28 November 2003
Honours committees are out of step with modern society and dominated by an elderly, white male elite, according to government policy papers released by an influential committee of MPs.
The public administration select committee has broken with precedent in releasing the papers, which show that the government is considering making radical changes to the membership of the committees charged with considering honours nominations.
One policy paper noted that the make-up of the honours committee is open to criticism because of its dominance by senior civil servants.
The paper states: 'This simply does not reflect the government's strong commitment to recognising the diversity of modern British society. The likely judgement would be that the membership is not right for this day and age… A group whose youngest member is 47 and whose average age is 60 does not reflect the government's commitment to give due weight to the voice of youth.'
The papers were written in 2000 and 2001 and were passed to the PASC as part of its inquiry into ministers' prerogative powers. They suggest making the honours committees more transparent and more accessible to the public, as well as shifting the focus of reward away from senior Whitehall mandarins and diplomats towards frontline public sector workers such as nurses and teachers.
PASC chair Tony Wright said: 'The review sets out important changes to a system that plays a vital role in public life, motivating people and recognising achievement. It should have been made public years ago, but the government has up to now been coy about it, perhaps fearing that publication of such policy papers would set an uncomfortable precedent.
'The heartening message is that, for the government, the public interest may be starting to outweigh considerations of bureaucratic convenience,' he added.
Ministry to impose 'derisory' pay offer rejected by staff
Staff at the Department for Work and Pensions have overwhelmingly rejected a 3.7% pay offer just days after the ministry announced that it would ignore objections and impose the settlement.
A ballot by the Public and Commercial Services union of its members in the DWP resulted in 94% rejecting the offer, which the union says is worth just 2.6% after pay progression is discounted.
The result was announced on November 24 and the union's executive committee at the DWP was due to meet on November 27 to decide whether to ballot its members on strike action.
One of the most contentious aspects of the pay offer is the provision that staff who have more than five days off in a year other than for annual leave will have their bonus payments reduced. This would include staff on study or maternity leave.
PCS national officer Keith Wylie accused the department of going out of its way to seek a confrontation with staff.
'Members are incensed by the discriminatory and derisory pay offer and are becoming further incensed by management's high-handed tactics of imposing the offer before they have had their say,' he said.
'It's as though, not content with tabling the worst pay offer in a decade, management have decided to stoke the fire of industrial dispute by imposing it on staff.'
This latest rejection of the offer follows a similar vote by FDA members two weeks ago. The FDA is also considering whether to ballot for strike action.
North must wait for housing reforms
A major shift in housing funds towards local authorities in the north of England is being slowed down. Ministers have bowed to pressure from councils in London and elsewhere and agreed that changes to management and maintenance allowances will not be as rapid as first proposed.
Housing minister Keith Hill announced on November 18 that all councils will receive inflation-level increases over the next two years, with further transitional protection beyond 2005/06.
The Association of London Government had said that authorities in London would lose more than £1bn over seven years if allowances were frozen as first proposed.
PFnov2003
