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General News
Newswire – TUC: As a delegation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) began a 3-day visit last week to the site of the London Olympics, the TUC urged them to ensure that no workers involved in the delivery of the 2012 Games are exploited. The TUC has agreed principles of co-operation with the Olympic Delivery Authority and LOCOG - which set standards for the London Games workforce.
In addition the TUC & Labour Behind the Label are running Playfair 2012, a campaign to ensure fair treatment of and respect for the rights of workers in all the supply chains producing sportswear & Olympic merchandise.
OFT: The OFT announced recently it intends to launch a market study into mobility aids, examining matters such as whether consumers are well informed & treated fairly and whether the industry is competitive. Ahead of this, the OFT is engaging with interested parties to ask for their views and to discuss the proposed scope of the study, which will commence in early 2011.
The OFT will be contacting key parties directly. Other interested parties can submit written views by 10 January 2011. Comments can be submitted by email to mobilityaids@oft.gsi.gov.uk
CLG: Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, last week kicked off national Inter Faith Week by urging everyone to get involved in inter faith activities and make connections with people of different faiths. Through the Faiths in Action grant scheme, the Government is supporting a number of innovative local projects. Many of these have an emphasis on people from different backgrounds coming together to address local problems such as improving green spaces, as well as promoting tolerance & respect.
Press release ~ Inter Faith Network for the UK ~ Inter Faith Week 2010 ~ Faiths in Action grant scheme
MoD: Thousands of Afghans flocked to the city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province recently for one of the biggest musical events Afghanistan has ever seen. As darkness fell on Lashkar Gah, the singer - dubbed the 'Afghan Elvis' - took to the stage to perform for thousands of his fans. Farhad Darya is a major celebrity in Afghanistan and across the Middle East. He has fans in every country in the region, as well as many in the West.
Newswire – HCA: 13 housing schemes currently in procurement & worth over £1.2bn will continue to be supported through the Private Finance Initiative during the next spending review period, the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) and the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) confirmed last week.
Newswire – TUC: Commenting on Professor Harrington's review of the fairness and effectiveness of work capability assessments (WCAs) published last week, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'The full acceptance of Professor Harrington's review on improving WCAs by the government is a very positive move……. 'It is encouraging that the government has accepted the recommendation that research is undertaken to understand whether the assessments could and should incorporate more work-focused elements, considering the real-world chances that disabled people have of actually moving into work’.
WAG: Farmers should be aware of changes to the management of bovine TB aimed at preventing the spread of disease in Wales. There are three changes taking effect from 1 January 2011 that will affect all cattle keepers in Wales:
* a change to the terminology used in describing the TB status of a herd
* a move to a risk based approach for classifications of TB breakdowns across Wales
* the implementation of Veterinary Improvement Notices
TfL: The Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) last week announced that the Mayor's flagship cycle hire scheme will go live to casual users on Friday 3 December 2010, allowing everyone instant access to thousands of Barclays Cycle Hire bikes throughout central London.
ACE: There is only one week left to submit applications to next year's decibel Performing Arts Showcase (13-16 September 2011). An Arts Council initiative, the showcase is a unique event that provides selected artists & companies with the opportunity to show work to an audience of national & international promoters, producers, programmers, artistic directors & venue managers. The application deadline for Showcase is Wednesday 1 December 2010, 5pm.
EHRC: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched a comprehensive report on childcare, which ‘assesses whether current provision helps or hinders parents’ wishes to combine work and caring’. It also highlights the importance of good quality childcare in closing the educational attainment gaps between rich & poor. The Commission’s report makes the link to opening 2 of the key ‘pillars of opportunity’ highlighted in its recent How Fair is Britain? report.
EHRC: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has started a process to carry out a formal, independent assessment of the extent to which the Treasury has met its legal obligations to consider the impact on protected groups of decisions contained in the Spending Review. The assessment is to be conducted under powers granted to the Commission under section 31 of the 2006 Equality Act. The Commission aims to publish its final report in Summer 2011.
MoD: The Royal Navy deep-water survey ship HMS Scott has deployed to the Antarctic 100 years after her eponym Captain Scott's final expedition to the area. During her deployment to the region earlier this year HMS Scott (based at Devonport Naval Base) surveyed 3,000 miles of uncharted ocean and provided information for the safety of navigation & entirely new seabed views of interest to scientists - including newly-discovered undersea volcanoes.
DH: Northern Ireland's Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey last week hosted an awards ceremony recognising outstanding achievements of military & civilian personnel in the health & care of the Armed Forces.
TfL: A new campaign has been launched as part of the Safer Travel at Night (STaN) initiative to warn Londoners about the dangers of getting into unbooked minicabs. The new STaN campaign includes the message; 'If your minicab's not booked, it's just a stranger's car' and will be running throughout London from late November to coincide with the Christmas party period.
If you have had a bad experience in a minicab or taxi (black cab), please report the incident at tfl.gov.uk/contactcabs, call 0845 300 7000, or email tph.comms@tfl.gov.uk. Help & support is available for victims of sexual assault from The Havens.
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