Coalition Watch - edition 2

Welcome to the second edition of the Public Law & Regulation team's Coalition Watch alert series.

In our first alert we considered some of the radical changes proposed by the Coalition Government during its first 100 days in office.

In the last fortnight, things have surely been quieter? It's August. Parliament is away for the long summer recess. The Prime Minister has been on holiday in Cornwall (and concerned with the delivery of things even more important than the Coalition Programme). The Deputy Prime Minister has been minding the shop. Her Majesty's Opposition is distracted by its own elections for a new leader.

All true. But, there has still been a fair amount of activity in government. The machinery of public administration does not stop for the summer holidays, and the Coalition has continued to put in place the building blocks for its autumn agenda.

Helping you to stay on top of all the changes that matter, our second Coalition Watch includes expert commentary on:

• Constitutional change - the progress made in the Coalition's proposals concerning devolution and sovereignty, voting reform, parliamentary reform, as well as human rights and civil liberties.
• Managing the machinery - covering changes to the functions performed by central, regional and local government and arm's length bodies.
• Regulation - assessing the Coalition's proposals to prevent an expansion of the overall regulatory burden on society, together with the reorganisation of regulatory frameworks.
• Money and everything else - considering the impact of reduced government spending, the details of potential public body privatisations, and the building blocks of the 'Big Society'.
• Outstanding/omissions - the Public Law & Regulation team discusses an important policy that finds itself on the backburner.

The Public Law & Regulation team.