Education

Private investment to help improve standards

The government's long-awaited White Paper on education promises to bring private sector management into the running of schools. It's the most controversial part of the proposals but the government sees it as essential in the battle to improve failing schools.

Surrey's privately managed school
The BBC's Mike Baker reports

The Education White Paper
The BBC's Navdip Dhariwal reports

The NHS bought this private hospital

NHS reforms have already seen hospitals and general practices taking on much of the responsibility for running themselves - and new hospitals built with private money. Now the government wants to go further with private sector involvement in treating patients and even running whole hospitals.

Expanding private treatment
The BBC's Karen Allen reports

Treating NHS patients abroad
The BBC's Daniel Sandford reports

Buying private hospitals
The BBC's Karen Allen reports

Housing

Glasgow has the most council housing in Europe

The sale of council houses was the largest single privatisation under the Tories. But Labour has even greater ambitions - to transfer the majority of council housing to housing associations in order to raise private finance to deal with a £19bn backlog of repairs.

Selling council homes
The BBC's Iain Watson reports

Private prisons

Securicor run the private prison in South Wales

The UK already has a number of privately run prisons. And private security firms provide a range of services in the judicial process. There have been criticisms of the private sector's record but more new privately built prisons are in the pipeline, while new courts will also be built with private finance.

Private prisons criticised
The BBC's John Andrew reports

Transport

There are worries about the tube's safety

The government believes private investment is essential if the London Underground is to be modernised. But its vision is not shared by the unions or London mayor Ken Livingstone who say that would jeopardise safety and waste money.

Livingstone loses
The BBC's Simon Montague reports

Byers pledge on safety
Secretary of State for Transport, Stephen Byers