General News

WAG: A major UK exercise involving the Welsh Government, Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), Defra, the Scottish Government, the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Northern Ireland (DARDNI) and key operational partners, will test the ability of all 4 UK governments to deal with a significant outbreak of Classical Swine Fever (CSF).
 
Exercise Walnut will take place on 12-13 June 2013 and will simulate a UK scale outbreak of CSF to test existing plans & policies for the control & eradication of this significant exotic notifiable disease. As part of the exercise the Emergency Co-ordination Centre (Wales) (ECC(W)) in Cardiff will be established. 

A Disease Strategy Group (DSG) and a Central Epizootic Disease Control Centre (CEDCC) will also be set up in Edinburgh & Belfast respectively.
Press release & links
 
Unite: A key proposal by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust - in a bid to save £46m over the next 5 years - is the introduction of emergency care assistants to work alongside more highly-trained paramedics. The planned shake-up of the Yorkshire ambulance service is ‘all about cost-cutting and nothing about improving patient care’, Unite, the union, has claimed.
 
Unite said that the trust’s intention is to abolish the current ‘urgent tier’ of response.  These staff currently transport urgent cases which a GP has assessed needs admission to hospital. In future, these patients will be transported via emergency ambulances and Unite feels they will then be pushed to the ‘back of the queue’, as 999 calls take precedence.
Press release
 
DSA: Plans to offer practical driving tests from branches of Halfords have been given the go ahead. Driving tests will be available from the Halfords store in Wellingborough from Tuesday 5 February 2013

Other branches of Halfords across the country are expected to start offering tests in coming months.  All tests will be conducted by Driving Standards Agency (DSA) examiners.
 
The government is currently consulting on proposals to improve the way all motoring services are delivered. The Motoring Services Strategy consultation outlines long term proposals to put customers firmly at the heart of the way motoring services are delivered, so that they best serve the consumer while getting the best possible deal for the taxpayer. Consultation closes on 7 March 2013.
Press release & links
 
ScotGovFinancial support will be offered to Scottish students studying at EU universities in 2014/15.
This will be the first time students studying in Europe will be entitled to the same bursary & loan support as students attending university in Scotland.  The support, to be offered to around 250 young people who will study in the EU in 2014/15, will be on a pilot basis, to assess demand & benefits.
Press release & links
 
FSAAsda is withdrawing its own-brand Great Stuff Minced Beef Hotpot because the product contains wheat/gluten, which is mentioned on the label but not in the allergen advice box.  The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
Press release
 
DfESchools across the country are set to benefit from a new deal that has been reached with Microsoft. Under a new 3-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which started on 1 January 2013, all schools in the UK are able to take advantage of improved discounts and better licensing terms across a wide range of Microsoft’s academic software.
Press release & links
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