15/02/2010 - Michael Gove
Yesterday, we announced radical new plans to give public sector workers the opportunity to take over the services they deliver from the state.
This will give them the power to shake off all the top-down meddling and interference that Labour have introduced over their years in power and genuinely become their own boss.
What it means is that employees throughout the vast majority of the public sector ? including JobCentre Plus offices, community nursing teams and primary schools, will be able to form their own social enterprises and be contracted by the government for the services they deliver, rather than be run under the managerial control of the state.
Employee owned co-operatives will be able to decide on management structures, innovate to cut costs and improve the quality of service, and share any financial surpluses amongst the staff. And these will be not-for-profit organisations ? so any financial surpluses they make will be reinvested into the service and the staff who work there.
The plans will not only help tackle the low morale and powerlessness so many public sector employees feel today, it will actually be a great catalyst for public service improvement. The evidence from the private and voluntary sectors is clear: employee-owned organisations are more productive, more efficient, and have better employee engagement because staff have a much more direct interest in the organisation?s success.
We believe this is the most significant shift in power from the state to working people since the sale of council houses in the 1980s, which gave millions of people across Britain greater freedom, security and control over their lives
16/02/2010 - Theresa May
Theresa May, the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has commented on new official figures showing that in the last quarter 2.8m people were underemployed, on top of the 2.6m unemployed.
"These figures show the devastating impact of Gordon Brown?s recession on families across the country", she said.
Underemployment is defined by the Office of National Statistics as where a person wants to work more hours than is usual or stated
in their current employment contract. May said "Labour?s failure to set out a credible plan for growth could leave people struggling
to find work for years to come".
"Conservatives will invest in skills, infrastructure and jobs to tackle unemployment and get Britain growing again", she added.
18/02/10 - David Cameron
David Cameron has announced plans to help families protect children from premature sexualisation and excessive commercialisation.
The measures are designed to crack down on irresponsible marketing practices and products targeted at children. "I want to make Britain
the most family-friendly country in the world", Cameron said. "A key part of helping families and mending our broken society is making
sure that business is responsible in how it markets and advertises products to children".
The proposals launched today include :-
Cameron emphasised that "social pressure" is the best way to combat irresponsible behaviour and encourage responsibility, saying that the Conservatives would "make it easier for parents to mobilise against campaigns and products that they think are inappropriate". But, he added, the Government still has an important role too. "A Conservative Government would take the tough action needed to help families and build a society in which we stop treating children as adults", he said.
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