available to members of the public on a regular basis.

This information is not audited and the quality and accuracy of the data needs to dramatically improve. However, over time with improvements in data quality and timeliness the public will be able to judge the performance of each department in a meaningful and understandable manner.

Departments’ outturn data for 2011/12, against each of the QDS indicators will be included in their Annual Report and Accounts.

The information is presented in excel format to allow the information to be presented in a re-usable format.

• Cabinet Office

• Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

• Department for Communities and Local Government
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Department for Education
• Department of Energy and Climate Change
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Department for Health*
• Department for International Development
• Department for Transport
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• HM Revenue & Customs
• HM Treasury
• Home Office
• Ministry of Defence
• Ministry of Justice

The summary template is the same for all departments, though many of the individual indicators are unique to the department (especially input and impact indicators).

This is the first time Government has published this kind of information, and while this is a good start, there is room for improvement. Before using this data people should ensure they take full note of the caveats noted in each Department’s measurement annex and treat with necessary caution.

At the moment, people should not be using this data to make direct comparisons between departments for several reasons. Firstly, the business of each department is unique and it does not make sense to compare some measures across all departments. Secondly, many of the measures are not directly comparable because they do not have common definitions, time periods, or data collection processes.

We will be regularly updating the QDS each quarter.

*Department of Health have also published their revised business plan on 19 July 2011, following the conclusion of the NHS listening exercise.

The Coalition stated its intention in its Programme for Government to review the rules governing the award of medals as a part of its commitment to rebuilding the Military Covenant.

Prime Minister’s Military Medals Review Written Ministerial Statement:

This Government is fully committed to recognising all that our Armed Forces do to keep us safe. That’s why this Government has enshrined the Military Covenant in law.

Today, I am pleased to update the House on the fresh review of the rules governing the award of military campaign medals that Lord Astor announced in the House last October. 

 

I have appointed Sir John Holmes to carry out this review of the rules and principles governing the award of military campaign medals to ensure that it is fully independent. Sir John is currently Director at The Ditchley Foundation, and formerly served as the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and as Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Paris and Lisbon.

 

The review will consider the current medallic recognition situation and examine the guiding principles and current processes. It will make recommendations where appropriate for any change. I have asked Sir John Holmes to report on his review by the summer.

 

 Sir John Holmes said:

“I am honoured to have been asked to take on this review and look forward to talking to all interested parties on what are sensitive and important issues.”

Terms of Reference

The review will:

Consider the current medallic situation and examine the rationale for existing guiding principles, including the 5 year rule; double medalling; risk and rigour and the HD Committee process.  The review will examine the background to the current arrangements, the pros and cons of them and make recommendations where appropriate for any changes; and

Make recommendations on how retrospective claims for medals for earlier campaign service should be assessed in light of the guiding principles recommended by the Review.

Consultation:

The review should consult widely and those consulted should include: CDS and the Chiefs of Staff; Buckingham Palace; personnel from all three Services (from a range of ranks); representatives from veterans groups who have campaigned for further recognition; representatives from veterans organisations such as the Royal British Legion, officials involved in medal policy matters in the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office.

Assumptions:

The review will consider the arrangements relating to military medals only and is not to review state honours and awards (including national gallantry awards) or Long Service and Good Conduct Medals.

The review should draw on, but not necessarily be guided by, the work already undertaken as a part of the initial Ministry of Defence medal review.  This should include consideration of the responses to that review by the veterans groups consulted.  

Any changes recommended should consider the cost to the taxpayer of any such changes.

“I was deeply saddened to hear today about the brutal murder of Khalil Dale – a man who was killed whilst providing humanitarian support to others.

“This was a shocking and merciless act, carried out by people with no respect for human life and the rule of law.

 

“Khalil Dale has dedicated many years of his life to helping some of the most vulnerable people in the world and my thoughts today are with his friends and family.”