HO: New Home Office unit demands respect – Using terminology the Special Air Service would be proud of, the Home Secretary John Reid launched the new national 'Respect Squad', a ten-strong elite unit of trouble-shooters which can be called in to tackle incidents of persistent anti-social behaviour which are causing misery to local communities up and down the country.
The squad’s personnel will be drawn from experienced frontline police and local authorities and have been tasked by the Government's Respect Task Force to accelerate action where police and local authorities need extra support, or where severe cases are going unchecked.
The squad can be called upon by local authorities, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, police chiefs, councillors and MPs to help provide swift resolution to challenging problems, where other channels of action appear to have been exhausted.
The team will be appointed to investigate a case and make recommendations for progress to the Crime Disorder Reduction Partnership chair.
A copy of the squad's assessment will be made available to the public, keeping them informed on progress and reinforcing residents' power to demand action.
Press release ~ Respect Squad ~ Respect ~ Respect Action Plan ~ MORI poll Respect results ~ Home Office Anti-social behaviour ~ Together ~ No 10 Respect website ~ PM targets "eradication of anti-social behaviour" ~ Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships ~ Anti-social behaviour toolkit ~ Anti-social behaviour in housing - CAB ~ Anti-social behaviour - Directgov
DCLG: Power to the people - Ruth Kelly has signalled a policy move in which she claims to give more power to the people in local government reform; ensuring residents are involved in shaping local policies.
Speaking at the launch of the first annual review of the Government's action plan Together We Can, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Ruth Kelly praised schemes working to give residents more control over their communities and promised to build on this approach in the Local Government White Paper.
Together We Can sets out a 65-point action plan to improve the way people engage with local and central government.
Twelve Government departments are taking part in the Together We Can plan in the hope to make more opportunities for people to influence policies on citizenship, democracy, health, regeneration, safety and justice.
Press release ~ Together We Can ~ Together We Can annual review ~ Civil renewal ~ Local Government ~ cimereduction.org.uk ~ Your Neighbourhood: Getting involved and having your say - DCLG ~ Getting involved in local government – National Youth Agency ~ Involving young people in local authority decision-making – Joseph Roundtree Foundation ~ Respect
CEOP: The hunted become the hunters - Children and young people, the very targets of child sex abuse, are being asked to step forward to help make a very real impact on this area of criminality.
The UK's first dedicated organisation focused on child sex abuse - the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre - is asking for volunteers aged between 11 - 16 years to work with them in reaching out to children and young people with vital safety first messages.
Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre, takes up the theme:
"Fundamental to our work is raising awareness of the dangers amongst children and young people and to CEOP Youth Panel to take the necessary safety steps so that they can enjoy the benefits with the freedom they deserve."
Helen Penn, CEOP's lead education co-ordinator explaining the role of the new CEOP Youth Panel, added:
"Peer to peer communications is vital.
How can we design awareness tools and know that we are talking the same language as the school playground, the same terminology as young people use when they are online, or indeed covering the areas that they are using day-in-day-out.
We can't and we shouldn't even try. That is why we are asking young people from across the
Press release ~ Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre ~ ThinkuKnow ~Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) ~ NSPCC inform ~ Child Protection Policing - Home Office ~ Child Protection on the Internet – Home Office ~ Virtual Global Taskforce
Audit Commission: Will better data lead to safer streets? - With crime reduction hot on the political agenda, it is hoped that an audit on the accuracy of the recording of crime figures will provide the police with reliable and timely information to help them target resources effectively and put victims and witnesses first.
Crime Recording 2005, a collaboration between the Audit Commission and Wales Audit Office, looks at how well the 43 police forces and authorities in England and Wales record crime data and compares their performance over the last three years.
It finds that most forces and authorities meet the crime recording standards and all but two have adequate management arrangements in place to maintain and improve compliance.
The Commission found that 35 (82%) police forces and authorities met the minimum crime recording requirement of 90% compliance with the standards to achieve a "good" or "excellent" rating - this compares to 24 (56%) in 2004 and 12 (28%) in the first year of reviews.
However two forces were rated as 'poor' for their management arrangements, a small number have deteriorated or failed to improve since the last review and five forces rely on expensive and time consuming data checking techniques rather than getting the crime recorded right first time.
Press release ~ Crime Recording 2005 ~ National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) ~ Home Office Counting Rules ~ Crime Statistics for England and Wales ~ British Crime Survey ~ Crimereduction ~ Crime Reduction Initiatives
DfES: School discipline 'heading' in the right direction - A mixed review of the disciplinary system in schools has been published by the DfES, which states that whilst the number of pupils excluded from schools has gone down, it is nonetheless alarming to note that 44% of all exclusions were due to violent behaviour towards teachers and fellow pupils.
The DfES report shows permanent exclusions fell by 4% to 9,440 in 2004/05, down from 9,880 in 2003/04.
The Government is using the figures to promote their claim that Headteachers are tackling misbehaviour and continuing to permanently exclude pupils where their behaviour warrants it.
Schools Minister Jim Knight said:
"The message to the minority is clear - schools can and will act robustly.
Today's figures also nail the false notion that many Heads are unwilling to exclude or that any exclusion they make will be overturned on appeal. Today's figures show that continues to be nonsense with a reduction for the third year in a row in the number of pupils reinstated on appeal, now down to just 110 pupils.”
Boys accounted for the vast majority of the exclusions, and pupils aged between 13 and 14 years old accounted for 46% of all exclusions.
Press release ~ Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools and Exclusion Appeals in England 2004/05 ~ The Education and Inspections Bill 2006 ~ Association of School and College Leaders ~ National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers ~ Violence reduction in schools - Teachernet ~ Ofsted
DCLG: Although it
may not come as a major surprise to the average citizen, the main findings of
the 2005 Citizenship Survey suggests that the vast majority of people in
The survey suggests that interaction
between different communities is key too building cohesion and
reducing racial prejudice and that people living in ethnically
diverse areas were also more positive and feel that
ethnic differences are respected.
Importantly, when compared with
results from 2001, people from minority ethnic groups now feel they would be
less
likely to be discriminated against by many public bodies, including
the police.
However this survey raises
challenges too with half of white people responding to the survey
feeling that racial prejudice has got worse over the last five years and
more people also think religious prejudice has
increased.
Press release ~ 2005 Citizenship Survey ~ Crime and Cohesive Communities (uses data from the
Citizenship Survey) ~ Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society - Government's
race equality and cohesion strategy ~ National Statistics' classification of Ethnic
groups ~ Commission for Racial Equality ~ Ethnic diversity, neighbourhoods and housing - Joseph Roundtree
Foundation ~ Ethnic Diversity in the UK
DfES: A Government report into the links between child abuse and
'possession' and 'witchcraft' has been published
alongside an announcement that action will be stepped up to tackle the
phenomenon.
The report provides
a review of cases already known to the relevant authorities and looks at the
extent of the problem. The report
states 'the number of cases of child abuse linked to accusations of
"possession" and "witchcraft" are small compared to the total number of
children abused each year' but that the nature of the cases is
disturbing.
In response, a comprehensive
cross-agency strategy has been put in place to speed-up the
identification of cases by local agencies and to deal with the perpetrators, as
well as to help prevent cases happening in the first place.
Press release ~ Report: Child Abuse Linked
to Accusations of “Possession” and “Witchcraft” (LF 812kb) ~ Government response to report ~ Local Safeguarding Children Boards ~ Churches Child Protection
Advisory Service ~ Report: Child
Protection in a Faith Environment – Muslim Parliament of GB ~ Working Together to Safeguard Children ~
London Child
Protection Committee ~ NSPCC
DH: In an
announcement that perhaps might not be so warmly greeted by the England
football fans who have been watching the World Cup, a new independent
charitable Trust aimed at positively changing the UK's drinking culture and
tackling alcohol-related harm has been given the go-ahead by the
Government
The 'Drinkaware Trust' will be voluntarily
funded by the alcohol industry and will be operational later this
year, bringing together industry, charities, lobby groups,
medical professionals and experts in the field to address alcohol misuse across
and promote sensible drinking across the UK.
Work by the Trust will include educational
campaigns to promote sensible drinking among the general public, project
aid for local and national initiatives, and the running and
evaluation of pilot programmes to tackle alcohol related
harm.
Press release ~ Drinkaware
Trust ~ Drinkaware ~ Portman Group ~ Portman Group Code of Practice ~ Alcohol Concern ~ Proof of Age card scheme ~ 'Choosing Health' White
Paper ~ Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy ~ Small change, big
difference
Scottish Executive: The Scottish Executive has announced a
total under-spend of £235 million on a public
sector budget of £26.5 billion (a saving of 0.9%)
The Executive
spent £171 million less than the budget
approved by the Parliament in the Spring budget revision, while arms-length
bodies such as Health Boards and Scottish Water spent £64 million
less than their approved
budgets.
Press release ~ End Year Flexibility 2005-06 ~ Scottish Executive Finance section ~ Scottish
Executive
DfT: The
Government is to offer £15m of incentives in an effort to persuade
parents and children to cycle to school.
The new investment, which doubles the
budget for Cycling England and will provide:
·
More
money for the cycling Links to Schools project, which ties in schools to the
wider 10,000 miles of the National Cycling Network reducing need for school
children to cycle on busy roads. 70% of the links to schools built by the end of 2005 were
off-road.
·
Funding
to support the new more rigorous cycling proficiency test fit for the 21st
century not the 1970s.
·
Potentially training a further 100,000 children to a new, tougher
standard including on-road training.
Press release ~ Cycling
England ~ Sustrans - safe routes to school ~ CTC ~ London Cycling Campaign
(LCC) ~ Bike Week ~ Department for
Transport
DWP: A new independent
adviser on child poverty has been appointed to the Department for
Work and Pensions, in an effort by the department to make headway on what it
calls its number one priority.
Lisa Harker, a former Chair of the
influential childcare charity Daycare Trust, will have a number of
responsibilities in an effort towards meeting the Government’s ambitious target
of eradicating child poverty by 2020.
One of Ms Harker’s first tasks will
be to review current practices and make further recommendations ahead of the
publication of the Government’s new strategy on the issue, due out later in the
year.
Press release ~ John
Hutton speech on child poverty as the DWP’s number one priority ~ Report: Child
Poverty in the UK 2003-04 ~ DWP response to Child
Poverty in the UK 2003-04 report ~ DayCare
Trust ~ End
Child Poverty ~ Child Poverty Action Group ~ Joseph Rowntree Foundation
~ Barnardos
MoD: The
Government has announced funding for the creation of six new state
school cadet units, to be set up for three-year pilot periods, with a
view to the continued expansion of the cadet forces in future
years.
Defence Minister Tom Watson
said:
"The focus for all of the cadet units is on bringing adventure and
enjoyment to all young people with a view to steering them towards responsible
citizenship.
They encourage valuable personal attributes; help to build skills and,
using military themes based upon the culture and ethos of the single services,
foster confidence, self reliance, initiative, loyalty and a sense of service
to others."
The use of terminology such as
comradeship, sacrifice and loyalty comes at the same time as the Government
attempts to control a spiralling Respect and anti-social behaviour
agenda.
Press release ~ Air Cadets
Corps ~ Army Cadet Corps ~ Sea Cadet
Corps ~ Big Lottery
Fund ~ Imperial War Museum
DH: People who lack the
capacity to consent are to benefit from new safeguards covering
both care
homes and those being treated in hospital, in circumstances
where their need to receive care or treatment amounts to a deprivation
of liberty.
The proposals aim to close what has
become known as the 'Bournewood Gap', which
resulted from a 2004 European Court of
Human Rights judgment involving an autistic man who was kept at
Key features of the new proposals
include:
·
All
involved will have to act in the best interests of the person in care and in
the least restrictive manner.
·
The
criteria under which someone can be detained will be
strengthened
·
An
individual's rights will have to be respected and it will be easier to
challenge the decision once someone has been detained
·
Every
person will have someone 'independent' to represent their
interests;
Press release ~ Mental Capacity Act 2005 ~ Protecting the vulnerable: the Bournewood consultation - summary
of responses ~ Mind ~ European Court of Human
Rights ~ National Institute for Mental Health in England
(NIMHE)
DCLG: The
Government has announced details of funding to help local authorities provide
new and
refurbished sites for Gypsies and Travellers in their areas, and tackle
unauthorised camping.
For 2006/07, the Government has
approved £16.75m of investment through the grants for schemes which
will provide 134 additional pitches for Gypsies and Travellers and for
the refurbishment of 57 sites. Up to £56m will be made available through the Gypsy
and Traveller Sites Grant between 2006 and 2008 aimed at addressing the current
shortfall in provision as well as tackling the problem of unauthorised
camping.
The announcement comes after a
recent report by the LGA Gypsy and Traveller Group concluded that local
authorities must make more appropriate site provision to meet
current needs and also highlighted the need for more Government
support.
Press release ~ Gypsy Sites
Refurbishment Grants 2006, Part 1 ~ Gypsy Sites Refurbishment Grants 2005/06 ~ <
FONT color=#0000ff>LGA Gypsy and Traveller Group report ~ Commission for Racial Equality ~ Gypsy &
Traveller Law Reform Coalition ~ Travellers’
Times
DH: The
Government has announced plans for a new National Service Framework (NSF) to be developed to improve
standards of care and increase choice for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(COPD).
The proposed NSF for COPD patients, those suffering from diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, would seek to:
·
Provide
more choice in treatment for patients.
·
Reduce
inequalities in treatment, which can vary across the
country.
·
Improve
standards of care for patients.
Press release ~ National Service Frameworks - NHS ~ National Service Frameworks - DH ~ Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(COPD) ~ British Thoracic Society
DH: A new
incentive scheme will give NHS ambulance trusts in
The change to response time
requirements was a key recommendation from last year's strategic review of
ambulance services in
It recommended that ambulance
trusts must ensure all 'Category A' calls - the most urgent calls - are
responded to within eight minutes of being connected to the control
room.
Full implementation of the new
standard is now expected by
Press release ~ DH
Review: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services ~ Ambulance capital incentive scheme
2004 ~ NHS Ambulance Trusts ~ London Ambulance
Service
DCLG: Women of all
ages, experience and backgrounds are getting set to take part in a major
nationwide debate to tell Deputy Women's Minister Meg Munn face
to face what they want from government.
The debate, entitled ‘Today's Woman - Your say in the Future’ is aimed at allowing women to convey
as to what they see are the major challenges now facing the country, what they
want from government policy and frontline services and how those
service providers can best communicate with
them.
The event is currently in
Women not attending the events can
join the debate online by visiting the Today's Woman
website.
Press release ~ Today’s Woman
website ~ Online survey ~ Woman’s National
Commission ~ Women & Equality Unit ~ Centre for Advancement of
Women in Politics ~ Fawcett
Defra: A Defra
consultation is seeking views on the draft guidance for the new powers that
could help put a swift end to excessive late-night noise from pubs and
clubs. It also aims to
explore the level at which noise becomes a
'disturbance' - closing
The current Noise Act (1996) can
only be used to deal with night-time noise from residential buildings (houses,
flats etc). From October
2006, the Clean
Neighbourhoods and Environment Act will be extended to make it an offence
for licensed premises to create excessive noise between the hours of 23.00 and
07.00.
Press release ~ Consultation ~ Clean
Neighbourhoods and Environment Act - Defra ~ Noise from Pubs and Clubs: Phase 2 - Defra
~ Noise - Defra ~ UK Noise
Association (UKNA) ~ Noise Pollution - DH ~ Noise Act (1996)
DCLG: A
consultation setting out options for reform of the Local
Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) has been published - closing
The Government's objective for the LGPS is to safeguard its nature as a good
quality, defined benefit, funded scheme, while ensuring that it remains
affordable, sustainable and acceptable to taxpayers.
The paper sets
out final salary and career-average options which also include
increased death in service benefits, cohabitees pensions, and new, two-tier ill
health pension provisions.
Reform of the LGPS is required
because people are living longer than ever before, accompanied by
the significant alteration of working lives, multiple employments and a shift
in the LGPS membership base.
Press release ~ Consultation ~ Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) ~ Local Government
Pensions Division ~ Department of Work and Pensions ~ The Pensions
Service
DfES: A
consultation has been launched on a new improvement strategy to drive
up standards and performance in Further Education (FE) in the Government’s
drive to make FE the engine of the
Key measures outlined in the strategy
include:
·
A
network of advisers to provide tailored support to colleges and training
providers
·
New
materials and tools to help colleges and training providers assess their own
performance
·
The
Excellence Gateway portal to share best practice
·
New
professional development programmes for leaders, managers and staff working in
FE
·
A
National Learner Panel to ensure that learners' views are
heard.
Press release ~ Consultation ~ Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) ~ Excellence Gateway a
portal to share best practice ~ Learning and Skills
Development Agency (LSDA) ~ Further Education National Consortium (FENC) ~ Lifelong Learning
UK
FCO:
It is a subject
that has baffled the best political minds and laid a minefield for political
parties to manoeuvre through, yet the Government says that it can explain the
EU to the average-Joe in just ONE minute.
The one minute guide to the EU has
been launched by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in response to a
Eurobarometer survey revealing that 85% of
The 1 minute guide is presented as
an animated tour of the EU, giving information about EU countries, how the EU
works and its impact on our lives.
Press release ~ Tour the EU in a minute ~ Britain in the EU - FCO ~ Guide to the European Union – FCO (LF 1.07Mb) ~ Eurobarometer (can take a while to appear) ~ European Information Network in the UK ~ BBC News ~ European Movement in the UK ~ No Campaign
CIOB: The CIOB has
launched a new code of practice book entitled Partnering in the Construction Industry.
With partnering seen as the most
effective way of tackling construction projects, the book explains how using
partnering can achieve ever higher levels of efficiency and certainty, provides
detailed guidance to newcomers and describes how highly developed forms of
partnering are developing into strategic collaborative
working.
The book is designed to be used
flexibly by a variety of readers, with coloured sections, executive summaries,
check lists, case studies and research built into the body of the text to
enable senior managers to get a quick overview of the guidance
provided.
Press release ~ Purchase the book online ~ CIOB ~ Partnering – Construction Industry Council ~ Modernising Construction – NOA
report (VLF
1.55Mb) ~ Achieving Excellence in Construction -
OGC ~ Royal Institute of British Architects ~ Institution
of Civil Engineers ~ Chartered Institute of Housing ~ The Housing Forum ~ Constructing Excellence in the Built
Environment
DCLG: The
Government has unveiled new measures to increase compliance with building
standards and improve the way that local authority and approved
building control bodies do business.
A new system of Performance
Indicators and updated Performance Standards, developed by the Building Control Performance Standards
Advisory Group, gives building control bodies a framework to help improve
the quality of the services they offer and will measure their performance on
compliance, staff development and customer service.
Press release ~ Building Control Performance Standards - Planning
Portal ~ DCLG Building Regulations ~ DCLG Memorandum ~ Association of Consultant
Approved Inspectors ~ Construction Industry Council ~ Local Authority
Building Control ~ Local Government Association ~ Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill ~ Federation of Master
Builders
HO: Home Office
Minister Tony McNulty has challenged police and practitioners to take a
more
robust and unremitting approach to tackling anti-social behaviour by
making maximum use of the dispersal powers available to
them.
Mr McNulty urged police to use new guidance on reclaiming public space, using
dispersal powers to remove anti-social groups and taking children
home.
The publication of the guidelines
follows the recent Court of Appeal decision to uphold a vital piece of
legislation designed to reduce anti-social behaviour.
Press release ~ Dispersal Powers Guidance ~ Respect ~ Home Office anti-social behaviour ~ Together ~ No 10
Respect website ~ Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships ~ Anti-social behaviour toolkit ~ Anti-social behaviour -
Directgov
Defra: The Drinking
Water Inspectorate's annual report shows a further rise in the quality of
The Drinking Water Inspectorate was
formed in 1990 and acts as the independent regulator of the quality and safety
of drinking water supplied by the water companies in
Press release ~ Annual report ~ Drinking Water Inspectorate ~ Defra Water ~ Water UK ~ The
Water Page links page ~ Water is Cool
in School
FO: The Foreign
Office has launched a new human rights handbook, ‘Medical Investigation and Documentation of Torture’, designed
to advise doctors and health workers on how to examine and treat torture
victims, and how to document the injuries so that their evidence can
be used to prosecute the perpetrators.
The 106-page book is intended to raise
awareness of the use of torture and the wounds, both physical and
psychological, that it leaves on its victims.
The distinction between torture and
ill-treatment is explored, as are the ethical considerations facing
health professionals dealing with victims of state torture, while the absolute
prohibition of torture under international law is
detailed.
Press release ~ UEHRC publications ~ University of Essex's Human Rights Centre (UEHRC)
~ FCO Torture
website ~ UNHCHR Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture ~ Medical Foundation for
the Care of Victims of Torture ~ Association for the Prevention of Torture ~ Council of Europe: Prevention
of Torture ~ UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Torture and
Inhuman Treatment
HSE: A report by
the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) concludes that
The report is in response to a
request from the Energy Minister for an expert report to the Government's
energy review on health and safety issues associated with a range of
energy developments, and on the potential role of pre-licensing
assessments of nuclear reactor designs should the Government decide
to look further into new nuclear electricity generation.
The report covers:
·
Gas
storage
·
Carbon
capture and storage (CCS)
·
Some
renewable sources (wind, wave, tidal and biomass)
·
Distributed generation, including hydrogen; nuclear
power
·
Clean
coal technology
Press release ~ HSE Energy Review report ~ DTI Energy
Review ~ Gas storage ~ Carbon capture and storage (CCS) ~ Wind ~ Wave ~ Tidal ~ Biomass ~ Hydrogen ~ Nuclear power ~ Clean
coal technology ~ DTI Energy
Projects ~ Centre for Sustainable Energy ~ The Carbon
Trust
Healthcare Commission: The Healthcare Commission has called for action to improve
neglected
services for people suffering from chronic lung conditions; a call
which comes at the same time as the Department for Health launches a new National Service Framework on the
condition.
The Commission’s Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(COPD) study concludes that more accurate diagnosis and a
more structured approach to care for COPD would improve the quality of life for
people suffering from COPD as well as be more financially effective for the
NHS.
Press release ~
DfT: The
Department of Transport has published National Statistics on road casualties in
The statistics relate to personal injury accidents on public roads that are reported to the police. Key figures include:
Press release ~ Road casualties in Great Britain:
main results: 2005 data ~ Report: Under-reporting of road casualties: Phase
1 ~ Report: Road accidents casualties: comparison - STATS19 and
Hospital Episode Statistics ~ Think!
~ Brake ~ Hedgehogs
(child road safety campaign)
Defra: The UK's
proposal for the next period (Phase II) of the European Union's Emissions Trading
Scheme (EU ETS) has been announced, aiming to provide business with additional
certainty on the contribution it needs to make to help tackle
climate change.
Under the scheme, installations
that emit less carbon dioxide than their allocation are able to sell
allowances on the newly established carbon market to installations
which need to buy allowances to cover extra
emissions.
The Government has also announced
the creation of a new joint Defra/DTI Environmental Transformation Fund that
will provide a boost to investment in renewable energies and other green
technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
Press release ~ National Plan Phase II ~
HMRC: Business Brief 07/06
Contents:
1. VAT: New reduced rates for
supplies of contraceptive products and welfare advice and
information
2. VAT - End of litigation in IDT
Card Services Ireland Limited (IDT)
3. VAT - Exemption for the
Management of Authorised Collective Investment Schemes
Press release ~ Business Briefs 2006 (it
sometimes takes time to appear here)
DTI: The Government has
announced that two new Enterprise Capital Funds (ECFs) are to be created to
help innovative SMEs get the finance they need to grow.
The two ECFs announced today are:
·
The Dawn Capital
Fund (£37.5
million) - will invest throughout the
·
The
Press release ~ Enterprise Capital Funds (ECF) ~ Dawn
Capital ~ Catapult-VM
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