Queen’s Speech: Key bills in PM s plan to turbo-charge pandemic recovery
Plans to “create a stronger, healthier and more prosperous nation” with more than 30 new pieces of legislation
Photo: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
11 May 2021
Boris Johnson has laid out his plans to “create a stronger, healthier and more prosperous nation” after the coronavirus pandemic with more than 30 new pieces on legislation unveiled in today’s Queen’s Speech.
As part of a strong focus on enacting the prime minister’s manifesto commitment to “level up” the country, there are a number of bills on improving skills and education, as well as around housing and the environment.
Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) has been created as a single-entry point for all the projects in the country’s Infrastructure Investment Plan. ISA will be at arm’s length from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI). ISA is responsible for project preparation, packaging, funding pathways and providing strategic oversight over all the gazetted projects. Additionally, ISA is in the process of conceptualising and drafting a 25-year National Infrastructure Plan to provide longer-term direction for the built environment from government’s side.
The Nedbank Group and the NEPAD Business Foundation (NBF) hosted the first virtual Nedbank-NBF Networking Forum for 2021 themed ‘Public-Private Engagement to facilitate a more Structured and Enduring Relationship with the Private Sector in support of the Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) Initiative’ on Tuesday, 4 May 2021.
Not having much to do for some time because of the ‘Drakeonian’ constraints placed on all our lives I have been reading, with more interest than usual, the promotional output sent to me by the political parties who wish to give us all a wonderful carefree future. The question I find I am asking of all of them is why haven’t they already achieved anything remotely resembling their intended aims up to now? I was most interested to read what the current Labour Government had in mind. The First Minister tells me he celebrates the natural beauty of Wales. Yet the National Infrastructure Plan is committed to destroy it with vast areas buried under Solar Arrays, which prevents the ability to grow crops of food or graze sheep, and wind farms.
Commentary: It s time to bring back ‘earmarks
Joe Neussendorfer
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Joe Neussendorfer is a Life Member of the Detroit Economic Club and an Affiliate Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Recently, the U.S House of Representatives Appropriation Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro announced new reforms for community project funding, or earmarks. Earmarks were banned by Congress in 2011. Now, the new Congress wants to bring them back with more accountabilty and transparency. Many members are still adamant, and want to ban them permanently.
The term earmark spending refers to part of a spending bill that allocates funds for a specific thing, such as location, project or institution. The difference between an earmark and a general budget line is the specificity of the recipient, which usually is a particular project in a specific member of Congress district or a senator s home state.