The Home Secretary Theresa May published the draft Home Office Structural Reform Plan yesterday that lays out key policy programmes and specific deadlines along with milestones for each policy initiative.

Immigration would be a policy priority reveals the plan as the Government is looking to set out an annual limit on the number of immigrants from outside EU into the UK. The plan also specifies that a new border police force would be put in place by 2013 to secure UK borders.  Another key plank of the plan is to restore civil liberties that would scrap the ID cards and the National Identity Register and other specific measures that were part of the coalition agreement published earlier.

The Home Office plan also looks to focus on counter-terrorism and strengthen UK's ability to respond to terrorist threats and attacks while another aspect of the document highlights the coaltion government's pledge to have elected individuals replace existing police authorities.  Also included in the plan are initiatives that would overhaul licensing legislation to make sure local authority and police powers are able to remove licenses from, or refuse to grant licenses to, premises that are causing problems.

‘The draft Home Office structural reform plan sets out timings for our key policies, and includes milestones to which the public can hold us accountable. This is part of our commitment to transparent government," said the Home Secretary.

‘We are determined to make accountability democratic, not bureaucratic, and this document is one of the ways we plan to open up government,’ she said.A