From
Friday (1 December) the power of the courts to order the parties involved in a
divorce to apportion pension rights overrides all occupational and personal
pension schemes under the Welfare Reform & Pensions Act 1999. For further
information see the legal guides area of personneltoday.com  

Lloyds recognised

The Lloyds
TSB human resources call centre has been recognised by the Guidance
Accreditation Board for its high-quality careers management. The board, which
is funded by the DfEE to assess companies’ career management facilities, said
it was impressed by the specialist learning and careers advice the centre
provided.

More join New Deal

The number
of public-sector employers who are taking part in the New Deal scheme is
improving, the Government has insisted. A recent Commons report highlighted a
“lack of engagement” by the public sector. But ministers said last week that
more than 4,000 New Dealers were now working for local councils.

Positively Diverse

The
Government has launched a new scheme to help NHS employers improve the working
lives of staff and increase equality of opportunity. Health minister John
Denham last week officially launched the programme, called Positively Diverse,
after a successful pilot scheme in 37 NHS organisations, which began in 1998.

www.doh.gov.uk

In need of beefing up

The
Employment Service has admitted that it needs to beef up its service for
employers. Chief executive Leigh Lewis told a Commons select committee hearing
last week that the Employment Service was trying to improve relations with
companies. But he said the organisation had made progress by requiring
JobCentre managers to go out and meet major local employers.

Long live the King

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Horror
writer Stephen King

co-wrote
two of the five films that won the personneltoday.com Images of Leadership
competition. Readers suggested examples of inspirational leaders from the world
of movies. Two King movies – The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption – were
among the winning entries. Justifications for these choices and the winners’
names are in the News Features section of personneltoday.com