As far as I can tell, the most recent source of info on the uk orphan work proposal is the
Gowers report. Basically it advises to make a proposal to the Eu council on allowing voluntary registration of orphan works, on the basis that this would be good for everyone involved. Not law yet, but a pretty strong reccomendation

.
Here's a little gem from it on the challenges the internet poses to intellectual property:
Section 1.9:
...Those who seek to prevent others from using a patented invention without permission are branded 'trolls'...
Uh huh...
There was apparently a
Call for evidence (scroll to the bottom of the page) where they invited individuals/companies to express opinions over the course of a month or two. I've only skimmed through, but most responses don't seem to have too much of a problem with the idea.
One or two do...