Month: August 2023

PRCA Public Affairs Board responds to UK Government paper on ethics and integrity

Stuart Mitchell

Chair of the PRCA Public Affairs Board, Liam Herbert, said: “Lobbying professionals in the PRCA Public Affairs Board believe that the UK political system desperately needs to improve transparency, accountability, and trust among the general public. “We acknowledge that progress has been made with the publication of the Government paper ‘Strengthening Ethics and Integrity in Central Government,’ which proposes updates to rules on ethics and transparency in public life. We’ve long called for more timely reporting of ministerial diaries, so we welcome the increased frequency of publication and the inclusion…

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Less than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and high gender parity

Stuart Mitchell

No country has achieved full gender parity and fewer than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap, according to a new global report launched by UN Women and UNDP at the Women Deliver Conference. The report provides—for the first time—a more comprehensive picture of progress in women and girl’s human development.   The report sees UN Women and UNDP join forces to propose the Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) and the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI) as the twin indices…

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One in three young people falling prey to ‘text pests’ as ICO calls for victims to come forward

Stuart Mitchell

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a call for victims of so-called ‘text pests’ to come forward to help the regulator gather evidence of the impact of this illegal behaviour. Text pests are individuals who use personal information, such as a phone number or email address, given to them in a business context for “romantic” or sexual propositions – for example, asking a customer out on a date after they ordered a takeaway. The call for evidence comes as new research commissioned by the ICO reveals that nearly a…

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Nature 2030 campaign launches

Stuart Mitchell

Celebrities, charities and the public want radical new commitments for nature from politicians at the 2024 general election Major ‘Nature 2030’ campaign launches today with landmark 5-point plan for nature The 5 key asks of political parties include: doubling the wildlife-friendly farming budget, making polluters pay for nature restoration, a large-scale green jobs creation scheme, increased protection and funding for wildlife sites and a new law guaranteeing environmental rights New research shows the public is unimpressed with the Government’s performance on the environment. Only 1 in 10 (8-13%) think the…

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£16m in capital grants awarded to organisations across the UK

Stuart Mitchell

The Wolfson Foundation has today announced £16 million in grants to over 80 projects. The new awards stretch across the UK: from refurbishing science classrooms in Truro to widening public access to industrial heritage at John O’Groats Mill. Sixty percent of the organisations funded in this round are receiving their first grant from Wolfson. Our funding supports new builds, refurbishments and equipment for organisations working in a range of areas – with a strong emphasis on research and education – including science, heritage, humanities and the arts, health and disability.…

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