WIREDGOV

Defence Secretary praises UK military for Sierra Leonian efforts – (PM announces major boost to UK economy with £859m shipbuilding investment ~ New Libor funding to build veterans' accommodation ~ MOD announces €200m Typhoon capability upgrade for the RAF ~ Defence Secretary meets Qatari counterpart to discuss international response to ISIL ~ PM announces package of non-lethal support to Ukraine ~ Military courage recognised in Operational Honours List ~ PM praises bravery & dedication of military honours recipients at 10 Downing Street reception ~ Minister for the Armed Forces talks civil-military relations)

ScotGov: NHS Lothian, NHS Highland & the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank are to receive £31.5m from the Performance Fund – (ScotGov:  Summit to tackle child abuse  is being launched later this year

~ Minister calls for more fair trade school uniforms ~ Firefighters face fewer attacks ~ Local Government expenditure on services up 1.9% ~ Maternity & neonatal services ~ £2.5m investment to reduce vehicle emissions ~ Keeping teachers in Scotland’s classrooms)

Inspectorate of Prosecution report is ‘a wake-up call’ for Scottish Government, says FDA

WAG:  Play time comes early thanks to extra £1.5m – (Welsh Physics Teachers attend a 4-day professional learning course at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva ~ Newport toddlers off to a Flying Start thanks to new funding ~ FM to celebrate strong economic & historic links with the USA ~ Access to GPs in Wales continues to improve)

Monitor:  NHS foundation trusts tackle rising patient demand – (Monitor secures extra help for Norfolk & Suffolk to improve services & strengthen leadership ~ Basildon & Thurrock to take action to improve its finances)

LGA response to the PAC report into planning for the Better Care Fund

STFC:  Czech & UK laser facilities team up in new EU initiative – (STFC:  2015 Applications now open for the L’Oréal UK & Ireland Fellowships For Women in Science ~ Harwell Campus will open its doors for the science event of the year this July)

Ofgem’s Response to Energy & Climate Change Committee Report – (Suppliers must tell customers if their cheapest deal is marketed under a different brand ~ PC&PE:  Ofgem failing to keep network costs down for energy consumers)

Ofcom announces trials to help small stations join digital radio with an affordable way to broadcast on DAB digital radio – (Nearly 1 in 3 UK broadband connections now superfast)

DWP:  Disabled people across the UK are benefitting from the work of 20 organisations shortlisted for DWP's Accessible Britain Challenge Awards – (400 more disabled people in work every day ~ Half a million Work Experience & training opportunities snapped up ~ Number of young people NEET falls across the board)

Help TfL to help you – (TfL:  Applications are now open for more than 140 apprenticeship places ~ A taste of future travel ~ Safer Travel at Night campaign - 2014 successes ~ Mayor & TfL take action to boost taxi trade ~ TfL is asking for final contributions to its consultation on transparency)

DH:  Another Ebola healthcare worker back in UK for precautionary monitoring – (DoH is looking for nominations to be considered for New Year 2016 honours ~ The NHS Savile investigations - 16 NHS investigation reports have been published, 15 into the activities of Jimmy Savile, and 1 in relation to Johnny Savile ~ Independent investigation into the activity of Jimmy Savile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital)

CQC:  NHS inspections for July 2015 announced

CO:  First UK Open Data Camp held as government releases more data

CCW:  Time to soak up the savings as water bills land on doormats

DCMS:  Gandhi Statue to be unveiled in Parliament Square on 14 March – (£82,600 needed to catch a fly ~ DCMS:  £3m awarded to English museums)

DfE:  Short breaks damage young people’s futures - link between attendance & achievement – (Winners of the Character Awards announced - 27 schools win £15,000 for their work in character education)

Ofsted:  Inspectorates announce they are to focus on joint targeted area inspections of children’s services

HMT:  Government gets further £500m of taxpayers’ money back from Lloyds share sales – (£1bn payout for Equitable Life policyholders through the Equitable Life Payments Scheme)

EHRC:  Deaths in detention of hundreds of people with mental health conditions could have been avoided ~ IPCC is trying to 'improve'

ACE:  Two rare collections given to the nation through the Cultural Gifts Scheme – (Confirmed: over £9.5m of new Capital investment across England ~ Toward a new contract for arts & culture: join the debate)

Low Pay Commission recommends 3% increase in the National Minimum Wage to £6.70 – (TUC:  In parts of Britain half of jobs pay less than the living wage ~ Minimum wage increase needs to be bolder, says TUC ~ More prosecutions needed for minimum wage cheat bosses, says TUC ~ BIS:  Government names & shames largest ever number of National Minimum Wage offenders)

TUC:  Workers contribute £32bn to UK economy from unpaid overtime – (Vulnerable domestic workers must be protected by the Modern Slavery Bill, says TUC)

NA:  Call for papers for digital conference – (NA:  England’s immigrant records 1330-1550 now online)

CIPD initiative to tackle youth unemployment in East London - employment initiative Steps Ahead Mentoring

EH:  200th Anniversary of Battle of Waterloo to be marked by new exhibitions – (New Era for England's Heritage)

NHS Confed:  Greater collaboration between primary care & other NHS services needed – (NHS Confederation responds to new partnership funding in Greater Manchester)

Unicef condemns new child abductions by armed group in South Sudan

DECC:  New North Sea regulator issues urgent call to action

NDA and NDF of Japan sign Co-operation Agreement

Olympic hero backs RoSPA’s big push for more cyclists & fewer accidents

NIA:  Committee Criticises Department on Release of Papers critical to their inquiry into the Coleraine to Londonderry railway project

SFA:  Unemployed more confident about finding work in 2015 - Young people’s confidence increased by 25%

CCC Letter: Response to the Environmental Audit Committee request for assessment of the consistency of UK shale gas production with carbon budgets

PCS Union: Warning over safety as CAA presses ahead with outsourcing medical work – (PCS Union presents alternative to National Gallery privatisation)

NE:  Water capital grant scheme open for applications from 2 March 2015